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Research

Thank you to Taylor Bradbury, CHEO HALO Research Group Placement Student, Carleton University BHSc, for providing this post. It is widely accepted that time spent participating in outdoor physical activity (OPA) can have a positive impact on adolescent well-being, including mental health1. But how much OPA should youth be getting, and to what extent does it...

  Thank you to Rachel Ramsden, PhD student at the School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, for providing this post. When it comes to children’s experiences at early learning and child care (ELCC) centres, how much outdoor play are children actually participating in – and can it be improved? New research from the...

Thank you to Mads Bølling, Peter Elsborg, Lærke Mygind, Charlotte Demant Klinker, Glen Nielsen and Peter Bentsen for providing this post. Physical activity in schools is not just about keeping children active – it can also play a crucial role in supporting their learning and overall well-being. Many schools, especially in Western countries, have embraced outdoor...

Outdoor Play Canada is thrilled to announce that registration is open for the 2025 Breath of Fresh Air (BoFA) Outdoor Play Summit until September 10th! The BoFA Outdoor Play Summit will once again take place at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, Ontario, from September 25-27, 2025, in partnership with the CHEO Research Institute, Andrew Fleck...

The Outdoor Learning School and Store is offering a free virtual workshop titled Outdoor Learning in the Early Years. This expert-led session features an incredible panel of educators, researchers, authors, and practitioners who will share practical tools, resources, and ideas to enhance your outdoor learning practices, specifically tailored for the early years. Among the esteemed...

Are you worried about the winter blues? Celebrating its 10th year in the UK and 2nd here in Canada, RED (Rise Every Day) January is a nationwide community that's open to individuals and teams of all ages and abilities. RED's philosophy is to empower all of us to move and boost our mood in the...

From Dec 7-10, OPC held an intensive workshop in Seoul, South Korea on the 10th anniversary update to the Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play. This 3-day meeting was led by the executive team for this project: OPC Executive Director, Dr. Louise de Lannoy, OPC President, Dr. Mark Tremblay and OPC Secretary, Dr. Eun-Young Lee...

This new two-part Lancet series, delivered by the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN), explores the "next 1,000 days" of a child's life, covering the critical developmental period from ages two to five. The series highlights the importance of this developmental period, explores care environments, risks, and protective factors shaping development, assesses access to nurturing care, and...

Outdoor Play Canada and Children & Nature Denmark are presenting a special webinar on supporting outdoor play and learning for children disabilities. This session will highlight the ongoing work of two national outdoor play organizations and research findings on inclusive and accessible outdoor play and learning from both Canada and Denmark. Participants will engage in...

The Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play (CCOP) is thrilled to invite you to a special webinar on the newly launched Outdoor ECE Framework, formally known as, Educators Teaching Educators: Canada’s Outdoor Early Childhood Education Continuous Professional Learning Framework. Developed by the CCOP, this innovative framework was brought to fruition using valuable insights from early learning professionals...