Tag: Health
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Why it's important for children to play outside in winter
Every winter, as the temperatures drop, so does the amount of time we spend outside. This is especially true for children — playtime can become limited to the indoors. It may be tempting to hide inside until the weather warms up, but outdoor play is essential for your children’s well-being all year long. Here are…
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Health benefits of dark skies
Today’s blog comes from Senior Marketing Specialist Sarah McMichael-Chen. My most memorable camping memory didn’t come from a crackling campfire, a panoramic lookout, or a stunning sandy beach. It happened at 3:00 am at Lake Superior Provincial Park. As I stumbled out of my tent for a late-night bathroom break, I noticed something different about…
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Nature on the brain
Today’s blog comes from Kelsey Fenwick, senior park naturalist at Blue Lake Provincial Park. Growing up in small town Ontario, I’ve always loved and appreciated the natural world. Interestingly, I spent most of my life appreciating nature from a distance. Although my hometown of Dryden is surrounded by the beautiful boreal forest, for most of…
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Waldeinsamkeit: solitude in the forest
Picture this: you’re alone, deep into a forested trail. Your only companions are the birds fluttering from branch to branch around you. As you walk, you follow a corridor made of pillars of ancient trees, and smell the earthy aroma of moss and damp leaves. How do you feel? It’s hard to describe, but the…
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Health benefits of fishing
Fishing is an iconic Canadian pastime. There’s nothing like spending the day by the water with your friends and family, casting a line and enjoying the great outdoors. But did you know you can get more than a killer catch from a day of fishing? Fishing actually has benefits for your physical and mental health.…
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The scoop on dog poop: why all scat is not the same
Part of being a good pet owner and park visitor is cleaning up after your dog. “Stoop and scoop” is a phrase all pet owners have heard for decades, yet park staff are often asked: “why do I need to pick up after my dog when wildlife poop does not need to be picked up?”…
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Try a regular dose of camping for good health
Time to reach for our sleeping bags and tents? Research shows that camping in nature is good for our mental and physical well-being. What better reason to head out with family and friends into the great outdoors and sleep under the stars? Check out the brain and body benefits of camping:
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Healing in the forest: a guide to forest bathing
Let’s take a walk in the woods. With no specific destination in mind, we will wander, observe and immerse ourselves in nature. Allow our senses to guide us. When was the last time you walked into the woods with no plans? No final destination? Without a species to ID, hill to climb, or lookout to…
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The great outdoors are… great!
Today’s blog comes from Sarah Higginson, a market development specialist with Ontario Parks. August is over and so is the Healthy Parks Healthy People 30×30 Challenge. This was my first year taking on the challenge (not counting the year I did it for two days then got distracted) and it was a magical month-long adventure…