Comments on: Permaculture for Kids

By: john bartlett

john bartlett — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:39:47 +0000

I will be starting a permaculture site at my school (teacher). I would like to get some incites on effective usage of the site and the full engagement of the kids. Thanks

By: Wael

Wael — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 15:54:56 +0000

i think Permaculture for kids can open new green businesses like : printed and computer games, puzzle, stories, books, movies, kids programs and reportages, .. till it is get educated in the classes ~

By: Øyvind Holmstad

Øyvind Holmstad — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:16:48 +0000

New School Garden DVD soon to come: http://www.ecofilms.com.au/2010/08/19/planning-an-edible-school-garden/

By: Kelly Pagliaro

Kelly Pagliaro — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:08:00 +0000

I’m glad you like the message board Paul. I’ve just done some updates (hopefully more on the way), and I’ve opened it up to include adult teachers who would like to work with kids. The forums have been kind of dead for a while, so I’m going to send out a mass email to all the registered users for a call to action.

I’d love to have an adult who has some permaculture experience and an interest in working with kids to help me moderate the site and keep it more active. Maybe you would be interested?

By: Darren (Green Change)

Darren (Green Change) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:57:38 +0000

You instill permaculture principles, ethics and practices in your children through everyday activities – my kids (aged 5, 7 and help with feeding and watering chickens and ducks, collecting eggs, picking and planting fruit and vegies, etc.

Through spending time together and working side by side, they pick things up. They ask why the water tank is at the top of the hill, why certain plants are planted together, why we keep moving the chicken tractor, why we eat the boy chickens, etc. They see where the sun shines from, where the wind blows from, where the hot and cool places are on our block.

If there’s one thing kids are good at, it’s asking “why?”!

By: shamaila akram

shamaila akram — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:18:09 +0000

Just spent the day scouring the web for Perma-resources for children, and then this finds its way into my inbox! Great to hear all your thoughts…I’ve just completed the PDC at Zaytuna this July and am now beginning to prepare a teaching scheme for the school i teach in (11-18 year olds) in London…my experience is sustainability engages them, becuase they see it as a dynamic area they are directly affected by and htey can directly impact, in real time…..so it comes ‘off the page’ and a part of thier converstation and concern, not just somethign they learnt about at school…

By: Paul Douglas

Paul Douglas — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:25:13 +0000

The Malaysians are at it too.
http://moonriverlodge.wordpress.com/building-a-childrens-permaculture-garden/

By: Paul Douglas

Paul Douglas — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:09:37 +0000

Here’s a link I found on Kelly and Kim Pagliaro’s website for the Young Permaculturalists’ Discussion Group.
http://www.ypdg.proboards.com/
Very, very impressed.

By: Kim Pagliaro

Kim Pagliaro — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:16:37 +0000

With all the stories that Bill Mollison told us during our PDC in 08 about children he has taught about permaculture, such as the 9 year old girl he referred to as “The General” who lead the people in her village in practicing permaculture and other young people he gave as good examples, I think the comment he made during your PDC was “classic Bill humor and is usually (but not always) delivered with a wink and a smile. I applaud your efforts in wanting to teach children about permaculture and you will probably find they will be easier to teach than adults because have fewer preconceived notions about how the world should work.

By: Kelly Pagliaro

Kelly Pagliaro — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:33:40 +0000

Well, as an eleven year old PDC graduate (thirteen now) I feel some obligation to leave my comment on this. I tagged along with my parents when, in 2008, they flew overseas to take a PDC with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton in Melbourne. At first I was uninterested in the whole thing. “Permaculture? Who cares, it’s just some boring sustainability class.” Long story short, Bill’s stories reeled me in, and the more I listened, the more interested I became in everything he and Geoff were teaching. The stories, the science, everything in between. I took notes, I understood what they were talking about, and when I was surprised with being put into a design exercise team I gave input just like everyone else did.

However, you have a valid point. I don’t think there are that many kids who will sit down and listen to someone teach a 72 hour permaculture class. They’re around, but they’re relatively few and far between, and they would need something permaculture-related that interests them, to reel them in.

The 4-8 year old crowd would be good to work with. I think young children would be a lot more likely to jump on the permaculture bandwagon than “tweens” and teenagers. There’s no better way to reach out to them than hand-on application of permaculture. Flowers, butterflies, and songbirds are likely to interest little girls. The reptile and amphibious visitors to the garden, plus worms, dirt, etc. could bring in the boys who might be less interested in gardening. Teach them how the beautiful flowers attract the hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies, and how important that is to pollination. Teach them that the worms fertilize and aerate the soil to make the plants grow better, how the mushrooms work to break down decaying plant matter. Teach them that instead of planting rows of one plant, they can stack their favorite fruits in a single space to make a miniature food forest. Think of the fun you could have just teaching them about plant guilds and how Mr. Basil is best friends with the Tomato family.

The hard part is going to be the kids who are ten years and up. They will be much more absorbed in video games, whether or not Ashley and Brent are back together, and there social status within their school. For them you need to weed out the ones who’s minds you can actually access and hope they can spread out their permie feelers into the minds of their friends.

I hope that helps.

-Kelly