BugQuest is a free national biodiversity engagement program run through the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics at the University of Guelph. The project connects insect sampling and DNA barcoding with schools and community sites across Canada, helping participants explore the insect biodiversity in their own area while contributing to a larger research effort. Host sites receive a trap...
Thank you to Learning by Nature for providing this guest post. Learning by Nature is a national movement of students, teachers, and school communities enhancing and stewarding nature on their school grounds. They support tracking biodiversity on school grounds and making small enhancements at a large scale. Last year, they funded 104 Student Climate and Biodiversity...
Thank you to Rune Storli (rus@dmmh.no), Professor in Physical Education and Health at Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education, Norway, for providing this post. This article explores the Granåsen Nature Playground, built in Trondheim, Norway, in the autumn of 2024. The playground was designed using research-based principles and evidence about children’s play, learning and...
This article written by Josh Fullan was originally published in Spacing After years of relatively mild winters, the darkest season is once again bringing sustained cold and abundant snow to Canadian cities. And if spring excites thoughts of romance in some of us, then winter is for generalized complaining. Toronto sank into a polar freeze sometime around...
This article written by Marnie Power and Linsey Sherman-Zekulin was originally published in The Philanthropist A partnership between a family foundation and a grassroots charity demonstrates what happens when two organizations trust each other enough to shift power, follow community wisdom, and explore an idea without prescribing what it must become. Three years ago, Playful Mindset and...
The importance of outdoor play and learning in the lives of children and communities has never been greater. Growing evidence reveals the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social benefits of outdoor activity for children. Despite these benefits, trends toward indoor lifestyles, urbanization, digital entertainment and schooling, and safety concerns have led to a notable decline in...
Thank you to Dr. Richard Larouche, Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Lethbridge, for providing this post. Which factors predict outdoor play in Canadian 7- to 12-year-olds? Previous studies and literature reviews have consistently found that children who spend more time outdoors are more physically active and generally have better physical, social, mental, and...
Outdoor Play Canada is looking to hire a full-time Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play (CCOP) Fellow for one year to build capacity and thought-leadership for outdoor play stakeholders. As the CCOP Fellow, your role will be to lead advocacy and thought-leadership initiatives for the promotion of outdoor play in the early years, in collaboration with...
Thank you to Dr. Louise de Lannoy, Executive Director, Outdoor Play Canada, and Kim Hiscott, Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Fleck Children's Services, for providing this post. Why play outside when its cold? What are the benefits? The health benefits of outdoor play are clear and wide-reaching… but what about in winter time? Is it safe to play...
Regulating Outdoor and Land-Based Early Learning Programs by Christine Alden, PhD (Program Director, Lawson Foundation) This story was initially published in the Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development’s weekly e-newsletter, originally published on October 16, 2025. Children playing outdoors—in nature, on the land—is a beautiful experience that holds many benefits for healthy child development and equity, stewardship...
