An introduction to engaging children in permaculture
A 12 hour course
A course for school & nursery teachers, forest school leaders, nature kindergarten teachers, parents and other educators to learn how to engage children in all aspects of permaculture, learning from nature with a child-led approach.
Permaculture is about working with nature, based on deep observation and understanding of the principles which underpin natural systems. Childhood is the ideal time to get to know nature, and how nature works, through play and experimentation.
We will:
*Find out how permaculture ethics and principles can be applied to education, in how we speak, the activities we engage in and in the spaces we design.
*Discover some great benefits of outdoor learning, including relevant research, and learn how to create session plans which engage the whole child: eyes, heart, hands and head, through active participation in a session learning about soil.
*Look at different garden designs both in school and home gardens and get involved in a practical activity such as testing soil.
* Learn about the different activities that we can do with children and, more importantly, think about how the way we approach the child can enable us to think of infinite possible activities.
*Meet other like-minded people on the course
This training course is being led by Lusi Alderslowe and Nim Robins, who are certified Children in Permaculture Trainers, and is the produce of the European ‘Children in Permaculture’ project in which best practice has been shared across the continent from Finland to Italy, Scotland to Romania:
“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” (p. 1, The Children in Permaculture Manual; Alderslowe, Amus & Deshaies, 2018).