My promise to you… only the best of the best is listed here. If I do a review of a resource and think it is not worth your time or money, I will not include it here although I will put those items in an honest podcast or video review. I have listed many items and I will continue to update this list. However, this is intended to be a quick overview of quality resources and connections to the elements of PERMIE KIDs like the prime directive, ethics, principles, characteristics, concepts, and knowledge. On the overwhelming majority of these resources, I will podcast more details and how the resource can be used to facilitate PERMIE KIDs’ learning.
Resources for Children
Preschool-Early Elementary
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
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: Obtain a Yield, Use and Value Resources, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback, Use Edges and Value the Marginal, Care of People, Care of the Earth, Return of Surplus, Observe and Interact, Use Creativity and Adapt to Change
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip Hoose and Hannah Hoose
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.
Permaculture Connections: Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback, Value Diversity, Observe and Interact, Use the Edges and Value the Marginal, Catch and Store Energy, Care of Earth, Care of People, Use and Value Resources
The Listening Walk by Paul Showers
Description: Quiet! Don’t make a sound. Instead, let’s go on a listening walk and take notice of the world around us in a new way. Take notice, make connections to, and appreciate the sounds that exist all around us all the time, but we never noticed. This is a great book for working on mindfulness and even inquisitiveness.
Permaculture Connections: Observe and Interact, Value Diversity, Use the Edges and Value the Marginal, Use Creativity and Adapt to Change
Pattern Bugs by Trudy Harris
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.
Permaculture Connections: Design from Patterns and Details, Observe and Interact
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
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: Design from Patterns and Details, Use Edges and Value the Marginal, Return of Surplus, Observe and Interact, Use and Value Resources, Small and Slow Solutions
Why Should I Save Water? By Jen Green
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 the Earth, Produce No Waste, Use Creativity and Adapt to Change, Small and Slow Solutions, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback, Use and Value Resources, Observe and Interact, Design from Patterns and Details, Integrate Rather Than Segregate
Blue’s Clues Stop, Look, and Listen Movie (VHS)
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: Observe and Interact, Design from Patterns and Details
Permaculture Soils DVD by Geoff Lawton*
This DVD is mostly for an adult, but there is one chapter on soil tests that can be done by anyone. If I remember correctly, the DVD even showcases how children are doing the tests. This could be done with preschoolers or much older children and each would get something from the experience.
Resources for Parents
Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
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) Learning about the 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 the author also 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. Some of the connections between the information in this book and permaculture include 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.
Urban Permaculture DVD by Geoff Lawton*
There is a school gardens chapter in this DVD in which Geoff Lawton visits a school, describing what the students get from the addition of a well-designed garden. This short clip would be a good resource to play to the administrations, teachers, or parents because it shows how a garden can be put in for very little money, look beautiful, and have great value beyond what the average person might think of. It is also perhaps helpful for someone designing and building a raised-bed garden. The design for the structure of the garden was visually appealing, but it also is an example of what can be done right on top of concrete. Therefore, it might provide some ideas about how to use the concrete jungle spaces around a school, not just the area that already have soil.
Permaculture Soils DVD by Geoff Lawton*
There is a chapter in this DVD called The Instant Garden. I believe when looking at the list of chapters, it is called “Build an Instant Garden,” but then when you get to that chapter in the movie it is simply “The Instant Garden.” This is a down and dirty (literally) display of how and why a garden can be put together in five minutes. This is truly an example of an instant garden and is evidence about why there should be virtually no monetary excuse for not doing a garden, be it at home or at a school… or gorilla gardening on an unused piece of land. It is also a great alternative to the neat, clean, boxed in look of a raised-bed garden that people often think of and it is a method where the children could play an active role in creating (saving materials up for the base layer over several weeks, building anticipation, and then actually helping build it). However, this methodology could easily be encased in a border of some sort if doing this in large containers or in an unused area of the massive concrete jungles that can often be found at schools. This chapter may also get some creative juices flowing about how to build more than one type of school garden. If you are the person designing, then perhaps you consider doing several different garden beds and let the teachers use these different areas to teach about the scientific method (process to create and test a hypothesis) and how to conduct experiments.
The Resilient Farm and Homestead: An Innovative Permaculture and Whole Systems Design Approach by Ben Falk
This is a resource for the more “conditioned” adult who is starting to ask thoughtful questions and who you feel is ready to start exploring what permaculture is for themselves. Although Bill Mollison’s Permaculture Design Manual is the leading authority on permaculture design, it is massive and technical which can make it seem daunting. Most of the people that are coming to this point in their permaculture evolution don’t yet realize there is a name and an entire science behind what they seen, so plopping Bill Mollision’s book in front of them is likely to cause them to backtrack in their progress and their openness to this new way of looking at learning and living. However, I absolutely love Ben Falk’s approach and his book on the resilient farm and homestead. The cover alone is very inviting and there are so many vibrant color photographs throughout the book that it could be used as a coffee table book. In fact, this might be one way to introduce it to other adults – invite someone over to your house, get comfortable on the couch, and then excuse yourself to get you and your guest tea, coffee, or something. In the meanwhile, this book is just screaming to be picked up off the coffee table. Once in hand, you have an opening! I’d have to r by e-read it word for word, but at quick glance I don’t think the word “permaculture” is even mentioned until page 7. Instead, Ben talks about regeneration and resilience, two terms much more familiar to adults than permaculture. This book is chalked full of great information to build a solid foundation. One resource to tease out that might be of use to the person looking to infuse permaculture into the lives of children is Appendix B, A Resilient Homestead Curriculum Outline, on page 267. “This curriculum-connection outline is aimed at helping ensure that children are offered enough real-world challenges to develop high levels of skill, knowledge, and “usefulness/fitness” that will benefit them in the coming century.”
As of the time I am posting this, I see that Ben Falk’s book is selling for $35.00 from his website. This is just a guess, but would suspect that he would keep more of the money when ordered from his website. However, below is a link to The Resilient Farm and Homestead: An Innovative Permaculture and Whole Systems Design Approach by Ben Falk from Amazon where the price is only $25.78. Yes, if you use this link I get a small commission, which is great. So, if you are going to order the cheaper version from Amazon, I appreciate you using this link, but if you want to give more of your funds directly to Ben than I would suggest using the link above to his website. I believe in rewarding the one who does the work, so if you have the means and want to purchase this resource, please buy directly from Ben Falk’s website.
Resources for Educators
MindUP
Helping young children learn to self-regulate, engage in the world in emotionally appropriate ways, and accept critical feedback can be challenging. So, how can I facilitate my child/children learning these skills? Why, by learning about the brain, of course! The MindUp curriculum is a resource to teach children not only what their brain is, where it is located, and why they have it, but also what are some specific parts of the brain, what do these parts do, and how can they use their brains to observe and interact in the world around them in a responsible manner.
Permaculture Connections: Care of People, Return Surplus, Observe and Interact, Self-Regulate and Accept Feedback
Urban Permaculture DVD by Geoff Lawton*
There is a school gardens chapter in this DVD in which Geoff Lawton visits a school, describing what the students get from the addition of a well-designed garden. This short clip would be a good resource to play to the administrations, teachers, or parents because it shows how a garden can be put in for very little money, look beautiful, and have great value beyond what the average person might think of. It is also perhaps helpful for someone designing and building a raised-bed garden. The design for the structure of the garden was visually appealing, but it also is an example of what can be done right on top of concrete. Therefore, it might provide some ideas about how to use the concrete jungle spaces around a school, not just the area that already have soil.
Permaculture Soils DVD by Geoff Lawton*
There is a chapter in this DVD called The Instant Garden. I believe when looking at the list of chapters, it is called “Build an Instant Garden,” but then when you get to that chapter in the movie it is simply “The Instant Garden.” This is a down and dirty (literally) display of how and why a garden can be put together in five minutes. This is truly an example of an instant garden and is evidence about why there should be virtually no monetary excuse for not doing a garden, be it at home or at a school… or gorilla gardening on an unused piece of land. It is also a great alternative to the neat, clean, boxed in look of a raised-bed garden that people often think of and it is a method where the children could play an active role in creating (saving materials up for the base layer over several weeks, building anticipation, and then actually helping build it). However, this methodology could easily be encased in a border of some sort if doing this in large containers or in an unused area of the massive concrete jungles that can often be found at schools. This chapter may also get some creative juices flowing about how to build more than one type of school garden. If you are the person designing, then perhaps you consider doing several different garden beds and let the teachers use these different areas to teach about the scientific method (process to create and test a hypothesis) and how to conduct experiments.
*Note: Yes, a few of the resources below are of value to both parents and the professional educators (administrators and teachers), so you will see some repeated.