Please join me October 26 for Where Do the Children Play? an online presentation of the Canadian Society of Decorative Arts’ Ornamentum Lecture Series. a Where Do the Children Play? is a curated tour of six distinctive Canadian play spaces with a smattering of contrasting international examples and a look back at yesteryear. Photos and video will illustrate different approaches and design elements that get kids coming back for more. Whether it’s public art, minimalist landscapes, child-led temporary creations or vernacular builds, each space offers seemingly endless moments of joy through the ..read more

Morning breezes are cooler now and the sun’s watered down warmth continues to wither away. In the higher latitudes autumn leaves spin and long shadows stretch. An opportune moment for reminiscing about longer, warmer days. Back in July, the weather was wonderful. No atmospheric rivers, wildfires, or extreme heat events in our neck of the woods. A weekend of festivities just down the road in Gore Bay, Manitoulin Island pulling in the locals and visitors. Harbour Days celebrate the community’s connection with the water and Great Lakes’ boaters. In the car the kids are excited, anticipating bare ..read more

It’s a beautiful afternoon in Paris on the fringes of the 16e arrondissement. There’s freewheeling action taking place just beyond the Place du Trocadéro in the shadows of the Palais de Chaillot. A festive atmosphere is buzzing as skateborders, roller skaters and the occasional cyclist navigate the downhill slope of Avenue Gustave-V-de-Suède. Onlookers crane their necks and press in from opposite sides of the street. Speed and maintaining control are the key considerations for those hurtling toward the bottom. The crowds admire sang-froid navigators who sweep through the course with panache ..read more

Many thanks to the Canadian Society for Decorative Arts for inviting me to write an article in the Spring/Summer 2023 issue of their magazine, Ornamentum. The magazine is available at newsstands and selected articles, including Where Do the Children Play?, are available online. It was a treat to be able to share my passion for play in a piece that takes a look at six play spaces in eastern Canada that keep kids coming back for more. Where Do the Children Play?, Ornamentum – Spring/Summer 2023 The magazine’s editor did a wonderful job of unpacking, paring down, buffing up and generally bringing ..read more

What was your ultimate pre-teen adventure? Consider this one from the late 1960s. A Shetland pony, a horse buggy, two brothers 9- and 11-years-old, a solo trip across three states and an international border to arrive at Montréal’s Expo 67. Pony Boys is the most recent offering from Op-Docs the New York Times’ award-winning series of short documentaries by independent filmmakers. Archival footage and present day interviews with the adventurers Tony and Jeff Whittemore recount an unbelievable story of parental trust and confidence. Source: Pony Boys: Expo 67 or Bust Following a well thought ou ..read more

“PLEASE WALK ON THE GRASS” the sign at the entrance to one of our favourite urban parks proclaims. As the car fades away into the hazy parking lot distance, an undulating terrain unfolds as far as we can see. There are acres of grassland, still ponds, stands of trees, walking paths and an unhurried meandering stream. The shift of scale and speed, a warm embrace. A new palette of sounds and colours, a soothing relief. It’s as if the Toronto bustle has vanished. Canada 2009 – Toronto Island. By Rudolf Cohilj from Düsseldorf, Germany – Toronto Island – CC BY-SA 2.0 As apartment-dweller kids we ..read more

For many it’s April Fools Day tomorrow. My youngest daughter gave me the heads up as she was heading to bed that I will be getting quite the trick. Seems like water could be involved. Wish me well…. Here in Nova Scotia it’s also the first day of fishing season. Water will be involved for sure and we’re already to go. My son was feeling a bit poorly today so I’m hoping he’s on the recovery list tomorrow. We planned months ago for him to take the day off school so we could cast a few. K We’ll update you later in the season on how we’re making out. We’re hoping to hook some striped bass when the ..read more

Some great news in this morning’s The Guardian re a new USD 143 million challenge – Build A World of Play – being launched today by The LEGO Foundation. Background and details are available in the Foundation’s news release and at the Build A World of Play Challenge website. We must start building a world that puts the youngest in society first: building cities, education systems, healthcare systems and solutions to save our planet, at the forefront. This competition is an opportunity to make a real difference to the lives of the youngest children. Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, CEO of the LEGO Fou ..read more

Editor’s note Play Outdoors Magazine is relatively new on the Canadian play and publishing scenes. Well known educator Dr. Beverlie Dietze is at the helm rounding up content from educators, practitioners and researchers. As editor, Dietze has a keen eye for stories that inform and inspire. You can get a preview of the Winter Issue here. Play Outdoors Magazine – New Kid on the Block Beverlie generously invited me to contribute a piece to this fourth issue that has just come off the press. Originally entitled The Accidental Making of a Play Enthusiast, the article appears below. Leave of a life ..read more

I don’t remember a great deal about the morning commutes. Perhaps the single parent, pre-schooler, bustle and hustle, getting up and dressed then breakfasted followed by the out the door skedaddle to catch the bus wasn’t wholly conducive to nurturing deep-rooted memories. The afternoon pick up at daycare was different though. It was good to be reunited at the unwhirling end of the day. Time seemed more expansive, leisurely, almost langurous as my daughter and I made our way hand in hand to the bus stop. We were regulars on our route, transit riders by necessity. Other than a short-lived, hand ..read more