You may have heard the term ‘Green Ribbon Schools’. The Green Ribbon Schools prestigious awards program was created by the U.S. Department of Education in 2011 with the aim of recognizing select K–12 schools, K–12 districts and postsecondary institutions for a deep...
Why does Natural Pod do what it does? – A conversation with the founder and CEO of Natural Pod and Alex Van Tol from Douglas Magazine. Natural Pod started out as a natural toy company in 2007 by co-founders Bridgitte Alomes and Allan Alomes. From the very...
When it comes to being an authority on transforming learning spaces you may have heard of Dr. Robert Dillon. He’s worked with many teachers on how to make their classrooms more student-centred and learner friendly and has co-authored a book about the subject:...
Today’s students are digital natives, meaning they were born with sophisticated technology, and will never know what it’s like to live without it. Digital literacy, however, demands more than just understanding how to use technology; it requires the ability to think...
Why when there’s so much focus on the benefits to children of being outside in a natural environment, is there so little focus on extending those same benefits within classrooms?We recently visited a school that had a beautiful amazing outdoor space with trees and...
Many educators are recognizing that students sitting at rows of desks for the majority of the day while a teacher lectures at the front of the room is not optimal in developing skills that foster students’ personal growth in communication, collaboration, creativity...
Most teachers usually have the ability to change the desk configuration of their classroom. Sometimes rows work for formal instruction. Sometimes a circular formation works to conduct a class-wide conversation or other activity. And sometimes, clusters of desks allow...
When talking about climate change, it’s our children and their children’s children that are going to be most impacted and yet many know very little about it, if anything. So who is teaching them about it? Parents or educators? One of the first surveys of its kind was...
Natural Pod was born from the idea that all children should have access to natural, healthy and sustainable learning environments. We are committed to helping create spaces where educators and students feel welcomed, inspired and ultimately valued. This commitment led...
Researchers intentionally set out to discover whether classroom displays affected children’s ability to maintain focus during instruction and to learn the lesson content. “Young children spend a lot of time — usually the whole day — in the same classroom, and through...
The most common school and classroom renovations aimed to provide opportunities for flexibility and collaboration include adding chalk or whiteboard walls, collaborative work spaces and flexible furniture. This research compares teachers views on these modifications,...
Earth Day is a date in time where we are called to meaningfully reflect and think about ways we can all lead more sustainable lives, to do our utmost to protect this incredible planet and the life it sustains. Although ‘Earth Day’ is a highlighted...
To create a classroom space that is more student centered here are some guiding principles that can really increase student participation and engagement:Be more deliberate about furniture configurationThe aim is to have the flexibility to create both independent...
As many of you know the Green Schools 2019 Conference just took place and Natural Pod was a proud participate, exhibitor and sponsor of the event. Bridgitte Alomes, our CEO, and team were there, as always they were hugely excited by everything that is happening in the...
For a classroom to foster 21st-century learning styles, it needs a 21st-century classroom design with multi-purpose spaces and connected learning areas that support movement, student choice, and a collaborative environment. Educators were asked to rank the importance...
Natural Pod’s CEO, Bridgitte Alomes, was recently requested to present a Workshop to the educators from Kinder Kampus about Natural Play and its importance. Kinder Kampus provides premium quality, learning-focused childcare for children aged 12 months to 12 years....
Natural Pod is getting ready to attend The 2019 Green Schools Conference and Expo starting on April 8th in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Bridgitte Alomes, our CEO and team members are exhibiting at the conference along with many other inspiring leaders in the Green...
A unique opportunity occurred where researchers were able to study whether environmental design does actually improve learning: Within the Houston area, Texas, VLK Architects had the chance to design two replacement elementary schools at the same time. Both schools...
Classrooms and educational spaces come in a variety of configurations that often teachers have no control over, from traditional rectangular rooms to open plan environments. But educators are able to have a big impact on how the space is experienced by students by...
Today is the ‘International Day of Forests’. Most people would not necessary know this, but it’s a meaningful reminder of some very important issues and the ways to navigate them – particularly in regards to environmental education. Every 21...
Indoor Air Quality: Why it’s Critical for Healthy Learning Environments + Young Learners
