Advanced Teacher Training in Youth and Child Permaculture Education

  • Sat & Sun June 22-23, 2013 9am-5pm - Introduction to Permaculture (a prerequisite for the course if you have no prior Permaculture training) $100 before January 1, 2013; $120 after Jan 1st
  • Mon-Saturday June 24-29, 2013 9am-5pm - Full Teacher Training Certificate Course $400 (before January 1, 2013); $480 after Jan 1st
  • A course orientation evening and opening ceremony will take place on Sunday June 23 from 6-8pm.
*72-hour PDC or 12+ hour 'Intro to PC' are prerequisite for the full course, PDC required for receiving an advanced teacher training certificate. CEC's and college credits are available for this course through Lewis & Clark College. Please download the form here.

Permaculture is the conscious creation of a regenerative system that reflects the inherent balance, stability, and harmony of nature. Education should be the same. This course applies permaculture principles and design to popular and alternative educational models. It offers a wide range of learners and teachers an opportunity to explore new possibilities and practice new skills. It supports the shift towards regenerative learning and living, and the recognition that each are inextricably connected in the practice of life.

This course is designed for parents and teachers of children ranging in age from early childhood to middle school who desire to integrate these principles into the classroom and beyond. Some of the time we will be working together as a large group, and other times we will hold break-out groups focused on early childhood, grade school and middle school.

Many hands-on and experiential aspects will be integrated into the course, modeling and practicing these and related topics:

  • Application of PC Principles to Teaching
  • Therapeutic Effects of Nature-Based Activities
  • Classroom Management
  • Strategic Community Building
  • Curriculum & Site Design
  • Creating Garden Classrooms
  • Forest & Garden-Based Learning
  • Education Through Movement & Exploration

Each day will include a morning circle, engaging lectures, activities and workshops. The last day of the course is a 'Skill Share for Children' during which we open our site to the public and each student will present an activity as a final project for the course. You will receive instructor and peer evaluations and will be issued a certificate by Learning Gardens Institute. You must have a Permaculture Design Certificate in order to receive the Advanced Teacher Training Certificate. All others will receive a certificate of completion.

Returning Teachers from our 2011 course:

Patty Parks-Wasserman is a permaculture diplomat, founder and director of the Institute of Permaculture Education for Children (www.permacultureforchildren.org). She has designed permaculture programs for schools and taught permaculture and nature skills to children and youth for 10 years in public, private, homeschooling and non-formal educational environments for toddlers through 12th grade. By observing student enthusiasm and witnessing the change they inspire in their homes and communities, she believes that children and their educators are able to effect large-scale change on global issues. She is currently the environmental specialist at an International Baccalaureate charter school in Albuquerque, NM, where she is developing a multidisciplinary Food Forest curriculum with grade 7-12 teachers. This work will enable the Albuquerque area to become more self reliant, make schoolwork relevant and therefore more meaningful, and infuse fun into the curriculum for the students as they experience a sense of purpose and empowerment.

Matthew Bibeau, MSEd, is the Development Director of Mother Earth School and has worked in the field of garden-based education since 2005. A graduate of Portland State University’s Leadership in Ecology, Culture & Learning program, Matt’s work has also focused on the development and implementation of school gardens and garden-based learning programs in Portland Public Schools, as well as the development of three urban farm sites, Jean’s Farm, Learning Gardens Laboratory and Tryon Life Community Farm. Trained in permaculture design by Toby Hemenway (2006) and in permaculture teaching by Tom Ward and Jude Hobbs (2008), Matt has been generating momentum as a permaculture educator, co-coordinating Toby's PDC and co-teaching TLC Farm's PDC from 2009-2011. He serves as an active board member of the Learning Gardens Institute, represents TLC Farm on the board of the Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust and is a veteran coordinator of the City Repair Project's Village Building Convergence (2006-2012).

Kelly Hogan has focused her life's work on caregiving in various forms. During her college years studying psychology, she earned her living by caring for adults with severe mental and physical disabilities. She remained in this field for the next 12 years before shifting her focus to the fresh perspective of working with children. She received her Waldorf teaching certificate from the Micha-el Institute in Portland, OR and has been teaching since 2005. She moved to the intentional community at Tryon Life Community Farm in 2007 where she began to work as the assistant kindergarten teacher for Mother Earth Kindergarten - the first all-outdoor kindergarten in the United States. It was at the farm where she also became exposed to Permaculture. After receiving her Permaculture Design Certificate in 2009, she realized that she needed to integrate permaculture and wilderness skills with Waldorf teaching methods in order to create an educational movement that serves the needs of today's world. She continues her training in wilderness survival and primitive skills and is currently Executive Director of Mother Earth School.

With Support from the following:

Michael Becker has a BS in Geography and a Masters in Education, both from Portland State University, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Sustainability Science at Prescott College. During his first year of teaching Michael Becker took a Permaculture Design Course at the Bullock farm on Orcas Island. Ever since, he has pursued the use of gardens and design as a tool for increasing the hands-on on nature of what education can be. The Oregon Middle School Association named Mr. Becker the 2008 Teacher of the Year for his efforts in integrated and applied, science and math instruction. He currently directs the Food and Conservation Science (FACS) program at Hood River Middle School.

The Location:

Jean's Urban Farm is close to the heart of downtown Portland and is home to Mother Earth School's outdoor immersion grade school. Just one mile east of Sellwood, the land is farmed by a local CSA, has an outdoor kitchen, a yurt classroom, farm animals and compost toilet facilities on a wooded site next to Johnson Creek. This location is easily accessible by foot, bike, bus or car, and does require a short walk down a moderately steep, dirt driveway. Please contact us if you have special needs that may require alternative access.

The Logistics:

  • Knowledge of Permaculture is a pre-requisite for this course. If you do not have a Permaculture Design Certificate, you will need to have completed some permaculture course work. We will be offering an ‘Intro to Permaculture' weekend June 22 & 23 that fulfills this requirement. If you are unable to attend this weekend, please search for other options in your area and feel free to contact us with any questions.
  • Carpools are encouraged and will be coordinated by the administrator of this course.
  • Tea, coffee and snacks will be provided. There will be a 45 minute lunch break each day. Course participants are responsible for bringing their own lunches.
  • Class will start promptly at 9am each morning and will end at 5pm.
  • Payment is due in full at the time of registration. Please contact us if you need alternate payment options.

Enrollment Process:

When you are ready to enroll, please mail a check for $480, plus $120 if you are also registering for the Intro to PC weekend made payable to Mother Earth School and mail to

Mother Earth School Permaculture Teacher Training
P.0. Box 82124
Portland, OR 97282.

Please include your contact information with your check and also send an email to info@motherearthschool.com confirming that a check is in the mail. You will receive a confirmation email and then be added to our Permaculture Teacher Training email list to be notified of updates and logistical details. That is also the address to email with any follow-up inquiries and clarifying questions.

To pay online, please click on this payment button, adding an additional 3% to payments made online to cover the Paypal service charges we incur. Please make a note on the description line that you are registering for the Advanced Teacher Training.

Accommodations & Transportation:

We are unable to offer onsite accommodations for this course. The Hawthorne Hostel is easily accessible to our site by bus, offers discounted rates to our course participants and is close to a wide variety of food options including grocery stores. Guests who stay at the hostel must make their reservations in advance and will have access to kitchen facilities.

If you are looking for other accommoations nearby, please note that Jean's Farm is located off of Johnson Creek Blvd. and 37th Ave in SE Portland (Portland is divided into quadrants, so knowing that the site is in SE will be helpful for your search). Bus line 75 runs frequently to the site 7 days per week and the site is also easily accessible from the Springwater Corridor Bike Trail. We do not coordinate home stays but there are occasionally rentals or bed & breakfasts in the area. When making any sort of reservation, please inquire about the location of your stay relative to the location of the course. Portland has a wonderful public transporation system and trip planning is easy at Trimet Trip Planner.

If you are coming to Portland from out of state, the closest airport is the Portland International Airport (PDX). There are many transportation options from the airport including the MAX light rail system, Trimet buses, taxis and airport shuttles. Please ask for recommendations where you book your lodging, as they will know the most accessible way to get there from the airport.

What to Bring

Course reading and references will be provided online before the course begins. There are not prerequisite reading assignments, but review of some of the information in the course packet before the course begins may be helpful. Each student will receive a printed version of our course syllabus upon arrival at the orientation evening. Please bring writing implements and a notebook or paper for notetaking.

Portland weather is very unpredictable in June. Temperatures may be chilly and weather may be rainy. Please come prepared for rain (rain boots, raincoat and rainpants). Mother Earth School sells 'Rainskirts' as a cottage industry (water-proof wrap-around skirts that have a velcro fastener). These will be available for purchase at our course (small and large sizes available, prices range from $32-$39). All proceeds benefit Mother Earth School. Please also bring short sleeved shirts (in case the days are hot), long-sleeved shirts, a sweater and a jacket. We always cross our fingers for sunny, summer weather, but even though for most places in the country summer is in full swing at the end of June, Portland may still be waiting for summer to arrive.

Contact Information:

Please contact Kelly Hogan: info@motherearthschool.com with any additional questions about the Advanced Teacher Training in Youth & Child Permaculture Education.