WILD CHILD is an free outdoor play program for families run by childREACH in London, ON. The program is run three times per week all year round (no matter the weather) and is held in local wooded areas to support play in natural settings. childREACH recently developed a new component of their program called WILD...
Recreate Place provides strategic planning, facilitation, design services, and activation support for communities that want to engage with children and youth to create better outdoor spaces and neighbourhoods. Child-friendly approaches are at the core of their work. They create age-appropriate, responsive processes that prioritize the meaningful participation of children and young people. They meet children where they are! Learn...
Scouts Canada has partnered with Hydro One to develop the Activity Finder, an online resource to support families in getting outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Activities include building a Quinzhee, creating snow sculptures, and learning to grow vegetables from food scraps. Check out the Activity Finder here. Watch the video from CTV News Ottawa about...
The Alberta Orienteering Association has put together the Neighborhood Adventure, a self-guided adventure for kids and families to get outdoors for some fun in their local neighborhoods. The adventure involves creating a map of your neighborhood, planning a route, and completing challenges online. Learn more and get started on the Neighborhood Adventure here....
In 2017, Peterborough Public Health undertook an extensive review of evidence related to outdoor playspaces for children in response to an observed increase in playground injury rates in Peterborough compared to the rest of the province. The review focuses on evidence related to the benefits of outdoor play, safety and risk, injury prevention, physical activity,...
UpLift for Healthier Generations, a policy initiative focused on unstructured outdoor play for children and youth in Nova Scotia, aims to promote community contribution to physical activity and complement school physical activity policy. The policy development framework of UpLift consists of the following: Examine child health and well-being in communities Develop a definition of unstructured...
Child Friendly Participatory Design by Evergreen is an approach in which experts in the field of child-friendly participation work with schools, municipalities, government, and the corporate sector to innovate sustainable, child-friendly public spaces and experiences. Meaningful involvement of children and young people is at the heart of Evergreen's work. This informational resource includes definitions of...
COVID-19 guidance for schools Kindergarten to Grade 12, produced by the Government of Canada, was developed to support administrators and public health authorities in considering potential risks and mitigation strategies associated with the resumption of in-school classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The document provides guidance on topics including: play while maintaining physical distancing, shared recreation...
KidScore & YouthScore, by Maximum City, is a child-friendly neighborhood assessment tool. This tool encourages children and youth to explore and measure how kid-friendly or youth-friendly an urban area is via a survey and affiliated activities. The survey and activities ask about ways to get around in an area, things for kids and youth to see...
The Street Design Challenge, by Maximum City, aims to engage Canadian children and youth in hands-on design and problem solving in redesigning neighborhood streets. Resources that are a part of this initiative include a Street Design Challenge Guide, Street Design Worksheets, as well as a Glossary of Terms. Learn more about the Street Design Challenge here....
