Episode 1: Outdoor Play

In the first episode of our podcast, we talk about all things outdoor play and the many developmental benefits with leading research guests Dr. Louise de Lannoy, Executive Director of Outdoor Play Canada and Dr. Maeghan James, a postdoctoral fellow with the Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group.

Alongside our incredible host, Josh Read, Drs. Lannoy and James dive into thought provoking insight of what outdoor play, risky play, unstructured play, and outdoor learning is within the educational context. Their unique perspective into the ongoing debate of what these terms encompass include advice and takeaways for educators to engage their students of all abilities in outdoor play.

Whether you want to learn how to apply quality outdoor play into your instruction and/or how to collaborate with your colleagues, administration, and local community, we encourage you to tune into this podcast episode to expand your knowledge.

Additional resources: https://phecanada.ca/professional-lea...

0:00 Intro: how did you become interested and involved in outdoor play
5:07 What is outdoor play?
6:34 How does outdoor play fit in with the other topics of outdoor learning environments?
10:25 Experience or bias about risky play
11:51 "Challenge by Choice"
14:47 Challenges and misconceptions about outdoor play and how to overcome them
17:24 The benefits of outdoor play for educators
19:42 Tips for educators who may lack confidence in leading outdoor play
23:00 "I don't have enough outdoor space."
26:25 The benefits of outdoor play for students
28:34 Make outdoor play accessible for all students
33:37 What the future looks like for outdoor play