WHAT IS PERMACULTURE?
Permaculture is a design system that creates resilient, sustainable relationships between human beings and the rest of the natural world. Permaculture uses the three ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share as the basis for decision making, which is further illuminated by the permaculture principles and design tools. These ethics and principles, once internalised, can be applied as a Tens’ to design any sphere of life. Thus integrating permaculture into education is largely about creatively applying the ‘permaculture lens’ to everything in the education system including designing the learning spaces, pedagogy, curriculum, sessions and social interactions.
WHY ENGAGE CHILDREN IN PERMACULTURE?
The future of our planet depends on a change of consciousness, in which the people and the resources of the natural world are no longer taken for granted and exploited without considering long term impacts. Supporting children from early childhood to develop a sensitive, compassionate and cooperative relationship with each other and the natural world is a crucial step in generating this new consciousness.
Permaculture is a design system that creates resilient, sustainable relationships between human beings and the rest of the natural world. Permaculture uses the three ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share as the basis for decision making, which is further illuminated by the permaculture principles and design tools. These ethics and principles, once internalised, can be applied as a Tens’ to design any sphere of life. Thus integrating permaculture into education is largely about creatively applying the ‘permaculture lens’ to everything in the education system including designing the learning spaces, pedagogy, curriculum, sessions and social interactions.
WHY ENGAGE CHILDREN IN PERMACULTURE?
The future of our planet depends on a change of consciousness, in which the people and the resources of the natural world are no longer taken for granted and exploited without considering long term impacts. Supporting children from early childhood to develop a sensitive, compassionate and cooperative relationship with each other and the natural world is a crucial step in generating this new consciousness.
Childhood is an ideal period in which children can develop fundamental attitudes towards the world including towards nature and each other. Doing permaculture with children supports them in learning to value resources and find creative ways to live in harmony with the world. It also supports them in developing a cooperative, mutually prosperous culture rather than one based on individualistic competition for limited resources.
In the past, children often had more access to unstructured time to play outside but in recent years outdoor play has become more limited, with children spending increasing amounts of time behind screens and being taken to structured extracurricular activities (Larson, Green and Cordell, 2011; Clements, 2004). A study in England found that 90% of children do not play in natural places such as woodlands and countryside (Natural England, 2009). With such a lack of time spent in nature, children are at risk of a range of negative developmental outcomes and can experience difficulties such as sensory processing disorders, personality disorders, disorders of concentration (including ADHD) and higher rates of physical and mental disease (Taylor, Wiley, Kuo & Sullivan, 1998; Louv, 2005).
There are many benefits of playing outside, such as increasing physical activity, well-being, connection, understanding of nature, attention, concentration and confidence. This can aid academic learning, whilst reducing childhood obesity and stress (London SDC, 2011). Other benefits include improving the cognitive development of schoolchildren and reducing “Nature Deficit Disorder” that affects children's behaviour (Dadvand et al, 2015; Taylor et al, 2011; Louv, 2005). Finally, spending time in nature as a child can lead to positive attitudes towards the environment which can remain as they become adults (e.g. Collado et al, 2015, Wells and Leckies, 2006).
Publication of a significant report on a four year, 125 school, 40,000 pupil, outdoor learning demonstration project by Waite et al (2016) concludes:
• 92% of teachers said that pupils were more engaged with learning when outdoors
In the past, children often had more access to unstructured time to play outside but in recent years outdoor play has become more limited, with children spending increasing amounts of time behind screens and being taken to structured extracurricular activities (Larson, Green and Cordell, 2011; Clements, 2004). A study in England found that 90% of children do not play in natural places such as woodlands and countryside (Natural England, 2009). With such a lack of time spent in nature, children are at risk of a range of negative developmental outcomes and can experience difficulties such as sensory processing disorders, personality disorders, disorders of concentration (including ADHD) and higher rates of physical and mental disease (Taylor, Wiley, Kuo & Sullivan, 1998; Louv, 2005).
There are many benefits of playing outside, such as increasing physical activity, well-being, connection, understanding of nature, attention, concentration and confidence. This can aid academic learning, whilst reducing childhood obesity and stress (London SDC, 2011). Other benefits include improving the cognitive development of schoolchildren and reducing “Nature Deficit Disorder” that affects children's behaviour (Dadvand et al, 2015; Taylor et al, 2011; Louv, 2005). Finally, spending time in nature as a child can lead to positive attitudes towards the environment which can remain as they become adults (e.g. Collado et al, 2015, Wells and Leckies, 2006).
Publication of a significant report on a four year, 125 school, 40,000 pupil, outdoor learning demonstration project by Waite et al (2016) concludes:
• 92% of teachers said that pupils were more engaged with learning when outdoors
• 85% of teachers saw a positive impact on pupil behaviour
• 92% of children involved in the project said they enjoyed their lessons more when outdoors
• 90% of children felt happier and healthier as a result of their time outdoors.
It is vital to consciously develop educational strategies to support children in their relationship with nature. However, simply being outside is not enough to create the optimum sensitivity, awareness and learning about the natural world. For this, positive adult role models are necessary, that can authentically demonstrate respect, awe and personal connection to nature through their own example, and can also encourage and support children to do so.
While the standard emphasis in most modern educational systems still tends to favour abstract thinking and the development of maths and language skills, our ability to understand nature’s language has atrophied. It is well known that childhood is an optimal time to learn foreign languages, or to read music, as children’s brains are primed to absorb multisensory information. In a similar way, learning to read, interpret and co-create natural systems is a skill that can be learned from childhood, if presented in engaging, age-appropriate and consistent ways.
Perhaps the most important reason to bring permaculture to a child’s life, at least from the child’s perspective, is that it is fun! Engaging children in experiential learning, often directly in contact with nature, is exciting, motivating and fascinating. It enhances the entire educational experience for children, making learning practical and alive. Moreover, it is a holistic way of supporting children to connect to themselves, others and the environment around them.
WHERE CAN CHILDREN GO OUTSIDE?
Children can benefit from visiting a nearby outdoor learning space. This may be an area within the kindergarten or school grounds, or within walking distance e.g. a woodland, community garden, park or farm. Even a very small outdoor area can be a rich resource if there are bountiful opportunities for creative play. What needs to be taken into consideration is that the incidence of creative play is “significantly lower in barren spaces than in relatively green spaces” (Taylor et al, 1998). The inspiring book ‘Outdoor Classrooms’ by Janet Millington and Carolyn Nuttall (2008) gives many ideas on how to embed permaculture into schools.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OTHER FORMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND PERMACULTURE FOR CHILDREN?
Outdoor and environmental education make important contributions to a child’s development, wellbeing and learning experiences. Permaculture enriches these practices by providing a complete set of ethics, principles and design tools which can enable people to live in harmony with the earth, each other and other species, taking only a fair share to meet their needs. Once these are clearly understood, they can be flexibly applied to any field. This manual is designed to help educators understand the core ethics and principles of permaculture and give examples of applying them while interacting with children, in a variety of curricular areas. It is the result of a transnational collaborative process, of educators sharing and developing resources together. This manual is not intended to be a rigid set of instructions, but rather to give seeds to inspire creative adaptations of permaculture to suit the particular place, children, adults and natural systems.
WHO IS THIS MANUAL FOR?
This manual is designed primarily for people working with children aged 3-12 years, such as school, nursery and kindergarten teachers, as well as those working in non-formal settings such as after-school or out-of-school clubs (e.g. scout leaders). It is also intended for those already engaged in teaching permaculture to adults, that would like to be able to extend their work to children, parents (whether natural, foster, adoptive or grandparents) and others who are aware of the importance of their role in the education of their child(ren). The word ‘educators’ in this manual refers to all those adults involved in the education of children.
This manual is also a resource for Children in Permaculture courses led by educators who have completed the advanced CiP training. For more information about CiP trainings please refer to the contacts page.
WHAT IS IN THE MANUAL AND WHY?
The Children in Permaculture pedagogy described in chapter one gives an overview of ‘how’ to engage children in permaculture with reflection questions to help educators adopt a mindful, reflective, permaculture mindset. The pedagogy is explained in more detail in chapters two and six with chapter two describing how to apply permaculture principles to education, and chapter six providing information and reflection questions to support educators who would like to know more practical details about a child-centred pedagogical approach.
The content, or ‘what’, of permaculture education is outlined in the curriculum in chapter three. It is explored in more detail in the inspirations for activities in chapter four, demonstrating the wide variety of themes and topics that can be utilised in perma-culture education with children. The inspirations for activities are designed to inspire educators to facilitate activities which engage children holistically.
The pedagogy (‘how’) and content (‘what’) are integrated and demonstrated in the examples of session plans in chapter five, which are ready for adaptation and practical use with groups of children. Chapter seven suggests top tips to support schools and kindergartens in organising events which engage the wider community, and for organising larger events which include children. Finally, strategies for disseminating information about projects to a wider audience are explored in the appendix.
• 92% of children involved in the project said they enjoyed their lessons more when outdoors
• 90% of children felt happier and healthier as a result of their time outdoors.
It is vital to consciously develop educational strategies to support children in their relationship with nature. However, simply being outside is not enough to create the optimum sensitivity, awareness and learning about the natural world. For this, positive adult role models are necessary, that can authentically demonstrate respect, awe and personal connection to nature through their own example, and can also encourage and support children to do so.
While the standard emphasis in most modern educational systems still tends to favour abstract thinking and the development of maths and language skills, our ability to understand nature’s language has atrophied. It is well known that childhood is an optimal time to learn foreign languages, or to read music, as children’s brains are primed to absorb multisensory information. In a similar way, learning to read, interpret and co-create natural systems is a skill that can be learned from childhood, if presented in engaging, age-appropriate and consistent ways.
Perhaps the most important reason to bring permaculture to a child’s life, at least from the child’s perspective, is that it is fun! Engaging children in experiential learning, often directly in contact with nature, is exciting, motivating and fascinating. It enhances the entire educational experience for children, making learning practical and alive. Moreover, it is a holistic way of supporting children to connect to themselves, others and the environment around them.
WHERE CAN CHILDREN GO OUTSIDE?
Children can benefit from visiting a nearby outdoor learning space. This may be an area within the kindergarten or school grounds, or within walking distance e.g. a woodland, community garden, park or farm. Even a very small outdoor area can be a rich resource if there are bountiful opportunities for creative play. What needs to be taken into consideration is that the incidence of creative play is “significantly lower in barren spaces than in relatively green spaces” (Taylor et al, 1998). The inspiring book ‘Outdoor Classrooms’ by Janet Millington and Carolyn Nuttall (2008) gives many ideas on how to embed permaculture into schools.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OTHER FORMS OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND PERMACULTURE FOR CHILDREN?
Outdoor and environmental education make important contributions to a child’s development, wellbeing and learning experiences. Permaculture enriches these practices by providing a complete set of ethics, principles and design tools which can enable people to live in harmony with the earth, each other and other species, taking only a fair share to meet their needs. Once these are clearly understood, they can be flexibly applied to any field. This manual is designed to help educators understand the core ethics and principles of permaculture and give examples of applying them while interacting with children, in a variety of curricular areas. It is the result of a transnational collaborative process, of educators sharing and developing resources together. This manual is not intended to be a rigid set of instructions, but rather to give seeds to inspire creative adaptations of permaculture to suit the particular place, children, adults and natural systems.
WHO IS THIS MANUAL FOR?
This manual is designed primarily for people working with children aged 3-12 years, such as school, nursery and kindergarten teachers, as well as those working in non-formal settings such as after-school or out-of-school clubs (e.g. scout leaders). It is also intended for those already engaged in teaching permaculture to adults, that would like to be able to extend their work to children, parents (whether natural, foster, adoptive or grandparents) and others who are aware of the importance of their role in the education of their child(ren). The word ‘educators’ in this manual refers to all those adults involved in the education of children.
This manual is also a resource for Children in Permaculture courses led by educators who have completed the advanced CiP training. For more information about CiP trainings please refer to the contacts page.
WHAT IS IN THE MANUAL AND WHY?
The Children in Permaculture pedagogy described in chapter one gives an overview of ‘how’ to engage children in permaculture with reflection questions to help educators adopt a mindful, reflective, permaculture mindset. The pedagogy is explained in more detail in chapters two and six with chapter two describing how to apply permaculture principles to education, and chapter six providing information and reflection questions to support educators who would like to know more practical details about a child-centred pedagogical approach.
The content, or ‘what’, of permaculture education is outlined in the curriculum in chapter three. It is explored in more detail in the inspirations for activities in chapter four, demonstrating the wide variety of themes and topics that can be utilised in perma-culture education with children. The inspirations for activities are designed to inspire educators to facilitate activities which engage children holistically.
The pedagogy (‘how’) and content (‘what’) are integrated and demonstrated in the examples of session plans in chapter five, which are ready for adaptation and practical use with groups of children. Chapter seven suggests top tips to support schools and kindergartens in organising events which engage the wider community, and for organising larger events which include children. Finally, strategies for disseminating information about projects to a wider audience are explored in the appendix.
[EBOOK] EARTH CARE, PEOPLE CARE AND FAIR SHARE IN EDUCATION (The Children in Permaculture Manual), By LUSIALDERSLOWE, GAYEAMUS and DIDI A. DEVAPRIYA
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