While many outdoor activities can be done without equipment, there are some that require some technical gear, which can quickly become expensive. We’ve compiled a list of places across Canada that rent outdoor equipment (including adaptive equipment, where available) completely for free. Check out the list here: Free Outdoor Gear Rentals...
The Regional District of Nanaimo Recreation and Parks has created REC Connect, a website featuring a Active Living Newsletter, and an Active and Creative Ideas page including things like instructions for Seven UP Game, Ideas for Winter Walks in RDN Parks, and many more. Learn more and explore the website here....
Mentoring Nature Connections is a British Columbia-based blog dedicated to supporting teachers in gaining confidence with outdoor teaching and learning. Resources on this site focus on Reggio-inspired practices, including: Student-led learning Collaboration between parents, teachers, other community members Use of '100 languages' to communicate Environment as a third teacher Teacher as a facilitator Loose parts...
The Classroom Gardener, a collaborative project between Room To Play Educational Consulting and Victory Gardens Vancouver, aims to build confidence and capacity in the use of school gardens as playful spaces for cross-curricular learning. They offer professional development for teachers, on-site organic garden coaching, and curated resources for playful learning from, with, and on the land. Learn...
The Environmental Educators Provincial Specialist Association (EEPSA) provides professional development, resource documents and materials to help support teachers in expanding outdoor learning opportunities in British Columbia. Their resources include the Position Statement on Education Outside the Classroom, which outlines the benefits of spending time outside, offers recommendations on bringing education outdoors, and includes call to...
The University of British Columbia is among 8 recipients of the Lawson Foundation's Outdoor Play Strategy 2.0 funding pool. Their project, entitled 'PROmoting Early Childhood Outside (PRO-ECO): An Outdoor Play Intervention for Children Aged 3 to 5 Years in Early Learning and Child Care Programs' aims to increase children's time in quality outdoor play in Early...
DASH (Dedicated Action for School Health) has created a resource to help support educators in bringing their classrooms outdoors, including an outdoor classroom checklist, tips for working with parents and school administrators, and links to other supporting information. Learn more about the DASH Outdoor Classroom here....
Play Outdoors Magazine: Exploring Outdoor Experiences in Early Learning is devoted to bringing articles, inspiration and creative ideas to those who play a key role in shaping the first five years of a child's life. Articles are written by educators, practitioners, and researchers and include: how-to incorporate loose parts in the outdoor environment, books and...
The Environmental Educators Provincial Specialist Association (EEPSA) in British Columbia put together a Position Statement on Education Outside the Classroom. In the Statement the authors outline the social, emotional, physical and academic benefits of spending time outside, recommendations on bringing education outdoors, as well as a call to action to discuss their recommendations, directed at...
PaRx, an initiative by BC Parks Foundation and driven by health-care professionals, is Canada's first national, evidence-based nature prescription program. The goal of PaRx is to promote prescribing time in nature for lifelong health benefit. This online resource includes useful tools to make prescribing time in nature simple, fun and effective: quick tips, patient handouts, a...
