The University of Guelph Child Care and Learning Centre Outdoor Playscape is a versatile outdoor play and learning environment constructed of natural materials, with an aim to maximize elements of play. The playscape also acts as a research site and workshop space for faculty and students in the Child Studies Program at the University of...
Okanagan College is among 8 recipients of the Lawson Foundation's Outdoor Play Strategy 2.0 funding pool. Their project, entitled 'Outdoor Pedagogy in Early Childhood Education: From Colleges to Communities' aims to shift post-secondary ECE programs towards incorporating the outdoors in their pedagogy. Faculty at three post-secondary ECE programs in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick will increase...
The University of British Columbia is among 8 recipients of the Lawson Foundation's Outdoor Play Strategy 2.0 funding pool. Their project, entitled 'PROmoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO): An Outdoor Play Intervention for Children Aged 3 to 5 Years in Early Learning and Child Care Programs' aims to increase children's time in quality outdoor play in Early...
The Regroupement des Centres de la Petite Enfance de la Monteregie (RCPEM) is among 8 recipients of the Lawson Foundation's Outdoor Play Strategy 2.0 funding pool. The RCPEM project, entitled 'Creating Optimal Outdoor Spaces for Infants and Toddlers in Early Learning and Child Care Centers' aims to strengthen the outdoor play-based educational practices of their early...
Evergreen’s National School Ground Greening program works with school boards and school communities to transform their grounds into vibrant, nature rich environments, for play and learning. As part of this program, Evergreen has launched the Climate Ready Schools project to improve the overall design, management, and educational use of schools and schoolgrounds by mitigating flood...
Levelling the playing fields (LTPF) is a project by the Montreal Urban Ecology Centre (MUEC) and the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal (ESPUM) to deploy free-play pilot interventions in five Canadian communities using two innovative models of re-allocating urban space in favour of young children: the school street and the play...
The new imaginative, educational, and playful wildlife series, 'Zamzoom's Animal Adventures', is now available online in Canada for streaming in both the TVOkids website and TVOkids Youtube channel. The series follows Zamzoom, an intrepid space alien, and his robot partner Orbie as they travel around planet Earth discovering wildlife and exploring what makes each species unique, all...
The Great Trail of Canada has released their 2019-2020 Annual Report, highlighting the many projects and successes across the country including increased accessibility, expansion of greenways, and support for Indigenous-led projects. Read the full report here....
Between 2016 and 2018, EcoKids worked with 6 school communities in the Toronto District School Board to implement the OPAL pilot program. The Transform Lab, led by Dr. Raktim Mitra, Associate Professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Ryerson University, evaluated that pilot project. The researchers found that the OPAL program led...
On July 13, 2020, the Lawson Foundation released a statement on the importance of outdoor play as a public health strategy to support the reopening of early learning and child care (ELCC) centres, and for children's development and learning. The statement was prepared with input from public health and ELCC sector advisors, and includes guiding principles...
