The Permaculture Student 1 by Matt Powers

I give this book 9 out of 10 acorns.

Disclaimer: I have translated this book (and the workbook) into Polish for the author, so that might have influenced my review a bit

First of all, such book was desperately needed and certainly it is quite a big step forward in permaculture education for kids (and older as well). The book can be a great help for teachers but also for those who seek basic knowledge on permaculture and do not have a time for reading fat "bibles" like Mollison's PD Manual.

Matt briefly goes through the entire curriculum of the PDC course, in a very condensed, easy to read, well illustrated and suitable for kids form.

The workbook associated with the book makes it unique, it contains nearly all what is needed in order to make first steps in permaculture design of own property.

Personally I have a feeling that some chapters are suitable for a younger, some for older reader, which might make it difficult for a single kid, but on the other hand better for a wider audience or for home schooling in a larger family.

Overall I strongly recommend this book to any parents who want their kids to acquaint with permaculture in a more structured way.

I give this one 7 out of 10 acorns.

It may go higher in the next couple of weeks as I integrate this lesson plan into our homeschool curriculum for my oldest son after the first of the year. Just reading through the manual some of it strikes me as being overly simplified, while other sections are a bit more complex. The up and down nature has me a little worried (just a little though). I won't know for sure how it flows for a school aged kid until I try it (it's been a while since that was me so...). I supported Matt's kickstarter campaign, and I'm really looking forward to passing on this knowledge and understanding to all of my children with this curriculum (along with some of my own twists and turns!). The illustrations are fantastic, and you can feel the author's enthusiasm and passion for the subject matter, I have high hopes for this book in our homeschool household.

Well, we just recorded an interview around Matt's newest Kickstarter. Permaculture Student 2. hope you enjoy it
Podcast with Matt http://bit.ly/1X4sPY2

I give this book 9 out of 10 acorns.  Matt really worked to have the information "fact checked" with experts on the various topics, and the illustrations are worth the price of the book.  I'm also a huge fan of his second book, which is written with an aim at the high school student.

Imagine the change in the world if students everywhere learned about permaculture in grade school!

I give this book 9 out of 10 acorns. I love how accurate the textbook is, as well as how useful and beautiful and helpful the illustrations are. It covers basic ecology, as well as lots of permaculture techniques and principles, and it covers them accurately.

I do wish the sections were a bit longer. Most topics get 1-2 paragraph summary about them, and even as an adult, it's kind of easy to skim through and not really comprehend the concept. The book is concise! Each word carries meaning and very little is repeated. The reader has to be focused. This means it takes more work to delve in and understand the meaning that is explained in as few words as necessary. This might be difficult for a Jr Higher. I do not have the workbook, though, so perhaps the workbook really helps the kids really work out the meaning and expand upon what is offered in the textbook.

All in all, I think this book is very well-written, accurate, illustrated wonderfully, and would be a great teaching resource for someone who already knows about permacultre. A teacher who does not know much about permaculture and is using this book may well want more in-depth resources for themselves to read so that they can answer questions from the student.

I give this book 9 out of 10 acorns.

The Permaculture Student 1 is a wonderful short and easy read that you can read in half a day to a few hours. It provides a broad overview of permaculture and a good background in environmental science. I appreciated how articulate and succinct the book is, because that helps it to achieve the stated objectives of making permaculture more accessible and understandable to children. The book also makes permaculture more easily understandable to people who do not have a background in science but are still passionate about making the world a better place. And of course, the hopeful and optimistic tone of the book is also appreciated. The only reason I'm not giving ten out of ten acorns is that there were a few sentences that I found worded or written oddly that I wasn't entirely sure what was being expressed, but there were only two or three of those. Overall, The Permaculture Student 1 is a great introduction to permaculture for people of all ages and backgrounds!

Nicole Alderman wrote:I give this book 9 out of 10 acorns. I love how accurate the textbook is, as well as how useful and beautiful and helpful the illustrations are. It covers basic ecology, as well as lots of permaculture techniques and principles, and it covers them accurately.

I do wish the sections were a bit longer. Most topics get 1-2 paragraph summary about them, and even as an adult, it's kind of easy to skim through and not really comprehend the concept. The book is concise! Each word carries meaning and very little is repeated. The reader has to be focused. This means it takes more work to delve in and understand the meaning that is explained in as few words as necessary. This might be difficult for a Jr Higher. I do not have the workbook, though, so perhaps the workbook really helps the kids really work out the meaning and expand upon what is offered in the textbook.

All in all, I think this book is very well-written, accurate, illustrated wonderfully, and would be a great teaching resource for someone who already knows about permacultre. A teacher who does not know much about permaculture and is using this book may well want more in-depth resources for themselves to read so that they can answer questions from the student.

Given a choice, I think I'd prefer the concise and fact-checked text, because as a teacher, guiding the students to "unpack" the information adds to the learning experience. (even for adults, this is important!) It is important for the teacher to have prior knowledge of Permaculture.

Disclaimer:  I have not seen the book or the workbook, so my comment is more directed at the process that your comment evoked in my mind's eye.

Richard Gorny wrote:I give this book 9 out of 10 acorns.

Disclaimer: I have translated this book (and the workbook) into Polish for the author, so that might have influenced my review a bit

First of all, such book was desperately needed and certainly it is quite a big step forward in permaculture education for kids (and older as well). The book can be a great help for teachers but also for those who seek basic knowledge on permaculture and do not have a time for reading fat "bibles" like Mollison's PD Manual.

Matt briefly goes through the entire curriculum of the PDC course, in a very condensed, easy to read, well illustrated and suitable for kids form.

The workbook associated with the book makes it unique, it contains nearly all what is needed in order to make first steps in permaculture design of own property.

Personally I have a feeling that some chapters are suitable for a younger, some for older reader, which might make it difficult for a single kid, but on the other hand better for a wider audience or for home schooling in a larger family.

Overall I strongly recommend this book to any parents who want their kids to acquaint with permaculture in a more structured way.

It sounds like this is a book that you read over and over again, as a reference, and as a textbook. As such, a child could "grow up" with the book, and absorb the concepts as they grow into them...

Richard Gorny wrote:Disclaimer: I have translated this book (and the workbook) into Polish for the author, so that might have influenced my review a bit

I read this translation

I give this book 8 out of 10 acorns.

I agree with Mark, that it's great as a reference book, for teaching classes or giving presentations about permaculture, to various audiences. I love all the "back to basics" books, which feature the founders of permaculture as a concept. This book is maybe a little too general sometimes - things like "minimal change for maximal effect" can be understood very differently depending on your background. But it only means that this book needs a teacher who will explain it with more detail, or with specific examples, or answer questions based on it. I wouldn't recommend it for self study.

I'm looking at Matt Powers' online PDC course for my 14-year-old freshman, who homeschools. He's a fabulous reader and very bright (though of course I'm biased, LOL), and very prepping-conscious. When he was younger we watched a lot of Justin Rhodes'  videos, so he has some familiarity with the basics of Permaculture (but not in an intentional "student" sense).

It's sounding like this course would be OK for high schoolers (and above)? I have also wondered about the regular PDC course, but wouldn't want him to get overwhelmed in light of his other schoolwork. (Cost is something Of a factor, too.) Of course mom will be looking over his shoulder intently, as I want to learn also!

It would be lovely to see a PDC with something of a Christian angle, but I'm not sure that exists at the moment. I realize the Permaculture principles stand on their own, but a Creator God-centric lens would add a lot of depth, it seems.

Open to any input! Thanks so much!