In the realm of education, where many institutions often find comfort in tradition, the Cranston Public School District has boldly stepped into the future. With the creation of the new Garden City Elementary school, they've painted a vivid picture of what's possible...
Consider this for a moment: when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. How might your learning space change when young learners have the opportunity to see the space from an elevated view? Or inches from the ground? Is it possible that...
“We Want A School!” - a book illustrating how children define the learning spaces they truly want & need. “We Want a School,” written and illustrated by Enrico Giori and the learners of Grade 5B of the Caracciolo Elementary School Milan, explores from the...
Although the majority of my working time is as chief strategy officer at Natural Pod, I thoroughly enjoy wearing other hats within education as well; I sit on the board of Green Schools National Network and I’m also the national co-chair and southeast chair of...
This year Natural Pod is teaming up with Green Schools National Network and heading to the Green Schools Conference! It's taking place virtually over two half days on June 28 and 29th, and there are some fantastic speakers, events and interactive sessions lined up....
It’s exciting that many schools will welcome students back to campuses soon, but it’s putting a lot of pressure on educators and administrators to make decisions very fast, not only for the end of this school year but the beginning of the next as well. We understand...
We are emerging from a year that presented new learning challenges and opportunities. While learning did not cease to take place, it shifted to new topics and new locations. Looking ahead, the value of learning outdoors and true outdoor learning will continue to hold...
This week, a project that I know well and is close to my heart won an Education Facility Design Award. Presented by the AIA (The American Institute of Architects) and its Committee, the benefactor is LPA Design Studios for the creation of the Environmental Nature...
COVID-19 has directly impacted students through widespread school closures, loss of learning, and widening disparities. It has also had consequential indirect impacts on students. A troubling rise in child neglect (Thomas et al., 2020), stress related to food...
As 2020 comes to a close the Natural Pod team have been reflecting on all this year has unexpectedly brought, including the successes and triumphs of educators and students over the last 12 months. To inspire you to stay in a place of creativity going forward into...
This week we’d like to introduce James Edward Mills, explain how and why he’s such an education hero, and give a few great reasons to join him and the panel discussing ‘Sustainability & Social Justice in K-12 Schools’ at SXSW EXU.James’s career spans...
The definition of the Expeditionary Learning (EL) philosophy is ‘Learning by Doing’ and it places a strong focus on student personal responsibility.
The 2020 celebration of the International Day of Education on 24 January - a day proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly - will position education and the learning it enables as humanity’s greatest renewable resource and reaffirm the role of...
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...
Natural Pod's CEO Bridgitte Alomes is one of four speakers presenting together as a panel at SXSW EDU in March, so we thought it would be great to go one step further than introduce each of them, and give you a real insight into why they are such education heros and...
Have you seen any of the ‘Broken’ documentaries on Netflix? They’re very well produced and make for compelling watching - whether you’re an educator or not. Each of the four episodes take a hard look at the darker side and real cost of consumer habits, and we’re aware...
Our very own CEO, Bridgitte Alomes, had the pleasure of being invited on Dr. Robert Dillon’s podcast, ‘Help Me Understand’, where he ‘interviews a range of fans, learners, and experts surrounding their passions – inviting a discussion about ideas and...
With the new decade now here, the Natural Pod team is in both a reflective and forward thinking mindset. One of our recent recurring conversations has been how incredible the commitment from the world’s youth has been in standing up and using their voice...
As this year comes to a close the Natural Pod team has been reflecting on the triumphs of the last 12 months and wanted to share with you the collaborative successes of educators and students in creating their learning environments. Here is a round up of...
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...