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Outdoor Play Environments

Opportunity to name the new building in the forest Andrew Fleck Children's Services (AFCS), in partnership with Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group and Child and Nature Alliance of Canada, are building a licensed child care program in the forest, and it’s time to decide what to call this new, wonderful location! They are seeking...

Thank you to Jan Ellinger, PhD Candidate at Technical University of Munich, Germany, Dr. Christoph Mall, Researcher at Technical University of Munich, Germany, and Dr. Mads Bølling, Researcher at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Denmark, for providing this post.  A major silver lining of the global pandemic has been the broad reengagement with the outdoors, including at...

Over the next few months, OPC's Dr. Mariana Brussoni will be presenting a number of webinars on the benefits of risky play for children's health and development. Keep reading to learn more about where, when, and how to attend! On January 31st at 9:00 am ET, Dr. Brussoni will be presenting on 'The health issue of...

This article was originally published in the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society's Caring for our Children Newsletter. Thank you to Rachel Ramsden, PhD student, and Dr. Mariana Brussoni, Associate Professor, from the School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia for providing this post. “It’s too cold!” “It could be dangerous!” “It’s so much easier...

This post comes from Ms. Alison Whiting, Research Analyst with the Engineering Health Lab, University Health Network   A research team based at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, University Health Network in Toronto, is conducting a study on national/provincial park accessibility in Canada. The intended outcome of this research is to make recommendations to improve access at these...

From 4-5pm EST on December 14th, 2021, Outdoor Play Canada’s Research Manager, Dr. Louise de Lannoy will moderate US Play Coalition’s monthly #WePlatChat online learning event. The conversation, held on Twitter, will focus on what we can collectively do to promote, protect, preserve, and invest in outdoor play environments.   Join us here on Twitter to contribute to...

Thank you to Dr. Tanya Halsall (University of Ottawa) and Dr. Louise de Lannoy (Outdoor Play Canada) for providing this post. This article was originally published in The Conversation. An important incidental change that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic has been our collective rediscovery of the outdoors. As we begin building back better, we have an opportunity...

Thank you to Dr. Eva Oberle, Dr. Mariana Brussoni and Megan Zeni (University of British Columbia) for providing this post. This article was originally published in The Conversation. When children step out of their traditional elementary school classroom to learn outdoors, they experience a wide range of benefits. Outdoor learning is fun, active and fosters creativity and problem solving. Outdoor...

Thank you to Louise Zimanyi, Professor of Early Childhood Education at Humber College, for providing this post.   As we mark the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2021, we honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. In reflection, Professor Shirantha Beddage spoke to Louise Zimanyi and Lynn Short about Humber's...

Thank you to Roula Zougheibe, PhD Candidate at Curtin University, Australia, for providing this post. Active children and neighbourhood safety Children build up their recommended daily physical activity through organised sport, playing, walking, cycling and/or scootering to local destinations in their community. Our study “Is there a correlation between children’s outdoor active mobility behaviour and neighbourhood safety?...