In this presentation, former Master's student Audrey Noga presents the work of the Outdoor Opportunities and The Clubhouse Child Care Centre in Canada which have put together a nature-and-farm-based care and education programme for children. Over the last three years of this pilot project, many interesting results in some of the key elements to building resilience have been identified.

Spending time outside for free play, observing, running, climbing, digging, and participating in small helpful tasks provides an optimum platform for social, emotional, physical and cognitive development in children.

Notable results include therapeutic benefits for children with special needs, increase in creative and imaginative play, and a decrease in bullying. The programme provides incidental learning experiences while supporting local food production and biodiversity.

About Audrey Noga
Audrey Noga has worked with toddler to teenage care and education programmes for over a decade in Sweden and Canada, and is now working with a "farm-for-children" project that brings children to relax, learn and play where food comes from. She holds an MSc. in Sustainable Enterprise from Stockholm University in association with Stockholm Resilience Centre.