Resources to Teach Permaculture to Young Children – Updated (.doc format)
How do I teach permaculture to my young children? I teach it through a holistic, connected viewpoint – through words, discussions, books, experiences, movies, art, music, and more. I ensure I am using permaculture lexicon like observe and interact, use edges and value the marginal, and stacking of functions each and every day. At least at this point, I don’t know of any child-specific resources to designed teach permaculture to kids. This can work to your advantage because, like in permaculture, there are many “microclimates” when it comes to children and learning. What I hope to do by providing these resources is to help you start to see the connections. This way, you can find, create, and use a variety of resources that meet your needs. If you have additional resources that you think should be added to this document, please contact me. I will, of course, credit you if you want your name/website to be known.
The following are some resources that can support the learning of permaculture ethics, principles, and general concepts.
Children’s Books
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle (http://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Seed-World-Eric-Carle/dp/1416979174/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388265795&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Tiny+Seed)
Description: Follow a tiny seed on its journey through life. Children will develop a basic understanding of the lifecycle of a flower, as well as how something as simple as a seed is interconnected with people, animals, and other elements in this world. I like to use this book to get my children asking questions about patterns, nature, resilience, connections, and needs versus wants.
Permaculture Connections: Care of the Earth, Return of Surplus, Stacking of Functions, Observe and Interact, Use and Value Resources, Design from Patterns and Details, Small and Slow Solutions, Obtain a Yield, Use Edges and Value the Marginal, Produce No Waste
Few Teaching Ideas: Before reading use the cover and the title to make predictions about the story, have children write their own story based on their predictions, grow your own wildflowers (especially dandelions where the seeds can be blown by the children), grow the same seeds in different cups and experiment with sunlight, water, and soil (make hypotheses and a plan to conduct an experiment), make a Venn Diagram showing the similarities and differences between plants
Teaching Resources: http://teachershare.scholastic.com/resources/12022; http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/classroom-solutions/2011/04/celebrating-eric-carle-and-tiny-seed; http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=The+Tiny+Seed+youtube&qpvt=The+Tiny+Seed+youtube&FORM=VDRE
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (http://www.amazon.com/Giving-Tree-CD-Shel-Silverstein/dp/0060586753/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388265145&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Giving+Tree)
Description: A young boy and an apple tree develop a powerful relationship based on love and appreciation. As the boy ages, his needs and desires more and more from his friend. The tree gives and gives until, at last, the boy is an old man and the tree is nothing but a stump. Yet, at the end there if finally acceptance, appreciation, and love for one another as there was in the very beginning. This is a classic book for teaching children to be problem-solvers, empathetic, mindful, ethical, and kind.
Permaculture Connections: Care of People, Care of the Earth, Return of Surplus, Stacking of Functions, Observe and Interact, Use Creativity and Adapt to Change, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback, Use and Value Resources, Obtain a Yield, Use Edges and Value the Marginal
Few Teaching Ideas: Start a garden, watch and document growth and change, see how many things can be used from one plant, experiment with taking a lot from one plant, some from another, and none from the last and explore how that impacts the resource, make a list of the resources provided from one tree and categorize by wants versus needs, make lists about resources provided from other things (people, animals, plants, and inanimate objects)
Teaching Resources: http://www.uniqueteachingresources.com/Giving-Tree-Lesson-Plans.html; http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2011/01/video-giving-tree.html; http://www.ehow.com/info_12212779_activities-using-giving-tree-teaching-patience.html; http://ecosystems.psu.edu/youth/sftrc/lesson-plans/forestry/k-5/giving-tree; http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=The+Giving+Tree&qpvt=The+Giving+Tree&FORM=VDRE
Why Should I Save Water? By Jen Green (http://www.amazon.com/Why-Should-I-Save-Water/dp/0764131575/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388271804&sr=8-1&keywords=Why+Should+I+Save+Water)
Description: This is part of a series of “Why Should I…” books. This one follows the story and questions of a child musing about how his family uses water, what would be affected if there was no water, and steps that can be taken to more responsibly use water. I appreciate how the book concludes with the child learning how to make responsible choices and take action, which sometimes prompts others to action as well. This book lends itself to helping children become problem-solvers, not just problem-identifiers. Also, it prompts inquiry, innovation, and ethical behavior.
Permaculture Connections: Care of People, Care of the Earth, Return of Surplus, Observe and Interact, Use Creativity and Adapt to Change, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback, Use and Value Resources, Design from Patterns and Details, Integrate Rather Than Segregate, Small and Slow Solutions, Catch and Store Energy, Obtain a Yield, Use Edges and Value the Marginal, Produce No Waste
Few Teaching Ideas: Use this as a launching point to generate other ideas to make better use of water (e.g. swales, grey water, how to best tend to the water needs of a garden, especially a raised bed or rooftop garden), make a chart about all the places we use water, write a new book about responsibly using other resources and take actual photographs of the children taking these actions for the book, explore how water is unevenly distributed and how that impacts needs and wants, take a walk around the neighborhood and note how water is used and how it could be used more effectively, research how water impacts the greater ecosystem
Teaching Resources: http://www.learningtogive.com/lessons/unit370/lesson4.html; http://www.ehow.com/how_2125853_teach-children-water-conservation.html; http://www.squidoo.com/kidswater
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip Hoose and Hannah Hoose (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1883672546/?tag=mh0b-20&hvadid=3525322378&ref=pd_sl_2mierfnnf2_b)
Description: Have you ever really seen the world from another’s perspective? What about seeing the world through the eyes of an ant? This books playfully explores perspective, connections between people and animals, and peer pressure. The characters, a young boy and an ant share how they each perceive the world, the same world the reader lives in, in completely different ways. The book ends with a question, “What would you do?” which prompts the reader to consider responsible choices and actions. I like to use this book to prompt discussions about what it means to be empathetic, kind, inquisitive, mindful, and ethical. After reading this book, I watched my son, just two years old, lying on the ground intently observing ants on an anthill for over 5 minutes. Purposeful observation like that would likely not have occurred naturally without this book.
Permaculture Connections: Care of People, Care of Earth, Return of Surplus, Observe and Interact, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback, Use and Value Resources, Value Diversity, Catch and Store Energy, Use the Edges and Value the Marginal
Few Teaching Ideas: Act out the book as a play, write another book from the perspective of two different things that may seem to be at odds, find and watch ants (or any other often under-appreciated creature) in nature, have children vote about what they would do and make a graph, discuss the impact of peer pressure and make a poster with all the ways to handle peer pressure, get an ant farm to be able to view, document, and reflect on the life of an ant on a daily basis
Teaching Resources: http://www.heylittleant.com/educators.html; http://www.heylittleant.com/hlatg/index.html; http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Hey+Little+Ant+youtube&qpvt=Hey+Little+Ant+youtube&FORM=VDRE
Pattern Bugs by Trudy Harris (http://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Bugs-Trudy-Harris/dp/0761321071)
Description: This is a silly, interactive book to explore the concept of patterns through the sounds or movements of insects. The patterns start very simplistic and become more complex. In each case, the reader is asked to finish the pattern. I prompt my children to not only complete the pattern with words, but also, when appropriate, with actions. After reading this book, I observed my son making up his own patterns with words and actions. One of his favorite patterns has been scurry, sniff, munch, munch, munch, like a squirrel might do. He came up with this based on his own prior observations of squirrels, but this book helped him understand that what he had seen could be expressed as a pattern.
Permaculture Connections: Observe and Interact, Design from Patterns and Details
Few Teaching Ideas: Act out the patterns as well as saying them, make up new patterns, observe natural patterns in different environments (e.g. woods versus garden), write stories about a pattern, have one person say a pattern and another draw or act it out
Teaching Resources: http://love2learn2day.blogspot.com/2010/07/pattern-bugs-hands-on-math.html; http://www.teachingheart.net/teachinsects.html
Movies
Blue’s Clues Stop, Look, and Listen Movie (http://www.amazon.com/Blues-Clues-Stop-Look-Listen/dp/0792165764/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388267932&sr=8-1&keywords=Stop%2C+Look%2C+and+Listen%21+Blue%27s+Clues)
Description: Educational and interactive movie about using our eyes and ears to interact and understand the world around us. There are two shows on the tape, one specifically on seeing and the other on listening. Although I don’t like to do a lot with movies, this one is great. It encourages children to pay attention to details, make connections, ask questions, and drive their own learning through everyday experiences.
Permaculture Connections: Care of People, Care of Earth, Observe and Interact, Value Diversity, Design from Patterns and Details
Few Teaching Ideas: Do a normal activity or visit a familiar place blindfolded to heighten the other senses, write a story focusing on just one sense, spend time in nature or in a garden and quietly note all the sights and sounds, play sound charades where the person acting cannot be seen but only heard, pair this with the book The Listening Walk by Paul Showers (http://www.amazon.com/The-Listening-Walk-Paul-Showers/dp/0064433226/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388268559&sr=8-1&keywords=The+listening+walk)
Resources for Adults
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv (http://www.amazon.com/Last-Child-Woods-Children-Nature-Deficit/dp/156512605X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388270285&sr=8-1&keywords=Last+CHild+in+the+Woods)
Description: This is a book for adults interested in learning how direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy physical and emotional development. The author argues, “… healing the broken bond between our young and nature – is in our self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice demand it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health depends upon it. The health of the earth is at stake as well.” (p. 3) Discussing studies that indicate a relationship between the lack of nature in children’s lives and a rise in obesity, attention disorders, and depression is informative, but I greatly appreciate that the author provides practical advice to set the reader on a path to working towards improving the situation on a personal, community, and societal level. There is also a field guide at the back of the book with 100 practical actions that can be taken by parents, teachers, and communities. This is an empowering resource for parents.
Permaculture Connections: Care of People, Care of Earth, Return of Surplus, Observe and Interact, Use and Value Resources, Integrate Rather than Segregate, Use Edges and Value the Marginal