The Daily Outside: Urban Forest Class, Tacoma Runners 3.26.26
Thursday slips between chalkboard and pavement — a day where learning wanders outside under leaf and sky, then laces up for a few easy miles through Proctor, chasing that small, perfect balance between thinking and moving.
Clipboards & Canopy Dreams
The Urban Forest in Your Classroom – Teacher Workshop
Hosted by Tacoma Tree Foundation with Tacoma Public Schools and Tacoma Creates
Thursday, March 26, 2026 • 4–6 p.m.
People’s Center, Madrona Room
1602 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma
Free • Registration required • Limited to 30 participants
This is where lesson plans loosen their grip on fluorescent lighting and wander outside. Tacoma Tree Foundation gathers local practitioners in urban forestry, ecological restoration, and climate work for a two-hour workshop designed for K through elementary educators — a kind of gentle reorientation toward the idea that trees aren’t just scenery, they’re curriculum.
The structure blends indoor grounding with outdoor exploration. One moment you’re talking through how to translate canopy, soil, and climate into something a classroom can hold; the next you’re outside, recalibrating what “teaching space” actually means. It’s practical without being rigid — less about adding another unit, more about shifting perspective so science, stewardship, and curiosity can root themselves in everyday learning.
The partnerships matter here. Tacoma Tree Foundation brings the trees and the long-view thinking; Tacoma Public Schools connects it directly to classrooms; Tacoma Creates helps make the whole thing accessible and real. The result is a workshop that feels less like professional development and more like a quiet invitation to teach differently — with seasons, with streets, with whatever is growing just beyond the playground fence.
Space is intentionally limited, which keeps the energy small enough for conversation and actual exchange. Registration is required, and the note about indoor/outdoor gear isn’t a suggestion — it’s a hint that you’ll be moving between worlds.
What to know before you go
• Runs Thursday, March 26 from 4–6 p.m.
• Designed for K–elementary educators
• Free, but registration required
• Limited to 30 participants
• Includes both indoor and outdoor learning components
More info: Tacoma Tree Foundation workshop registration and program details
Demo shoes and neighborhood miles
Tacoma Runners Thursday Run: Run w/ Fleet Feet from Narrows Brewing Proctor
Tacoma Runners × Fleet Feet Tacoma
Thursday, March 26, 2026 • 6:30 p.m.
Narrows Brewing Proctor
2620 N Proctor St, Tacoma
Free • 3 miles • Demo shoes available • All paces welcome
This one arrives with a little extra bounce. Tacoma Runners teams up with Fleet Feet for a three-ish mile Thursday loop in demo shoes, which means you can briefly pretend your legs have been upgraded by science and foam. The setup is simple and deeply civilized: stop by Fleet Feet on North 26th, try on the new Superblast 3s, head out with the group, then drift back toward Narrows Brewing in Proctor afterward for the social half of the evening.
The run itself keeps the usual Tacoma Runners spirit intact — all ages, paces, abilities, kiddos, and doggos welcome. Some people will test the shoes like lab technicians with endorphins. Others will just enjoy the novelty of borrowing a very expensive feeling from the future for a few miles. Either way, the route is short enough to stay friendly and long enough to count as real movement, especially on a Thursday.
Afterward, the crowd lands at Narrows Brewing Proctor, with one important caveat: the brewery is 21+, so post-run plans should account for that. The run is open and flexible; the after-hang comes with adult-beverage rules. Newcomers should also take care of the one-time Tacoma Runners registration before showing up, which is about the only paperwork gremlin in an otherwise breezy evening.
What to know before you go
• Run begins at 6:30 p.m.
• Route is about 3 miles
• Demo shoes available through Fleet Feet
• All ages, paces, abilities, kiddos, and doggos welcome for the run
• Narrows Brewing Proctor is 21+ for the after-run hang
Sometimes the Daily Outside is a forest trail. Sometimes it’s a few easy Proctor miles, a pair of demo shoes, and a brewery waiting around the corner.
More info: Tacoma Runners registration and Thursday run details
LINK: The Daily Outside explained
LINK: Peaks & Pints beer and cider cooler inventory
