EverActive Schools, a national charity that aims to create and support healthy school communities, put together the 'Exploring Loose Parts Play at Home' resource to support kids in getting outdoors and into play during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resource describes what loose parts play is, key concepts, and common items that make excellent loose parts...
Ever Active Schools, based out of Edmonton, Alberta, put together a number of resources to support parents and teachers in promoting the health, well-being, and physical activity of students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Resources include a Youtube playlist of 60+ activities for daily physical activity, health and well-being, physical education lesson plans, as well as...
The Alberta Orienteering Association has put together the Neighborhood Adventure, a self-guided adventure for kids and families to get outdoors for some fun in their local neighborhoods. The adventure involves creating a map of your neighborhood, planning a route, and completing challenges online. Learn more and get started on the Neighborhood Adventure here....
On October 21st, 2020, Take Me Outside (TMO) Day celebrated its 10-year anniversary, with more than 225,000 students and teachers participating across Canada. TMO activities also extended throughout the year, with the TMO Learning Challenge, a weekly outdoor challenge throughout the school year, and the 2020 Winter Challenge, a mid-winter outdoor challenge. To support educators...
In 2017, Peterborough Public Health undertook an extensive review of evidence related to outdoor playspaces for children in response to an observed increase in playground injury rates in Peterborough compared to the rest of the province. The review focuses on evidence related to the benefits of outdoor play, safety and risk, injury prevention, physical activity,...
Get Outside & Play is an Alberta-based organization that supports nature connection and outdoor experiences for young children. Resources include online training sessions on play and learning, inspirational blog posts, as well as how-to guides on topics such as dressing for the weather, teaching the 4 elements, and outdoor play for parents and children. Check out...
Le Projet Alex, launched by Association québécoise des CPE, is an initiative to support early childhood education services in bringing learning outdoors and exploring education by and through nature. Included as part of this initiative is a Frame of References document that lays the foundation for nature-based education in Quebec, which includes research highlights, their...
The PLEY (Physical Literacy and the Early Years) Project focused on improving physical literacy, physical activity and active outdoor play in Nova Scotia preschoolers through the integration of loose parts. Main findings of this project were summarized in a public-facing report and published in research-grade journals, were shared at the Summer of PLEY event in...
Coping with Changes: Social-Emotional Learning Through Play Online 9-week course, produced by the Lego Foundation, explores the practical and emotional challenges facing children, guides practitioners in discovering learning through play, and discusses COVID-19-related stress management strategies. Topics covered in the course include: Foundations of learning through play Importance of mental health and psychological support/social emotional learning...
A Common Vision for Increasing Physical Activity and Reducing Sedentary Living in Canada: Let’s Get Moving Report, a national policy document by the Public Health Agency of Canada, provides guidance on ways to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary living. The Common Vision is guided by five interdependent principles: Physical Literacy, Life Course, Population Approach,...
