Tag Archives: Skye

Manual for Teaching Permaculture Creatively has a Brand New Cover

Teaching Permaculture Creatively

Thanks to the awesome graphic design skills and willingness of Robin’s partner Rob Clark ‘The Manual for Teaching Permaculture Creatively’ now has a brand new colour cover. Very fitting seeing as the iconic 320 page text, written by Skye and Robin in the early 90s and published by their business Earthcare Education in 1995, is turning 21 this year. Yeah! Many hundreds of people have purchased the Manual and it’s enjoyed in over 65 countries. In recent times it’s become available as a PDF through a DropBox Folder system. It was originally designed as a solid ring binder so it could be a huge ‘Tool Box’ to be added to over and over by its new owners as they witnessed, created or adapted processes that they wanted to remember and find easily. This hard copy is preferable to most people though click this link if you’d like to purchase the PDF …

Read More »

‘Dynamic Teaching and Facilitation’ Book

Things are moving slowly with Robin’s writing of the five book series, though the two card games that are part of the project have been successfully launched – the ‘Permaculture Principles Card Game in September last year and the Creative Process Wild Cards in November. All the wild cards fed straight into the chapter that’s being worked on at the moment in Book 1, the ‘Tool Box’ chapter. As well as the 60 Creative Processes in the card set, the chapter will highlight many other processes, some that act as ‘Glue Processes’, serving the function of supporting the group to work well together, meet and greet and make the most of the material and the time spent together. Ice-Breakers, Name Games, Grouping Processes, Revision Processes and Check-In’s are a few examples.  Also included will be many conventional processes that, even though not creative or participatory, still are valid as ways to …

Read More »

Magic Happens in Dynamic Groups

Magic Happens in ‘Dynamic Groups’ and Learning Happens Easily. Why is that so? It’s been an exciting and rewarding journey for Robin Clayfield since she first began Teaching Permaculture Creatively in 1990. She and Skye (now from Brazil) had taught a 2 week Permaculture Design Course the year before, using lecturing, small group work, demonstrations, hands-on garden and design exercises and other standard educational practises. That’s how they’d been taught through school, Uni and in their Permaculture course as students. The course went very well, people were inspired and learnt lots, though they reported a sense of ‘information overload’. It also didn’t feel right to Skye and Robin that they were teaching Soils to Soil scientists and Building Design to Architects. Many interesting discussions followed and the next course saw ‘Needs Based Learning’  implemented and ‘Creative Facilitation’ of relevant, diverse and empowering activities, many developed especially for the people in …

Read More »

Social Permaculture Smorgasboard

What is Social Permaculture? As a culture and a movement for positive global change we’re getting better and better at designing our gardens, food systems, buildings and landscapes using Permaculture Principles, common sense ways of sensitively developing systems to sustain ourselves based on how nature and natural systems work. Designing our social systems, groups, communities and our household living using the same principles gives us an interesting exercise in ‘People Care’, a key Ethic of Permaculture. Try taking each of the Permaculture Principles and explore how your favourite group or a course you’ve just done has integrated each of the principles. Imagine how our world would be if all our organisations, groups, learning environments and neighbourhoods embraced these great approaches to life and people. Dive more deeply into exploring this theme by joining Robin and Friends for A SMORGASBOARD of Social Permaculture, Community Development and Valuable Skill Enhancement.  4 workshops …

Read More »