St. David School will be joining 40 other schools across the country in the Canadian Playful Schools Network (CPSN) for the 2022-2023 school year. 

Since play fosters curiosity, creativity, imagination, self-confidence, and physical, social, and cognitive skills, the CPSN is a hub for sharing experiences and for learning. As a member, St. David School will have the opportunity to learn with and from educators engaged in learning through play from seven provinces (BC, SK, ON, QC, NB, NS, NL). The secondary objective is to build human and virtual connections to support and sustain play-based practices in schools across Canada. All school teams will be supported by researchers at the University of Ottawa’s CPSN, as well as national and international experts in the field of education. 

This innovative educational initiative is a national network of schools dedicated to deepening and broadening play-based pedagogies across four modes: green (outdoor-focused), screen (digital), machine (building and making for a purpose), and everything in between, which speaks to the fundamental importance of place, identity, language, and culture. 

Together, the network will develop new understandings of what learning through play means in Canadian classrooms and champion the way play is integrated into the daily experience of schooling in the middle years to support the well-being, engagement, and learning of students and educators. 

“St. David School believes in providing opportunities for our students to learn on the land. We engage in outdoor learning as a pedagogical approach to enrich learning, enhance school engagement, and improve student health and well-being. Through the CPSN, we intend to extend the learning environment beyond the desk and four walls and use the outdoor space as part of our regular teaching practice,” said Dawn Wemigwans, Principal at St. David School. 

About the Network 

Funded through a grant from the LEGO Foundation, and headed by University of Ottawa researchers, the CPSN is a newly established network of publicly-funded schools from across Canada that leverage learning through play in grades 4 to 8 to improve engagement and well-being for students traditionally marginalised by systems of schooling. 

For more information, please contact Josée Lebel (playjouer@uottawa.ca) or visit www.playjouer.ca. 

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