Resource Hub
Welcome to our resource hub! Whether you're a parent, caregiver, or fellow educator, we’ve curated a selection of helpful tools, articles, and links to support your journey in outdoor learning and child development.
For Families
Spending time outdoors isn't just fun—it’s foundational to how children learn, grow, and connect with the world around them.
At Saplings, we often talk about the value of risky play, but what might feel risky to us is often exactly what children need.
We’ve compiled a list of our favourite brands, trusted gear options, and where you can shop locally or second-hand.
Exploring books together can be an intentional way to open up meaningful conversations with children.
Learn how the BC Affordable Child Care Benefit works, who may be eligible, and how families can apply for support with childcare fees.
A collection of practical, compassionate resources to support families as their children grow and thrive.
Offering simple, research-based tools to help parents support young children’s emotional development.
Support for children aged 0–5 in West and North Vancouver, offering assessment, therapy, and guidance on speech, language, and communication development.
For Educators and Professionals
To build and support the growing network of leaders and organizations working together to galvanize an outdoor play movement across Canada.
This post explores how nature-based, process-focused art, inspired by the work of Andy Goldsworthy, nurtures creativity, imagination, and curiosity by allowing the environment itself to shape and transform artistic experiences over time.
Promoting the environment in BC and the positive impact it has on our health and happiness.
This post outlines Saplings’ approach to balancing risk and safety through intentional, responsive outdoor practice.
Outside Play UBC Lab is a team of researchers dedicated to studying children’s outdoor risky play and injury prevention.
At Saplings, we believe in lifelong learning, and these books and articles have shaped much of how we think about play, place, and pedagogy.
A reflective piece for educators on decolonising outdoor education by centring Indigenous knowledge, relationships, and responsibility to land.
This post highlights how Saplings’ outdoor, child-led learning aligns with the Reggio Emilia approach to support wellbeing, curiosity, and independence.
LTAP is a professional learning resource that supports educators to confidently embed active, movement-based play into everyday practice to enhance children’s development.