Celebrating One Year of Outdoor Play at the CCOP

On June 26th, the Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play (CCOP) hosted its first-ever Open House to celebrate one year of the Forest Explorers licensed outdoor early learning program and launch of the CCOP at Wesley Clover Parks. Families, educators, and community members joined us for an evening of connection, reflection, and celebration!

Highlights included the unveiling of a beautiful series of stone sculptures by Ottawa artist John Felice Ceprano, storytelling time, the closing of the CCOP  time capsule, and the launch of a new vegetable and pollinator garden—funded through an Intact Insurance grant and designed to support learning, local food production (for the childcare program!), and connection with the land.

Guests took part in a peace walk, shared food made by our cook, enjoyed drinks provided by Kichesippi Brewery, listened to stories, explored the site through self-guided tours, swapped gear at our outdoor clothing exchange and participated in a raffle sponsored by Patagonia Ottawa. It was a joyful moment to pause, reconnect, and mark how far we’ve come—and how much is still growing.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and continues to support outdoor play and learning for early years children across Canada!