The Environmental Educators Provincial Specialist Association (EEPSA) in British Columbia put together a Position Statement on Education Outside the Classroom. In the Statement the authors outline the social, emotional, physical and academic benefits of spending time outside, recommendations on bringing education outdoors, as well as a call to action to discuss their recommendations, directed at...
PaRx, an initiative by BC Parks Foundation and driven by health-care professionals, is Canada's first national, evidence-based nature prescription program. The goal of PaRx is to promote prescribing time in nature for lifelong health benefit. This online resource includes useful tools to make prescribing time in nature simple, fun and effective: quick tips, patient handouts, a...
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 Lawson Foundation’s Outdoor Play Strategy is an integral part of their strategic direction and guides their efforts in exploring how outdoor play supports the healthy development of Canadian children and youth. They initially invested $2.7 million in 14 core projects, which grew to $4.5 million in related grants. Through a third-party evaluation, the Lawson...
Outdoor Play Canada's Active Toy Guide - the holiday edition - is filled with gift ideas to help kids of all ages burn off steam, chart an outdoor adventure or just experience the joy of movement. Toys are organized into 9 categories: Classics, Family Game Time, Imagine It, Let's Play Ball, Outdoor Fun, Physical Literacy...
Dr. Michelle Stone and her team at Play Outside NS, based out of Dalhousie University, developed an outdoor loose parts play video based on their Summer of PLEY (Physical Literacy in the Early Years) knowledge translation event. The event took place in Summer 2019 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and showcases the many ways children engaged...
This infographic, produced by Muddy Smiles, describes the benefits of hiking for kids' healthy development and well-being, such as encouraging free play, inspiring use of imagination, improving judgement when risk-taking, and bolstering the ability to cope with adversity. Check out this and many more resources from Muddy Smiles, an organization that promotes the vital importance of...
Children at every age need lots of active outdoor play, every day, to grow up healthy, happy, and physically literate. Yet many parents find getting kids outside isn't as easy as it sounds. Active For Life has put together a collection of articles to help parents nudge their children to lace up their sneakers and...
The South Shore Active Communities has developed this infographic on the Adult Role in Outdoor Play, which includes key guidance statements from experts including Outdoor Play Canada's Leadership Group member, Dr. Mariana Brussoni. This work is part of a larger effort to build capacity and understanding about the value and role of Outdoor Play for healthy...
Play Scotland has put together the 'Toolkit for delivering Loose Parts Play in COVID-19' to support organizations in planning and delivering Loose Parts Play during COVID-19. The toolkit includes a description of what Loose Parts Play is, a summary of the importance of Loose Parts Play, considerations for planning and risks associated with engaging in Loose...
