Children in Permaculture

Practitioners Course

A 32-HOUR course over 13 sessions

Starting 27 october 2026

What?

Learn how to engage children in all aspects of permaculture, learning from nature with a child-led approach. This course will give you the skills and support you need to design with and for children.
If you have completed the Introduction to Engaging Children in Permaculture course, you will understand how important it is to embed this into children’s learning environments. This practitioners course will equip you with the skills to take you to create two Diploma level designs, with and for children – a session plan and a garden design.

Pre-requirements

• Completed the Introduction to Engaging Children in Permaculture course (12 hour)

• Completed (or in the process of doing) a Permaculture Design Course (72 hour)

• Have experience working with children.

• If you are going to be working with groups of children then you must have an outdoor paediatric first aid course.

This course will give participants:

• A toolbox of ways to engage children in permaculture using a holistic, creative approach which involves children in the whole process as a partner in their learning.

• Support to use permaculture design processes with children.

• Experience and support to creatively design a playground/children’s garden with permaculture to maximise the benefits of outdoor learning for children.

• Understanding about how to apply the permaculture ethics, principles and design to education including designing session plans which engage the whole child: eyes, heart, hand and head and using the process of ‘sowing, growing and harvesting’.

• Confidence in the use of the CiP resources including the activities database and manual.

• Understanding of how permaculture can support teachers and other educators in their work with children.

• Examples of good practice and inspirational stories which will motivate and encourage you to engage children in permaculture.

• Specific skills which you can use to manage a group of children outdoors safely including risk-benefit assessments and safe tool use.

• Opportunity to meet other people who are interested in engaging children in permaculture.

• Knowledge about nature, and how to work with nature, including the nature of your garden and the nature of the child(ren) you are working with.

• Understanding of a child-led and child-centred pedagogy, the differences between these and how to make sure you are approaching the child in these ways.

• Ongoing support through use of an online networking group.

Course Fees

Early bird price (available until end July) / standard price (from August)

Organisation/good wage/pay it forward: £680 /£710
Waged: £570 /£600
Low waged (household income below £13k) £460 / £490
Unwaged (e.g. student). Max 2 places. £350/ £380

Pay by installment

On the ticket-booking platform you will see that there is an option to pay the deposit now, and then pay the rest afterwards. We will issue an invoice which you can pay in instalments, this can be a monthly amount or simply a second instalment, you can choose your payment plan. The payment should be made in full before the course start date.

Portfolio

This course will provide you with step by step instructions for you to create two diploma-level designs. One is a garden design, and the other is a session plan design. If you would like to have a certificate which recognises your level of work then at the end, you can choose to submit a portfolio of two designs - one garden and one session plan.

If you would like to participate in this then you will be required to:

• Sign up to the Permaculture Association (Britain)’s Foundation Certificate for the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design. Find out more here.

• Pay an additional fee of £135 your two designs can be assessed by Lusi, a senior tutor of the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design. Feedback will be provided using the standard assessment method, stating what has gone well and what work is still required to meet the assessment requirements. If this work is completed within the agreed timeframe (typically two weeks from the assessment date), then you will receive a certificate of competence from both Children in Permaculture and the Permaculture Association.

Certificates

If you complete at least 80% of the online course, you will receive an attendance certificate. If you miss an online session, you can watch the recording, but this only counts as 50% attendance as it is not the same as attending the live call.

If you would like to then become a certified Children in Permaculture Practitioner you will need to complete the portfolio process described above.

Location

All four sessions will be held on a Zoom teleconference call. Participants will be given practical home play tasks to do between sessions.

Your trainers:

CANCELLATION

The deposit is non-refundable. If you cancel more than two weeks in advance of the course, 50% of your course fee is non-refundable. If you cancel within two weeks of the course start date, the full fee is non-refundable.

To receive the completion certificate you must attend a minimum of 80% of the course.