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, show up to a building to learn because that location was the only place for it to occur....
The return to school is just around the corner, and it's a time filled with excitement as well as a flurry of preparations for educators and administrators. As you tackle the challenge of planning for the next year, we’re here to ensure your classroom...
At Natural Pod, we’re advocates for outdoor learning whenever possible - learning that is experiential, embodied, and connects a child to their senses with respect to their surroundings. It’s the opposite of learning about Nature in a classroom via a screen! To that...
A traditional education is not suitable for every student. Malcolm Drips, a precocious nine-year-old of mixed racial heritage, is one of those students. At 18 months of age, he was diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For him, the...
This week, Natural Pod marked a significant milestone: our second anniversary as a Certified B Corporation, and we paused to reflect and celebrate this accolade with our team. Why, because while it feels great to be recognized as part of a global community that is...
The Natural Pod team believes we can create better classroom furniture and learning environments for all ages while being deeply committed to people and the planet. There is great work being done as responsible stewards of our environment throughout our business,...
The Natural Pod team believes we can create better learning environments for all ages, while being deeply committed to people and the planet. There is great work to be done to be responsible stewards of our environment throughout our business, leading to a positive...
New! Book Excerpt Series We’re excited to announce the first of a series of book excerpts in collaboration with New Society Publishers. As British Columbia based B Corp™ with global impact, we’ve found a strong values alignment in their subject areas, especially with...
Exciting news! Natural Pod founder, Bridgitte Alomes, was recently a special guest on the "BC's Path to Universal Child Care Podcast" (Season 4, Episode 5). Host Gyda led a fantastic conversation with Bridgitte and Rory Richards - President & CEO of the...
Can conferences serve as a true meeting of minds without dismantling the myriad of barriers to attending traditional in-person events? By maintaining the status quo, these gatherings become limited to the minds - and bodies - of those who are privileged enough to...
Our very own Michelle Carpenter, Chief Strategy Officer of Natural Pod, will be sharing the outcomes of her work as Southeast Chair of SchoolsNEXT at LearningScapes 2021 taking place on October 14-17th. The in-person session, Student Voice Informs Equitable Learning...
Interior Design's Best of Year is the design industry's premiere design awards program, honoring the most significant work of the year as well as recognizing designers, architects and manufacturers from around the globe. This year, you can help the Natural Pod team...
The recent forest fires throughout this country and others have illustrated many things - one of which being that a problem in one area can greatly affect another, as smoke drifted some 3000 miles away from the central location of the California fires. California...
Recently, on September 13th and 15th, I was able to participate in the Design for Early Learning Symposium, organized by Alissa Rupp, FAIA, LEED BD+C, Principal, FRAME | Integrative Design Strategies and Diane Kroll, Founder of Imag(e)ine Collaborative, an excellent...
Natural Pod™ LIVE Episode Seven is available to watch! The idea of a Culture of Care + Connection is ever evolving, but at the core it’s simple: to care for ourselves and those around us, by connecting with our communities and the natural environment. Verena Gibbs,...
Thank you to InHabitat, a green lifestyle and design media outlet, for this great story, titled 'Natural Pod takes a different approach to learning.' It takes a look at how we do indeed take a different approach and why. The article also introduces our most recent...
With a return to school, or if not school certainly a return to learning – we know it will look very different for everyone, especially with discussions around where learning is even taking place for some. Understandably concerns around safety are front and center....
Even before the dramatic and transformative events of 2020, we recognized the need to strengthen a specific set of connections: those between design professionals and early childhood education professionals. All children who spend time in early learning spaces, such...
Leadership for Green Schools: Sustainability for Our Children, Our Communities, and Our Planet - This is a wonderfully rich book that uncovers the many facets of what it means to be a green school, and the leadership tools needed to embrace whole school...
If you’re here, you may already know Natural Pod creates high-quality, non-toxic wood furniture for early learning and K-12 learning spaces with an emphasis on beauty, functionality, and environmental awareness. I’d like to expand on those last three points and what...