The Institute for Early Childhood Education & Research (IECER) http://earlychildhood.educ.ubc.ca IECER Spring Institute in partnership with UBC Child Care Services Landscapes for Play: Tools for Promoting Nature-based Risky Play Saturday, May 23, 2015 9:30 am – 12:30 pm This workshop will take place at the UBC Child Care Administration Building, 2881 Acadia Road This event is free. RSVP http://ogpr.educ.ubc.ca/brussoni_May23_2015 Children’s access and opportunity for engaging in risk-taking through play has never been lower. Safety concerns and fears of litigation have resulted in excessive protection by parents, schools, parks, and others. There are unintended negative implications of this anxiety-based approach to children’s risky play. Children have limited access to crucial experiences that promote development, and physical and mental health. This interactive and interdisciplinary workshop will present tools from child development, injury prevention, and landscape architecture. Participants will review the supporting research, learn skills for shifting parents’, educators’, and policy makers’ attitudes toward risky play, and acquire tips for designing play spaces to promote challenge and development. Certificate for Professional Development hours will be provided. For further information contact iris.berger@ubc.ca 308C - 2125 Main Mall Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4 Faculty of Education Presenter Dr. Mariana Brussoni Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, School of Population and Public Health. Her areas of expertise are: child injury prevention, child development, risky outdoor play, injury-related health inequalities, injury surveillance, parenting, fathering, gender relations and masculinities, and risk epistemology.