Welcome to Nature Play & Grow!



The Nature Play & Grow project has been designed to encourage a family-based healthy lifestyle. There is a lot of evidence that time in nature is associated with better child health (including physical activity, eating behaviours, sleep, and all aspects of physical and mental wellbeing).  


This pilot program of nature-based outdoor group sessions aims to provide families with ideas and choices for how they spend time together. They steer families towards fun and interactive experiences (green time) and away from sedentary activities on devices (screen time).   

Program Goals

The outdoor group sessions have been designed with a specific focus each week but also contribute to some overarching themes and understandings:

  • Develop a community (participate, engage, and communicate)

  • Develop a connectedness to nature (awareness of, responsibility toward, enjoyment of nature and specific places)

  • Develop healthy ways of living and sustainable practices (reduce, reuse, recycle)

  • Develop a playful mindset (be conscious of responses e.g., what to say instead of “be careful”)

The children will:

  • Develop lifelong habits or dispositions (creativity, curiosity, confidence, enthusiasm, endurance, independence, persistence, resilience, imagination, problem-solving) to take care of themselves independently and be engaged, motivated and contributing community members

  • Develop an explorative mindset

  • Engage with their senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell)

  • Engage with nature

  • Develop social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and language skills

  • Develop risk assessment skills and safety sense (what’s safe to explore)

Weekly Lessons

click on the lessons below to view videos, listen to podcasts, and plan for your weekly sessions.