Breath of Fresh Air Summit Highlights

At the end of September I attended the 2025 Breath of Fresh Air Outdoor Play Summit at Wesley-Clover park in Ottawa. This conference is hosted by Outdoor Play Canada and provides a meeting point for outdoor play practice, policy and research across Canada.

I found deep inspiration in workshops that addressed equity and accessibility of outdoor play and in workshops on public places as important spaces for children’s play. In both cases, we are pushed to ask who gets to be on the land? Who is allowed, or welcome to spend time in public? What responsibility to we have to make outdoor public spaces inviting, accessible, and safe for children?

At the summit celebrated the release of the updated statement on Active Outdoor Play and learned about the many researchers around the world who contributed to the systematic review behind the statement. 

I heard about interesting and promising research at the conference as well. The SPROUT (Sending Preschooler Outside) study through Outdoor Play Canada and the HALO research lab is comparing children’s development across domains in nature-based and conventional childcare programs. The MECO (Measuring Early Childhood Outside) study through the Outside Play Lab at UBC is building a picture of what outdoor play looks like in childcare centres across Canada: where are we succeeding in getting children outside and how? What are the barriers over all and region by region? I’m excited to keep my eye on this research that will inform progress toward regulated outdoor childcare in Canada.

We closed the conference with an interactive panel on the future of FNS (Forest and Nature Schools) in Canada. I was able to hear perspectives on regulating FNS programs from across Canada and build important connections. I was also able to share a lot of lessons from our first year of Forest Nursery. It felt great to be in community and share our own experiences on the same path.

My time at the Breath of Fresh Air left me feeling proud of the work we’re doing at Riverview Ashland, and in Manitoba. It also made me feel hopeful about a future where high quality Outdoor and Land-Based programs are accessible to all children. We’ll get there but there is work to be done!