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...
In May 2021, an online Stakeholder Survey was developed, in both English and French, to solicit review and comment from the Canadian outdoor play sector on the nine outdoor play priorities and associated actions identified by a 63-person Consultation Group as part of the Outdoor Play in Canada: 2021 State of the Sector Report. View the...
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...
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...
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...
Frontier College Summer Reading Tents is a partnership with community groups across Canada to inspire and nurture a love of reading among children. This play-based learning initiative is held during the summer months and involves story time, a movement-based and/or arts-based activity, and ends with each participant receiving a free book of their choice to...
Girl Gone Good provides insight and resources for trails in the Ottawa region and beyond, including an extensive library of trail guides, suggested itineraries (e.g., insight into local towns and cafes close to trails), a trail finder map, and resources on how to be a responsible and safe hiker. They also have a series of...
