Active School Travel: Tools for Change

A stop sign in the foreground with three young cyclists in the background at a active school travel event.

Why should school communities promote active transportation modes for school travel? Some data to consider: According to the baseline Family Travel Survey collected by Ever Active Schools between 2019 and 2024 in Alberta, 32.8% of families (n=6190 responses) use active modes of transportation most often for trips to school, while 36.7% of families (n=6403 responses)…

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Earth Day: A Time to Reflect; A Time to Act

Earth Day blog image with a background of various outdoor images with text that reads "A Time to Reflect, A Time to Act".

Written by Tracey Coutts, Ever Active Schools Welcome Earth Day! “Earth Day is an annual celebration that…raises awareness of the need to protect Earth’s natural resources for future generations.” (National Geographic, Education: Earth Day, 2024).  The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970; today, Earth Day is celebrated on either April 22 or…

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The 2024 Winter Cycling Congress: What a Ride!

Written by:  Tracey Coutts and Katie Mahon, Ever Active Schools   Has this ever happened to you… You invite people to your favourite place, maybe it’s a pizza parlour, a place known for its delicious pizza but, just as your guests start to pour through the door, the parlour runs out of cheese. Like, completely.…

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WINTER CYCLING IN ALBERTA

winter cycling on a fat tire bike

Winter cycling may seem exotic and strange, but if you’ve ever biked in the warmer weather, or cross-country skied, snowshoed, or even walked outside in the winter, you’re 89.6% prepared to ride your bike in winter! How so, you might ask? Well:  You already own the clothing. You know how to dress in layers so you…

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PHYS ED AND WELLNESS LESSON PLANS

phys ed wellness lesson plans pdf screenshot

Ahh, lesson planning: an all-important yet thankless task for teachers. You spend hours pouring over activities, making sure they connect to the curriculum and your targeted outcomes, and you hope your whole class will be invested and enjoy them. Wouldn’t it be nice if, once in a while, you could take all the time and…

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BUILDING THE LEDUC ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION CHARTER

A group of people with bicycles stand in a circle during a consultation meeting in Leduc.

The municipality of Leduc, Alta., has laid much groundwork to make it an active living superstar. From its 85 km+ of multi-use pathways, to Telford Lake, to its Parks, Open Spaces, and Trails Master Plan – when it comes to active living, Leduc has some good bones.  It is clear that Leduc prioritizes wellness, but…

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GRANTING PERMISSION TO TRY WITH CYCLING

Written by Tracey Coutts, Ever Active Schools Watching young cyclists discover the freedom and thrill that comes with learning how to confidently navigate new neighbourhood and community routes is the equivalent of reading about C. S. Lewis’ Lucy moving deeper into the wardrobe, brushing past fur coats that transform to fir tree branches, on her…

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EVERYBODY PLAYS: LEAGUES OF PLAY

A circle of adults during a basketball coaching clinic with a rolling whiteboard in the centre.

In the 2022/2023 school year, Ever Active Schools and Canadian Tire Jumpstart entered into a multi-year partnership centered around the dream that everybody plays. Through this work, we are providing: 100% opportunity to participate so that everybody plays. Focus on priority populations so that everybody plays. Capacity building through grassroots approaches so that everybody plays.…

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TEACHING THE NEW ALBERTA K-6 CURRICULUM

Two people are playing Giants, Wizards, Elves – a game to help teach the Phys Ed and Wellness section of the Alberta K-6 Curriculum. The person on the left is posed like a wizard with fingers pointed like magic wands. The person on the right is crouched down in an elf pose using hands for elf ears.

The new Alberta K-6 curriculum has certainly been a hot topic, and we’ve heard a lot of questions about the Physical Education and Wellness (PEW) section. The biggest question: how do I teach this Alberta K-6 curriculum without losing active time with my class? Never fear: Ever Active Schools is here! We’ve compiled 8 games…

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