The Playbook 2030: A Guide to Building Canada's Most Livable Region, produced by ActiveCity Collective, is a systematic analysis of how the active economy impacts the economic, human, social, and environmental prosperity of Calgary and the region. Outdoor Play Canada provided feedback on the final draft of the Playbook, highlighting outdoor play as a key...
From 2015-2017, Vivo for Healthier Generations implemented its Play Ambassadors pilot outdoor play program in north-central Calgary. The goals of this program were to: 1) Increase unstructured, outdoor play through the creation of enriching environments for play. 2) Increase the quality of unstructured, outdoor play by training community members as Play Ambassadors in an evidence-based curriculum for...
The 'create nurturing outside environments: supporting infant and young children's free movement and active play' project by Regroupement des Centres de la Petite Enfance de la Montérégie (RCPEM) provided information and training to six pilot communities to address limitations in outdoor play, outdoor play spaces, and parental attitudes to outdoor play. They developed and tested...
Rockyview Play is an outdoor play space consultant firm that designs and builds nature-based projects for schools, communities, developers, municipalities, day care centres, and private clients. Their outdoor nature-based designs include the Dermot District Park Natural Playground in Edmonton, the Natural Playscape in Banff, and the Nellie McClung School naturescape model in Calgary. Learn more about...
The Wanuskewin Heritage Park interpretive playground in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, designed by Earthscape Play in collaboration with Crosby Hanna & Associates, was designed as an inviting space for children to explore and challenge themselves while making subtle connections (gathering circles, bison sculpture, rubbing rock) to the cultures and stories of the many Indigenous Peoples who have...
The Lion and The Mouse, a Montreal-based community organization that facilitates outdoor play programs in the city, offers Pop-Up Adventure Playgrounds in line with the work of Pop-Up Adventure Play. By introducing loose parts and inviting children to lead the way, these Pop-Ups encourage the re-appropriation of public space for play and nurture a culture...
Spotlight: Creativity, A 2020 HundrED research report, by the LEGO Foundation and hundrED, highlights leading education innovations from around the world, including the Walking Curriculum, a Canadian initiative led by Gillian Judson that aims develop students’ Sense of Place and enrich their curricular learning through 60 different walks. Check out the full Spotlight Creativity Report here....
The Classroom Gardener, a collaborative project between Room To Play Educational Consulting and Victory Gardens Vancouver, aims to build confidence and capacity in the use of school gardens as playful spaces for cross-curricular learning. They offer professional development for teachers, on-site organic garden coaching, and curated resources for playful learning from, with, and on the land. Learn...
The Playgroundology blog advocates for a wider variety of play opportunities for kids in public spaces. Since 2010, the blog has published 450 posts about play in various locations around the world that have been read by parents, play enthusiasts, practitioners, and policy makers in over 200 countries. The award-winning blog is referenced by readers...
Naturalized Outdoor Play Areas at Schools to Support Physical Activity and Health - A Rapid Review, by Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, was conducted to raise awareness, inform, and shape school ground greening plans, policies and related initiatives. Topics in this review include diversity and quality of play, age and gender variations, interest, ability and...
