Children in Nature

Hello All!
Welcome to the New Year!

Marion Price of the Provincial Consortium on Youth in Recreation in Ontario sent a note about National Youth Week May 1 to 7. See http://youthinrecreation.org/index.htm for their homepage and links to the Week info. Also from Marion is this link to a paper on the process for including youth in decision making http://www.servicelearning.org/filemanager/download/7/YVGuide.pdf

Also from Marion is this article on programming for rural youth http://www.childtrends.org/Files/Child_Trends-2008_05_05_RB_RuralOST.pdf
From the NRPA weekly newsletter comes a link to a site that focuses on play. There is some fantastic information you can access here http://kaboom.org/help_save_play/playful_city_usa/best_practices_play.

From an earlier issue of the NRPA Newsletter comes this link to the Web MD that outlines the psychological and physical health benefits of living near green spaces http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20091014/parks-green-spaces-protect-your-health.

From the Lifestyle Information Network (LIN) a note on the Newfoundland and Labrador plan to get kids more active. See this link for the press release http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=314995&sc=83.

For a website with 6 different papers on the revitalization of the ParticipAction program. One in particular focuses on unfit youth. Again, thanks to LIN see http://www.ijbnpa.org/series/participaction.

The final article from LIN references what the experts had to say in Nova Scotia about Technology and its affect on Recreation http://lin.ca/resource-details/15643.
From Gareth Thomson with the Alberta Council for Environmental Education we have a link for the Global, Environmental and Outdoor Education Council conference planned for May 6 - 8 in Canmore http://www.geoec.org/.

From Christiane Guilbeault at Lak'ech EcoLodge and Ranch in Westerose, AB (780-586-6288) www.lakechecolodge.ca we have been informed that Joseph Cornell has been booked for June 12/13 to come to this Lodge. See his website on http://www.sharingnature.com/. Alberta presenters/educators will also have the opportunity on June 11 to do mini-workshops which will not only showcase the talent and skills of Alberta nature educators but also provide an opportunity to network with other educators and parents who have the "wildness" of their children at heart.