Mariana Brussoni

Call for conference presentations on outdoor play in early care and learning

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS for the 2026 Children the Heart of the Matter Conference -- Rooted in Nature: Exploring Outdoor Play and our Connection to the Land!

Dr. Mariana Brussoni will be the keynote speaker for the conference! www.childcareoptions.ca/children-the... @mbrussoni.bsky.social

Are extreme sports good for kids? B.C. experts weigh in on benefits of risk taking A new exhibit at Science World in Vancouver challenges people of all ages to explore some of the most thrilling sports in the world.

Are extreme sports good for kids? B.C. experts weigh in on benefits of risk taking | @tiffycrawford.bsky.social on the new Science World exhibit, w/interview w/Mariana Brussoni on the importance of risky play @mbrussoni.bsky.social
vancouversun.com/news/are-ext... via @vancouversun.bsky.social

To thrive, Metro Vancouver's kids need communities, not just housing How do we set up the next generation for success? This is the final story in Postmedia’s How Canada Wins series.

“We should be asking how do we make kids want to walk to school and make it safe to do so.” - Dr. Mariana Brussoni in today's @vancouversun.bsky.social article 'To thrive, Metro Vancouver's kids need communities, not just housing' vancouversun.com/news/to-thri...
@mbrussoni.bsky.social

Outdoor Learning Across the Curriculum - Outdoor Learning School & Store Scroll Down to Register FREE 60 min Virtual Workshop on Tuesday, April 22 at 4pm Pacific / 7pm Eastern Time With Simon Beames,Heidi Smith, Peter Higgins and Robbie Nicol Join […]

Virtual workshop hosted by Canada's Outdoor Learning School & Store. Join the fun!

@drheidismith.bsky.social @perfinker.bsky.social @ryanbarfoot.bsky.social @erthsarah.bsky.social @creativestar.bsky.social @mbrussoni.bsky.social
@outdoorlearningjd.bsky.social
outdoorlearning.com/event/across...

Soft spaces out, stick-fighting in: Dutch call for the return of risky play Encouraging kids to play with fire? Hear us out, says party worried by the Netherlands’ increasingly sedentary ways

Exciting to see politicians in The Netherlands ensuring all children can experience the benefits of #riskyplay!
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Some Wichita schools are easing up on recess rules, citing the benefits of 'risky play' A growing body of research shows that climbing high, running fast and conquering fears can improve childrens physical and mental health and help them get along with peers.

Way to go Wichita for bringing #riskyplay into school playgrounds!
ourcommunitynow.com/P/some-wichi...

@outsideplayubc.bsky.social

Why kids need to take more risks: science reveals the benefits of wild, free play Studies reveal how risky play can benefit child development. But encouraging it can be a challenge for parents.

Why kids need to take more risks: science reveals the benefits of wild, free play to child development. But encouraging it can be a challenge for parents, by @plantnerd.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41... via @nature.com @mbrussoni.bsky.social #pediatrics #RiskyPlay

Book - Katherine Johnson Martinko The Book Screens are everywhere. Children spend an average of 7.5 hours on digital devices every day with profoundly negative consequences. While some tech may “amplify” real-life experiences, the vas...

To read more from Katherine Johnson Martinko, check out her book, Childhood Unplugged: Practical Advice to Get Kids Off Screens and Find Balance. It includes Dr. Mariana Brussoni @mbrussoni.bsky.social and our work on the importance of unstructured, outdoor risky play katherinemartinko.ca/book/

Parents, It’s OK To Do Less Why parenting less might be the best thing we can do for our children

"Parents, It’s OK To Do Less" - Katherine Johnson Martinko's latest piece on Jonathan Haidt's After Babel Substack: www.afterbabel.com/p/parents-it...

In case you missed it, this was my starter pack for voices and organizations in Canadian Urbanism specifically. I’ve been adding to it over time, so even if you explored it before, you might want to see who’s been added. And sharing it would be much appreciated! #UrbanistShoutOut go.bsky.app/QWdmJjk

Top most read posts of 2024 on Jon Haidt's blog, including, at #5, Mariana Brussoni's Why Children Need Risk, Fear, and Excitement in Play:

The Year The Phone-Based Childhood Began To Reverse 2024 in Review

In 2024, @jonathanhaidt.bsky.social's book, Anxious Generation, hit a nerve propelling a movement away from phones and towards a play-based childhood. Jon highlights our work in his book & substack. Here's to making outdoor play a daily joy for all children in 2025!
substack.com/home/post/p-...

🎧 Dr. Mariana Brussoni @mbrussoni.bsky.social
recently joined Chris Tompkins in conversation about outdoor, risky play! Listen to the Shaping Our World, Nov. 28th, podcast: muskokawoods.com/letting-kids...

Appreciate these seen in Halifax. How have our priorities become so warped that cars are more important than people? This is part of what I research and I still find it baffling #roadsafety
@visionzeroyvr.bsky.social
@brenttoderian.bsky.social

People riding in a bike-lane

“Every $1,300 New York invested in building bike-lanes in 2015 provided benefits equivalent to 1 additional year of life at full health over the lifetime of all city residents, according to a new economic assessment.”

Bike-lanes are a sound public health investment.
www.reuters.com/article/busi...

Want To Make Money? Build A Business On A Bike Lane Research from New York City notes that newly installed protected bike lanes do more than keep bikers safe--they raise the income of the stores they are in front of.

“Local stores next to the protected bike-lane have seen a 49% increase in sales, compared to an average of 3% for Manhattan as a whole.”

(Among MANY other public benefits.)

Want To Make Money? Build A Business On A Bike Lane. #CityMakingMath @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/90182112/wan...

We’ve really lost the plot as a society!

As a very satisfied e-bike commuter, this makes me even happier. I notice i take trips I wouldn’t attempt on a regular bike

Small child cycling confidently on a separated cycle lane

Rule of thumb for future cycling infrastructure planners:

If children can't cycle on it safely, it's not fit for purpose.

Letting Kids Take Risks: Insights from Dr. Mariana Brussoni Discover why risky outdoor play is crucial for child development in this episode with Dr. Mariana Brussoni.

🌟I really enjoyed my conversation with Chris Tompkins for this podcast! Listen in as we talk about #riskyplay, why it's so important and what parents can do to support it
muskokawoods.com/letting-kids...
#outdoorplay
#outdoorlearning
@outsideplayubc.bsky.social

You’re an angel for sure 💕

Count me and the lab in, @creativestar.bsky.social!
Please add @outsideplayubc.bsky.social too

I've just created an outdoor learning and play enthusiasts starter pack. Let me know if you want to be added. Experiments never fail... go.bsky.app/BUwWDT2 #EYFS
#eyoutdoors #playworkers #forestschool #childrennature
#outdoored #riskyplay #primaryoutdoors #KS1outdoors #KS2outdoors

The next 1000 days: building on early investments for the health and development of young children Following the first 1000 days of life that span from conception to two years of age, the next 1000 days of a child's life from 2–5 years of age offer a window of opportunity to promote nurturing and c...

“Following the first 1000 days… the next 1000 days of a child's life from 2–5… offer a window of opportunity to promote nurturing & caring environments, establish healthy behaviours, & build on early gains to sustain or improve trajectories of healthy development”

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

YouTube video by Play in Education, Development and Learning What is a Common Elements approach?

Evidence based programmes are great, but they don’t always replicate or scale effectively.

Alongside programmes, we need find other flexible and creative ways to scale evidence-based practice. Common elements approaches can help with this. This is a great short explainer.

youtu.be/oMOvKuSNPk0

Hey, remember when car and oil companies successfully lobbied governments to create car dependent cities and suburbs, and once we became almost completely car dependent, WE became the loudest, angriest champions of unhindered road space for cars, unnaturally cheap gas, and subsidized free parking?

Guides & Publications - Global Designing Cities Initiative

Today on #WorldChildren'sDay, Global Design Cities Initiative launched 2 new booklets on engaging kids in street design and evaluating street transformations near schools
globaldesigningcities.org/guides-publi...

Today is #WorldChildrensDay & an opportunity to reflect on how we can and must do better for our children as they face existential threats. Take a moment to read UNICEF's State of the World's Children Report & consider how we can shape a better future for all children
www.unicef.org/reports/stat...

Children’s dynamic risk management – a comprehensive approach to children’s risk willingness, risk assessment, and risk handling Theoretical conceptualizations to facilitate understanding of how children manage risk-taking and risky play in their everyday lives are limited. We propose that there are emotional, cognitive and ...

👇 See our theoretical model on how children manage risks in our latest publication with Rasmus Kleppe, Ellen Sandseter & Ole Sando! We are testing this model in virtual reality
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....