What a year it’s been so far! The fall gardens are now at rest and spring gardens will begin to come to life with this new year! During the fall semester…
- 2,110 students received ʻĀINA Nutrition Lessons
- 4,414 students received Garden Lessons
- 954 students received Compost Lessons at 20 schools across the island.
We thank the ʻĀINA Lead Teachers, ʻĀINA Team Coordinators, classroom teachers and administrators who have successfully implemented ʻĀINA Lessons this year!
The Quarter 3 Training for ʻĀINA In Schools will be hosted at the Kōkua Learning Farm on January 13, 2024. Teachers and volunteers at participating schools will have a chance to dive into lessons from each grade level to get hands-on experience and learn some tips and tricks before bringing ʻĀINA lessons back to their classrooms. Register here.Kindergarteners are beginning to plant the Tops and Bottoms Garden, which allows students to explore different parts of plants and see how they grow. 1st Graders are learning about companion planting and all the beneficial creatures in the Good Buddy Garden, and 5th graders will see that gardeners are not far from scientists as they dive into the Scientific Garden. 4th Grade is continuing the Hawaiian garden curriculum and soon will be harvesting and cooking with ʻuala leaves while the 3rd graders are continuing their Compost Curriculum by harvesting their vermicompost bins.
Students in 2nd and 6th Grade participate in the nutrition component of ʻĀINA in Schools and are learning all about close to the source food with the help from the ʻĀINA Food Guide. The food guide is a central piece of the ʻĀINA in Schools Nutrition curriculum and depicts familiar, locally available foods split into five food categories that are defined by the health impacts they have on our bodies: Protective, Energy, Body-Building, Brain and Caution Food. Students explore a different category during each lesson and then get a chance to help prepare a healthy, close to the source snack such as Brainy Guacamole and Body-Building Salsa.