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Use the Break from School to Reconnect with Nature

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Many schools around the world have cancelled classes in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Getting outdoors and learning about our natural world, however, has not been cancelled, so why not use this time to reconnect with nature? It’s no news that with increasing technological advances, fewer natural spaces and over-scheduling, our children have slowly been experiencing a disconnect with the natural world.

“The term Nature-Deficit Disorder® was introduced in 2005 with the publication of ‘Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.’ Louv coined the phrase to serve as a description of the human costs of alienation from nature and it is not meant to be a medical diagnosis (although perhaps it should be), but as a way to talk about an urgent problem that many of us knew was growing, but had no language to describe it. The term caught on, and is now a rallying cry for an international movement to connect children to rest of nature. Since then, this New Nature Movement has broadened to include adults and whole communities. (From http://richardlouv.com/blog/what-is-nature-deficit-disorder/)

Maybe we’ve been given a little bit of a gift amid the chaos of Corona Virus, while schools and indoor recreational facilities close and we work more from home, an opportunity to kids get outside and reconnect with nature and also do some fun indoor learning about our natural world. We are fortunate in Calgary to have the Rocky Mountains and many other natural spaces within an hour or less from our doorstep, but you can even connect with nature in your neighbourhood parks or backyards.

Here’s a list of some activities and resources for sharing the outdoors and also bringing the outside world in. We will add to the list as we discover more resources. If you know of any good resources, please let us know and we will review it and possibly add it to the list.

IN ALBERTA, PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST UPDATES AND ACTIONS TO PROTECT ALBERTANS AND TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) AT https://www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx

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Nature Activities

Places to Go/Things to do - PLEASE NOTE LIMITED ACCESS IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 & REFER TO LIST OF NATURE ACTIVITIES FOR THINGS YOU CAN DO IN YOUR YARD OR LOCAL PARK

Please check weather, trail conditions and for closures before heading out. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Alberta Parks and Parks Canada places are closed, including visitor centres and washrooms. All Calgary playgrounds are closed including City playgrounds and school playgrounds. For City of Calgary facility closures in response to COVID-19 go to https://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/cema/Pages/COVID-19-Facility-closures.aspx

Online Learning Resources

Other Resources

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