Thank you to Thomas Morgenthaler, PhD student in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at University College Cork and Queen Margaret University, for providing this post. If you were to visit your local playground and ask several children what they like about it, you would likely hear a common response repeated over and over again: "It's so...
On Thursday March 30th at 20:00 GMT, the International Journal of Behavior Nutrition and Physical Activity Early Childhood Education Special Interest Group (ISBNPA ECE SIG) is hosting a webinar entitled: 'Outdoor and Nature Play: A Global Look at Research Policy & Practice'. This 75-minute webinar will include a discussion from international experts currently working in the...
Registration is now live for the 2023 Breath of Fresh Air Outdoor Play Summit! Held from September 27-29th, 2023 at Wesley Clover Parks Campground, Ottawa ON, BREATH OF FRESH AIR is a three-day Outdoor Play Summit hosted by Outdoor Play Canada, where thought leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers can connect and share best practices. The theme for the 2023...
Thank you to Emily Gemmell, PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia, for providing this guest post. “Ananda,” Mrs. Murry said thoughtfully. “That rings some kind of bell.” “It’s Sanskrit,” Charles Wallace said. Meg asked, “Does it mean anything?” “That joy in existence without which the universe will fall apart and collapse.” “That’s a mighty big name for one...
Thank you to Dr. Louise de Lannoy, Research Manager at Outdoor Play Canada, for providing this guest post. The 2015 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play highlighted the unequivocal benefits of outdoor play for children’s physical, mental, emotional, social and environmental health, well-being and development. The Position Statement invigorated the outdoor play sector, bringing together many...
Thank you for Dr. Richard Larouche, Assistant Professor of Public Health at the University of Lethbridge, for providing this post. Outdoor Play Canada was founded shortly after the release of the Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play, which stated that "Access to active play in nature and outdoors-with its risks-is essential for healthy child development. We...
Researchers from the Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute invite you to complete a survey about outdoor early childhood education programs across Canada. The aim of this survey is to learn whether the number and severity of injuries that occur in early childhood...
Thank you to Dr. Michelle EE Bauer, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, for providing this post. Most children enjoy playing outdoors with their friends and other peers. Children typically play with other peers they feel comfortable and safe around and those who bring the most excitement and joy to them during their...
Thank you for Dr. Richard Larouche, Assistant Professor of Public Health at the University of Lethbridge, and Dr. Ransi Nayakarathna, MSc student in Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge, for providing this post. As discussed in the Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play (Tremblay et al., 2015), children who spend more time outside are more...
Thank you to Megan Zeni, PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia, for providing this post. The Play Outside Lab at the University of British Columbia is now recruiting elementary school teachers who are willing to share photos, videos and learning materials that demonstrate outdoor play and learning in elementary (K-8) schools. If you know...
