Run, Jump, Play - Every Day

Hundreds of Huron County students to get more active through new outdoor learning pilot program

Conservation educators visit local schools to add more active learning

Hundreds of Huron County students from kindergarten to Grade 6 are learning the benefits of outdoor play through a new pilot program. Conservation educators from Ausable Bayfield Conservation are providing the program free of charge in four county schools. This can take place thanks to a grant from the Healthy Kids Community Challenge of the County of Huron.
The new pilot program adds new chances for children to be active during the day through outdoor education. The theme is “Run. Jump. Play. Every Day.” The program encourages physical activity through a mix of active play, sport, active transportation and unstructured activities.
The program has two parts. The first part takes place before conservation educators visit the school. Teachers introduce healthy activity to students by getting them thinking about and measuring their number of steps taken in a day, through the use of pedometers.
Ausable Bayfield Conservation staff deliver part two of the program when they visit the school. Conservation educators introduce active learning and physical literacy as well as environmental literacy. The instructors use pedometers to measure the number of steps taken by students as they take part in the schoolyard program.
Denise Iszczuk is a conservation educator with Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA). She said ABCA is proud to partner with the Healthy Kids Community Challenge Huron and area schools. The Healthy Kids Community Challenge is way that Huron County promotes the health of children and their caregivers through physical activity and healthy eating. “There is evidence that outdoor play is beneficial to the health and well-being of children,” said Iszczuk. “It doesn’t have to be complex or require expensive equipment.”
Ausable Bayfield Conservation has delivered the program to St. Boniface Catholic School and to Stephen Central Public School. The conservation educators are to visit Bluewater Coast Elementary School in Hensall on June 22 and Clinton Public School on June 24 and June 28.
Huron County is one of 45 communities across Ontario taking part in the Healthy Kids Community Challenge. The Province of Ontario is funding the Healthy Kids Community Challenge for three years. The goal is to support the well-being of children. Program funders say it will help create communities where it’s easy for children to lead healthier lives. This program is a key part of Ontario’s Healthy Kids Strategy. The strategy is a cross-government initiative to promote children’s health. It focuses on a healthy start in life, healthy food, and healthy active communities.
The first theme of the Health Kids Community Challenge is Run. Jump. Play. Every Day. This theme encourages physical activity through a mix of active play, active transportation, sports and structured physical activity. About every nine months, a new theme is to be launched.