HomeYouth LessonsGardening in Our Warming World: Youth Grow!Unit Two – “What Do I Know” about Climate Change?Exploring SustainabilityIntroduction to Permaculture

Introduction to Permaculture

Overview

In this activity youth explore the basics of Permaculture philosophy, principles, and how it applies to the design of backyards, gardens, farms, and communities, and its process of healing and restoring ecological health and future climate change.

Skill Level

Intermediate, Advanced

Learner Outcomes, Youth will:
  • Understand the basics of Permaculture and impacts humans have on the earth and how our actions effect future generations.
  • Recognize the philosophy of Permaculture Design and how it promotes a caring and sustainable environment.
  • Experiment with different ways to grow food in a natural environment.
  • Evaluate a site and create a design that supports Permaculture practices and sustainability.
Education Standards
  • NS.5-8.3 Life Science: Populations and ecosystems
  • NS.5-8.6 Personal and Social Perspectives: Personal health, Populations, resources, and environments
  • NS.9-12.6 Personal and Social Perspectives: Personal and community health, Natural resources, Environmental quality
Success Indicators

Work through the process of healing and restoring ecological health in the landscape.

Life Skills

Healthy lifestyle choices, goal setting, planning, wise use of resources, resiliency

Time needed for multiple sessions
  • 40-minute introduction (whole group)
  • 2 weeks, multiple visits to one location 2-3 per week for observation, a minimum of 5 minutes at the location each visit (individual activity)
  • 40-minute activity to share/reflect/discuss

Materials List: YouTube videos by David Holmgren on how you can change the world with permaculture (5:43 minutes) and The Permaculture Principles by Oregon State University Ecampus (9:42 minutes); Permaculture Elements Handout (provided), and other handouts you choose to help introduce the topic from Learn More section; sketch pads and pencils, colored pencils, pens, Sit Spot Handouts, cell phone or other camera to take photos of a site.

Youth Handouts:
Space

Indoor space to watch videos if you choose to do so as a group; outdoor landscape to study, can be a participant or leader backyard or public space such as a park or school grounds; indoor/outdoor space with tables to work on sketches and drawings.

Suggested Group Size

12-15 or more

Acknowledgements

Introduction

In this activity youth explore the basics of Permaculture philosophy, principles, and how it applies to the design of backyards, gardens, farms, and communities, and its process of healing and restoring ecological health and future climate change.

This topic builds upon Systems Thinking in Unit One and previous topics in Unit Two and will be most effective when implemented as a final activity for Units One and Two. For groups needing more background information, have participants look at the web resources and downloadable documents and illustrative posters mentioned in Learn More. Leaders will find a pre-determined landscape for the group to visit and do a “Sit Spot” site assessment, such as a public space such as a school yard or park. Someone’s backyard will work too!

After completing the Sit Spot observations, your group will meet to do the sketch out  Permaculture Designs that would enhance the landscape observed.

Opening Questions: What are the relationships you see between people and the landscape? In what ways can we redesign landscapes to use less energy, have less human impact, and maintain sustainability?

Background Information

Before the Activity: Gather materials, review the videos and handouts for introduction the topic; review resources in Learn More to determine if more introductory resources are needed. Find an accessible location for your group to visit and do a Sit Spot, preferable a public space such as a school yard or park. Someone’s backyard will work too!

Let’s Do It!

Introduction and Pre-work

What is Permaculture? Introduce the Principles of Permaculture Practices, by having your group watch the two videos before your session at home, or together as a group.

  • Watch the video where David Holmgren explains how you can change the world with permaculture (5:43 minutes).
  • The Permaculture Principles Oregon State University Ecampus (9:42 minutes).
  • Introduce the seven domains of permaculture action with the visual Permaculture Flower from PermaculturePrinciples.com
  • Hand out the Permaculture Design Elements Handout and ask the opening questions, guiding answers based on what they know, what they have learned from the videos, and the Permaculture Flower. Explain you will be going out as a group to observe a landscape to do a Sit Spot activity.
Introduce the Sit Spot Activity

Explain that at your next session, you will be meeting at a pre-determined location to observe the landscape, and that they will make a plan to revisit the same location for the next two weeks. On your first visit, 20 -30 minutes. For a minimum of 5 minutes each visit, revisit the same location 2-3 times each week for two weeks.

Permaculture Makeover

After the Sit Spot Observations are completed, meet as a whole group with an outdoor/indoor space with tables to work on sketches and drawings. Have youth work on rough sketches of how they can adopt Permaculture Practice and make a new or enhanced design to the Sit Spot location they observed.

Talk It Over 

Share

Individuals will share their two week Sit Spot observations and rough sketches of their Permaculture Design makeover.

Reflect 

Why does this matter? How can we share with others this different way of looking at our landscapes and incorporating Permaculture?

Apply

Take the next step and create a plan to implement a Permaculture Design Makeover, using the ideas that come from each person’s rough sketches,

References

Learn More

Resources and curriculum on teaching younger children about Permaculture:
PermaculturePrinciples.com