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...
Sendy, a wonderful Kindergarten teacher, is so committed to the students in her care, that over the summer she acquired a second job to personally pay for additional furniture for her classroom so that the layout could be more collaborative. That's quite amazing and...
“We should be focusing on the youngest amongst us” was a statement a friend and experienced educational building architect said to me recently, and it really stuck with me. We were discussing the importance of early learning through the lens of the learning...
We had a very special and unique opportunity to collaborate with this group of mixed grades 6 and 7 students at York House School in Vancouver, Canada, to help and support them in creating their dream learning space. The school is expanding and they will be moving...
Our school year started with teachers returning for staff team-building and professional development August 1, about three and a half weeks before students were scheduled to start. Returning for our second year as a school, with a new grade level added, as well as...
Celebrating our earth: Holding the world in our hands - Inspired by Purpose Preschool It’s inspiring to see how our friends at Purpose Preschool in Edmonton, Canada, embraced Earth Day, focusing on learning practical ways children can care for their environment and...
Our current compulsory schooling model was created at the dawn of the Industrial Age. As factories replaced farm work and production moved swiftly outside of homes and into the larger marketplace, 19th century American schooling mirrored the factories that most...
When you hear the phrase “student-centered classroom,” what immediately comes to mind? Do you envision a classroom erupting into chaos, students doing what they want without a clear curricular goal to guide them? A true student-centered classroom is anything but a...
As an educator it’s highly probable that one of your top wishes is to have your students meaningfully engaged in their learning. It’s probably the reason you went into teaching, to experience that sense of fulfillment that comes from witnessing a child’s mental and...
Winter in the higher latitudes can feel like an unending story of short days, long nights, and relentless storms that keep us huddled indoors. It's easy to feel disconnected from the natural world during this time, but at Natural Pod, we believe that connection is...
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...
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...
We spend ninety percent of our lives indoors in environments where we live, learn, and work. In some countries, that number is even higher due to extreme climate and outdoor pollution. If we spend ninety percent of our time indoors, that means that by the time our...