June 21st is National Indigenous People's Day, a national celebration of the heritage, cultures, and achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples. This day overlaps with the summer solstice, which is a significant day for many Indigenous cultures. It also falls within National Indigenous History Month, which this year will highlight specific aspects of...
BREAKING NEWS. Outdoor Play Canada, the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group at the CHEO Research Institute, Andrew Fleck Children’s Services, Algonquin College and the Canadian Disability Participation Project have recently been awarded $1.7M for a 4-year project to address challenges in the built and social environment for outdoor play and learning in natural spaces for young children living...
Congratulations to OPC Board Member, Dr Mariana Brussoni, who was awarded the 2024 Joe L Frost Award for distinguished research at the US Play Coalition Conference in Indiana held April 16-18, 2024! In the mid-2000s, Mariana dared to push back against the accepted attitude that play should be 'as safe as possible' instead of 'as...
Thank you to Dr. Ulises Charles Rodriguez, Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Calgary, and Dr. Richard Larouche, Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Lethbridge, for providing this post. The last few decades have been marked by increasing global migration, with millions crossing boarders in search of refuge, more opportunities or improved standards...
Thank you to Dr. Debra Harwood, Professor in the Department of Educational Studies at Brock University, for providing this post. Researchers from Brock University are inviting Nature educators/individuals to participate in a research project on outdoor nature-based programs, entitled Outdoor and Nature-Based Early Learning in Canada: Revisiting the Scene Post-Pandemic. For this study, an outdoor nature-based program...
Thank you to Dr. Michelle Bauer, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia and Laura Cunningham, undergraduate student in the department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of British Columbia, for providing this post. A wealth of research demonstrates that there are developmental benefits for children’s participation in competitive...
Earth Day is April 22! Showing your appreciation for this great planet can include any number of activities, such as powering down for an hour, getting outside to play, cleaning-up your neighborhood, meeting your neighbours for a walk, and leaving your car turned off! For more ideas, a number of organizations across Canada & beyond are...
Thank you to Dr. Eun-Young Lee, Assistant Professor at Queen's University and OPC Board Secretary, An-Chi Shih, Physiotherapy Student at McMaster University, and Dr. Mark Tremblay, Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute and OPC Board President, for providing this post. In today's dynamic world, the significance of active play in children's development cannot be overstated....
Thank you to Sarah Forrest, second year journalism student at Carleton University, for providing this post. Outdoor risky play is key for childhood development, says Canadian Paediatric Society, but it’s not quite so simple. In a statement released on Jan. 25, CPS defined risky play as “thrilling and exciting forms of free play that involve uncertainty of...
500 Days in the Wild is a new film that follows filmmaker Dianne Whelan through her six-year (a jaunt longer than the originally anticipated 500 days!) journey to cover the entire 24,000km of the Trans Canada Trail without a motor – by foot, bicycle, canoe, and kayak. Her story is one filled with joy and...
