Another school year is upon us! What a great time to organize alternative environment activities to further support students’ physical literacy as part of your high-quality physical education program.
As a quick reminder, alternative environment activities are physical activities that take place away from the school gymnasium and playing fields (e.g., curling, hiking, kayaking, orienteering, rock climbing, skating, swimming, disc golf, golf ). Alternative environment activities are invaluable in supporting students’ movement confidence and competence, strength and endurance, and other wellness dimensions (see Bradford & Hall, 2025). The intent of this article is to promote memorable, meaningful, and long-lasting learning and, of course, the pure enjoyment that takes place during learning opportunities away from the traditional gymnasium setting. Here, we share a few of Jenna’s most memorable alternative environment activities from her high school years in Edmonton.
Although there are several learning experiences Jenna could have discussed, she chose to share three to demonstrate that alternative environment activities can be taught at different times of the school year, cover various types of activities, and support students’ physical literacy journeys.
Hiking in Jasper National Park (Grade 12)
In Grade 12, my physical education class went on a day trip to Jasper National Park, where we hiked the Sulphur Skyline Trail and visited the Miette Hot Springs. This learning experience in the Rocky Mountains was memorable for me as it was enjoyable to spend time outdoors surrounded by some of the world’s most beautiful natural landscapes. We were able to explore and hike at our own pace, which let us challenge ourselves physically as much as we wanted, knowing that a soak in the hot springs was waiting for us at the end of the day. This alternative environment activity gave us something to look forward to all semester, and was a terrific way to celebrate the end of the school year. The combination of movement, challenge, communication, and peer support in the scenic outdoors made for an incredible learning experience that benefitted all our wellness dimensions— emotional, environmental, physical, and social. Since graduating from Grade 12, I have returned to this beautiful place a few times with my friends and enjoyed hiking the same trail while also exploring new ones in Jasper National Park. This alternative environment activity is one of my favourite memories of my high school years and one that I will never forget!
Dancing in Public Spaces (Grade 9)
In Grade 9, we were asked to record ourselves performing a line dance in a public space (e.g., a pizza place, a sports facility, or a grocery store). This experience was extremely memorable, as it challenged us to incorporate dance movements into our everyday lives and routines and to adapt our line dances to environmental constraints. Performing a line dance in the gymnasium where there is plenty of space and where we are surrounded by peers who are all completing the same movement pattern is very different from a public space where we might need to move strategically around crowds of people who might be staring, where there might be furniture or objects to avoid, and where we might not be able to hear the music as clearly. Ultimately, participating in this learning activity was a creative, effective, and enjoyable way to further develop confidence and competence in movement skills away from the school gymnasium.
Playing Pickleball on Outdoor Community Courts (Grade 11 & 12)
During my last two years of high school, my physical education class would often walk to the nearby outdoor community court to play pickleball. These learning experiences were memorable for me because they revealed a way I could remain physically active after high school graduation, beyond organized sports and fitness centres. This learning experience is a low-cost way to expose students to an impactful form of physical activity they can engage in throughout their lives. Since I was introduced to pickleball, I have played with family and friends of all ages at outdoor community courts throughout Canada. Although pickleball can be played indoors, taking students outside and off school grounds can be an easy way to pique their interest in pickleball and, importantly, break up the monotony of spending physical education learning time in the school gymnasium.
Planning for Alternative Environment Activities
Evidently, according to these high school reflections, alternative environment activities can be memorable, meaningful, and long-lasting learning opportunities. To further support your adoption of alternative environment activities for your students, here are two strategies to consider.
Reach Out to Community Resources: Research and discover the wide range of community resources available in your community that may have personnel, equipment, and space to support the teaching of alternative environment activities (e.g., disc golf association, local ski club, outdoor skating rink). For example, invite personnel from a disc golf association to conduct a presentation for your staff and students to help promote the sport of disc golf.
Submit a Funding Proposal: There are physical and health education-related organizations that have (or can help you find) funding opportunities to support school programming; the trick is, however, to discover which ones are applicable and then to submit a proposal. By securing funding to help alleviate associated costs (e.g., equipment, transportation), more opportunities to experience the benefits from alternative environment activities may begin to unfold.
Following is a list of physical and health education-related organizations that may be a terrific starting point for inquiries about program support and funding opportunities. We believe you will discover that it’s worth the effort!
Physical and Health Education-related Organizations
Capital Region Archery Club, https://crarchery.ca/#
CURLSASK, https://curlsask.ca/
Dalhousie Outdoors Society, https://www.daloutdoors.com/
Edmonton Disc Golf Association, https://edga.ca/
Ever Active, https://www.everactive.org/
Fireside Adventures, https://www.firesideadventures.ca/our-story
Health & Physical Education Council (HPEC), https://www.hpec.ab.ca/
Ontario Physical & Health Education Association (OPHEA), https://ophea.net/
Orienteering Canada, https://orienteering.ca/
Physical & Health Education (PHE) Canada, https://phecanada.ca/
Schools on Snow Atlantic, https://schoolsonsnowatlantic.ca/
Swimming Canada, https://www.swimming.ca/
Take Me Outside, https://takemeoutside.ca/
Embracing the Teaching of Alternative Environment Activities
To conclude, alternative environment activities yield immeasurable benefits for students. When considering Jenna’s three experiences, it is clear that students can engage in learning that is memorable, meaningful, and long-lasting, thereby supporting their lifelong physical fitness goals. By fusing the excitement of learning outside the school gymnasium with developmentally appropriate experiences, the vast array of alternative environment activities provides students with long-lasting learning opportunities, including cooperation, exploration, and problem-solving, while adding to the breadth and variety of a quality physical education program.
References
Bradford, B. & Hall, N. (2025). Stringing together: An alternative environment activity. Canadian Teacher Magazine. (Spring 2025), 28-29. https://canadianteachermagazine.com/2025/04/20/12875/
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Brent Bradford
Brent Bradford (PhD) is a Professor of Education at Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE) with extensive teaching experience across K–12 (2000–2009) and post-secondary (2009– present) contexts. A portion of his scholarly work focuses on physical and health education, for which he has published widely and co-authored two foundational teacher education textbooks. In 2024, he edited The Doctoral Journey: Educationalist Perspectives, and he is the Founder and Series Editor for The Doctoral Journey in Education (De Gruyter Brill). In recognition of his sustained contributions to the profession of education, Dr. Bradford has received CUE’s Gerald S. Krispin Research Award (2019) and Judith C. Meier Excellence in Teaching Award (2025), and the PHE Canada’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2025).
Jenna McChesney
Jenna McChesney is an undergraduate student at University of Alberta (U of A) pursuing a combined Kinesiology/Secondary Education degree with a minor in Biological Sciences. As a student research assistant, in addition to this article, Jenna is collaborating as a co-author on an article about creative problem-solving strategies in classrooms. Throughout her time as a university student, Jenna has received numerous prestigious awards such as: U of A Undergraduate Scholarship (2025); City of Edmonton Undergraduate Scholarship (2025); Education Society of Edmonton Undergraduate Scholarship (2025); and Ruby Anderson Undergraduate Award (2024) in recognition of her achievements in academics, leadership, and contribution to physical education.
This article is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Fall 2026 issue.
