We are often building and creating spaces for an audience we rarely interact with. Even scarier, we are often building based on our own experiences, some of which we had 10, 20, or dare I say 40 years ago. A few things have changed a wee bit since then. So, how...
Only two weeks ago my team completed Natural Pod’s first Indigenous Learners Ideabook, and I couldn’t be more pleased. It’s been a while in the making and the end result allows us to share some fantastic Indigenous learning spaces, the stories behind them and why as a...
It feels great to work for and with a company whose products you believe in, products that help create better, sustainable learning environments all over the world, and products which from time to time you get to enjoy with your family in your own home as well. A few...
Can you hear them? Were they listening? As I enter any learning space, these questions are often in the forefront of my thinking. Through this lens, it becomes clear whether the design of the space is soaked in the ideas and needs of students or whether the design was...
Have you ever considered why we need to consciously select the texture, shape, color, and size of materials used by children in the classroom? Or what difference furniture selection makes to the learning environment? A study by the University of Salford (2015) found...
Our team at Natural Pod is thankful that we're able to continue designing, producing and delivering exceptional learning environments during these uncertain times. For those who are able, this is a great time to get creative and move forward with existing or new...
What happens when you ask children what they want to learn? Possibly, months of dolphin discovery or a complete agricultural adaptation of the pop-smash Gangnam Style, complete with choreographed dance moves, called “Oh, Potato Style.” Last week I had the incredible...
Are you an educator who feels hesitant to rearrange your learning space due to fear of damaging your furniture or surrounding space? It's a common concern, but with well-built, modular furniture, you can create different learning spaces throughout the year without...
Thankfully more and more institutions and organizations are embracing environmental responsibility and becoming advocates for sustainability. This is fantastic, and not a moment too soon. But how, as educators, can we inspire and motivate our students to take action...
The classroom environments where children spend most of their day can impact their emotional well-being, as well as their physical comfort. The look and feel of a learning environment can speak volumes to a child and can serve to make them feel welcome and valued....
Never has it been more important for humans to gather and work together to solve some of the biggest problems of our time. The starting point, as always, is education. Too many institutions are operating within an outdated industrial model; which doesn't serve its...
In the United States, there is a group of seven days a year acknowledged in the month of May, which we call 'Teacher Appreciation Week'. But anyone connected to children or education (which is nearly everyone in some way) knows that to truly honor the dedication...
Our very own Michelle Carpenter, Chief Strategy Officer of Natural Pod, is A4LE SchoolsNEXT Southeast Chair, National Co-Chair, and committed to the future of the SchoolsNEXT student design competition. Last year she documented her participation experience in the...
Natural Pod™ Play lofts were designed very much with the needs of early learners in mind. The intention was to create spaces that were all their own, where their imaginations could transform the space into any environment they wished, whether a fort, a castle, an...
Welcome back, Natural Pod™ LIVE, Episode Eleven is available to watch! About This Episode Each choice we make leads to an outcome, whether intended or not. That statement was the catalyst for this episode’s discussion: how we can make sustainable choices now, that...
This is the second part in a series from Green Schools National Network (GSNN) that features GSNN partners describing best practices and lessons learned, on topics tied to each of the impact systems in the GreenPrint, starting with Leadership. The GSNN GreenPrint™...
This is the first part in a series from Green Schools National Network (GSNN) that features GSNN partners describing best practices and lessons learned, on topics tied to each of the impact systems in the GreenPrint, starting with Leadership. The GSNN GreenPrint™...
At Natural Pod, we are proud of the work that we do, and wouldn’t be successful without our passionate team of dedicated people. If you’ve got the desire to be a part of this team, we invite you to check out our current openings on Indeed. If no position openings are...
Welcome back, Natural Pod™ LIVE, Episode ten is available to watch! About this Episode: Since the beginning days of the industrial model, learning environments have been anchored to direct instruction and information-giving models. A place where students, or pupils,...
Our work is not only to create high-quality, functional, beautiful and non-toxic learning furniture. But also to innovate within this space. To create new paradigms for how educational environments and experiences are thought about, and how those are tied to ethical...