Canada’s four-season climate means that spending time outdoors year-round requires a lot of gear — from waterproof rainwear to warm winter layers. While outdoor play is essential for children’s development and well-being, not everyone has equal access to the clothing and equipment needed to enjoy time outside safely and comfortably. High-quality outdoor gear can be expensive...
Thank you to Michelle Stahlhut, Forsker, PT, PhD (Center for Klinisk Forskning og Forebyggelse) for providing this post on behalf of the Danish MOVEOUT-SPECIAL Project Team. Researchers from the Danish MOVEOUT-SPECIAL project have published a scoping review highlighting what is currently known about education outside the classroom (EOtC) for children with neurodevelopmental disorders in special education...
Outdoor Play Canada is thrilled to announce that registration is now open, and we are currently accepting presentation/workshop submissions for the 2025 Breath of Fresh Air (BoFA) Outdoor Play Summit. 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...
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...
Since 2020, the PaRx Prescription for Nature program has meant that physicians first in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario (and now many more) could prescribe a Parks Canada Discovery Pass to their patients for the purposes of promoting physical and mental health. A collaboration between PaRx, an initiative driven by health care professionals that promotes...
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...
Save the Date! The Breath of Fresh Air Summit 2025 will run from September 25-27, 2025 at the Ottawa Forest and Nature School and Wesley Clover Parks Campground in Ottawa ON! This three-day Outdoor Play Summit will bring together thought leaders, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers from across Canada and internationally to connect and share best outdoor...
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 funding 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...
