WO Magazine Spring 2016 | Page 36

HEALTH Wellness Participaction also asserts that spending time outdoors is safe. Most injuries that occur from outdoor play are minor, with less than one percent of schoolchildren sustaining a fracture during school hours. And in Canada, the rates of stranger abduction are extremely low at one in 14 million. So why not play? WHITE OAKS ADVISORY BOARD “I think we need to get the word out about the necessity of play. Not only for the overall health benefits, but simply for the pure joy of it.” DR. ANA LARA The Recess Project has been a direct response to the decline of play, lack of recess time at school, minimal supervision at recess, and lack of funding for playground equipment at schools. With the decline of recess comes kids who are bored, who lack connectedness, and suffer from - or inflict - bullying. “I think that kids are struggling to connect with their peers,” notes Dr. McNamara. “Recess is the only time of the school day that they can do this.