Nb PLAYS! Has a game plan for creating a healthier, happier province through quality recreation programming.
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NB PLAYS! is a New Brunswick-led initiative developed by Recreation New Brunswick and its partners. It supports leaders and strengthens capacity for recreation programming that fosters health and wellness in our province.
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NB PLAYS! has established a framework for quality, holistic programming that promotes physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual wellness. The initiative is aligned with New Brunswick’s Wellness Movement, featuring positive mental health, physical activity, healthy eating, learning experiences, outdoor adventures and community connections as key elements of overall well-being.
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Project Name
NB PLAYS! After School: For Quality After School Programming
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NB PLAYS! After School is a New Brunswick-led initiative developed by Recreation NB to promote and educate leaders on the importance of quality after school programming and its influence on the health of children and youth. It promotes healthy, holistic development and recommends that positive mental health be embedded into programming and time be allocated for physical activity, healthy eating, learning experiences and community connections.
Why After School?
The after school time frame refers to weekdays from 3pm to 6pm when children are out of school. These critical hours are a key determinant of childhood physical activity, and overall well-being. When children and youth are left alone during this time period they tend to participate in sedentary activities, high-risk behaviours and often display poor eating habits. Taking advantage of this valuable time frame to promote health and hands-on learning can establish healthy habits in children and youth and contribute to their holistic development. By focusing on this time frame and supporting quality after school programs, we can turn this time frame into a province-wide opportunity for positive change.
The PLAYBOOK: A Resource for Quality After School Programming
The PLAYBOOK is designed for front-line leaders of children and youth. It highlights positive mental health, physical activity, healthy eating, community strengths and learning experiences as key elements of quality after school programming and provides information, activities and resources within each component.
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NB PLAYS! Outside: To Support Outdoor Play and Learning
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Building on the success of NB PLAYS! After School, Recreation NB branched out to create NB PLAYS! Outside. This complementary initiative was developed with the goal of motivating and supporting recreation leaders and educators in taking their programs outside and engaging children and youth in nature, risky and free outdoor play and inquiry-based, emergent and experiential learning.
Why Outside?
Concerns over child safety, coupled with the perceived risks of outdoor play have left kids with nowhere to roam but online. As a result, children’s time outdoors and contact with nature are in sharp decline and New Brunswick youth are averaging more than four hours of screen time a day. An excess of inactive, recreational screen time is linked to reduced academic achievement and increased incidence of being overweight and obese.
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Thankfully, this unnatural trend is reversible. Out of school programs can promote outdoor play and learning and help children and youth rediscover the great outdoors. By focusing on this time, we can turn out of school programming into a province-wide opportunity for positive change through outdoor play and learning.
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NB PLAYS! Outside: An Outdoor Play and Learning Resource
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The Outdoor Play and Learning Resource is designed for front-line leaders of out of school programs. It highlights key elements of quality recreation programming and provides background information, benefits, best practices, success stories and ideas for incorporating outdoor play and learning into a holistic program framework.
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NB PLAYS! Gold: For Quality Older Adult Programming
NB PLAYS! Gold is a New Brunswick-led initiative developed by Recreation NB and its partners. It supports recreation leaders and others who work with older adults, formally or informally, and strengthens capacity for recreation programming that fosters health and wellness in our province.
Why Older Adults?
As the fastest growing population in New Brunswick, it is vital that older adults have access to quality recreation programming tailored to their unique needs.
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According to Statistics Canada’s latest data, there are over 300,000 older adults (50+) living in New Brunswick, making up approximately 40% of the population. It is expected that this number will continue to increase over the next 20 years. New Brunswick’s aging populace and its impacts on our communities make province-wide investments in active living and healthy aging crucial.
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Research shows that age-friendly built and social environments support older adults in better managing and even delaying the onset of chronic disease. Age-friendly settings have been shown to measurably improve physical health, as well as boost social, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. Quality older adult recreation programs can serve as supportive and age-friendly environments where participants have the opportunity to acquire these health benefits while and enhance their quality of life.
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NB PLAYS! Gold: a Resource for Quality Older Adult Programming
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The NB PLAYS! Gold PLAYBOOK is a resource designed for those who develop and lead recreation programs that cater to older adults. These programs include, but are not limited to, those offered by municipalities, recreation facilities, fitness centres, community-based organizations, faith-based circles and volunteer-led groups. The resource highlights key elements of quality, holistic older adult programming and provides practical information, interesting facts, useful tips, fun activity ideas, relevant resources and motivational success stories within each of the following components: Positive Mental Health, Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, as well as Community and Intergenerational Connections.
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NB PLAYS! Preschool: A Resource for Quality Early Learning Programming
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Recognizing that early childhood is a critical time for establishing healthy behaviours, Recreation NB developed NB PLAYS! Preschool. This project aims to foster healthy and active living at an early age by supporting balanced early learning programming.
Why Outside?
NB PLAYS! Preschool aims to foster healthy and active living at an early age by supporting balanced early learning programming. Early childhood is a critical time for establishing healthy behaviours and patterns that will carry over into later childhood, adolescence and adulthood.
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NB PLAYS! Outside: An Outdoor Play and Learning Resource
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The Preschool PLAYBOOK is designed for front-line leaders and early childhood educators in early learning and child care programs in New Brunswick. It highlights positive mental health, physical activity, healthy eating, outdoor adventures and learning experiences as essential aspects of quality preschool programming and provides information, recommendations, resources and activities within each component.
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