Schoolyards Count, produced by Kelly Gallagher-Mackay (Wilfrid Laurier University), Christine Corso (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education), and Tammy Shubat (Ophea), reports on the quality of schoolyards across Ontario using data from citizen scientists. The report provides a review of why schoolyards matter for the health and wellbeing of students, a review of the gaps...
The Declaration on the Child's Right to Play in Canada, produced by IPA (International Play Association) Canada is a call for individuals and organizations across Canada to promote the child's right to play at local, regional and national levels. The Declaration outlines the benefits of play for children, the role of adults in supporting the...
Inclusive Playgrounds, led by the Canadian Disability Participation Project, presents thirteen evidence-informed recommendations for designing inclusive playgrounds to enable participation for children with disabilities, provides a diagram of a potential inclusive playground illustrating how these recommendations can be implemented, and provides a short description of how the recommendations were identified. Check out the Inclusive Playgrounds Resource...
Funding for Outdoor Play in Canada supports funders and grant seekers in finding common ground and building partnerships to advance the multiple issue areas that overlap with outdoor play. To find out more about current themes and trends, read the full Funding for Outdoor Play in Canada Report here....
The Greenspace and Ecohealth Toolkit 2017, produced by Ecohealth Ontario, provides resources, guidance and assistance to those interested in making lasting improvements in community health through greenspace provision, access, and design. This resource aims to support policy makers and program deliverers in increasing opportunities for Ontario residents at all life stages to live, work, play,...
WILD CHILD is an free outdoor play program for families run by childREACH in London, ON. The program is run three times per week all year round (no matter the weather) and is held in local wooded areas to support play in natural settings. childREACH recently developed a new component of their program called WILD...
Recreate Place provides strategic planning, facilitation, design services, and activation support for communities that want to engage with children and youth to create better outdoor spaces and neighbourhoods. Child-friendly approaches are at the core of their work. They create age-appropriate, responsive processes that prioritize the meaningful participation of children and young people. They meet children where they are! Learn...
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...
Scouts Canada has partnered with Hydro One to develop the Activity Finder, an online resource to support families in getting outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Activities include building a Quinzhee, creating snow sculptures, and learning to grow vegetables from food scraps. Check out the Activity Finder here. Watch the video from CTV News Ottawa about...
