ʻĀINA In Schools Resources

As times are changing, we and many organizations have been sharing virtual lessons and at-home activities to help keep students and their families engaged, while also maintaining our connection to the natural world. The ʻĀINA In Schools curriculum is a great way to do that!

• ʻĀINA In Schools Garden Lessons and Student Workbooks: Use these guides to plant a themed garden at home. Ideas include Butterfly Garden, Good Buddy Garden (companion plants), Hawaiian Garden, Three Sisters Garden, and more.

• ʻĀINA In Schools Composting Lessons and Student Workbooks: Use these guides to create aerobic, vermicomposting or bokashi composting systems at home to turn food and yard waste into a valuable resource.

• ʻĀINA In Schools Nutrition Lessons and Student Workbooks: Learn about eating foods that are close to the source and check out the ʻĀINA Food Guide with locally available foods (energy, body-building, protective, brain, and caution foods) that are grouped by the health impacts they have on our bodies! Each lesson contains a healthy kid-friendly recipe that reinforces the lesson’s theme.

In addition to the ʻĀINA In Schools curriculum, our awesome partners have lots of activities and videos to keep students and families connected to outdoor learning. Check out some of these links for simple at-home activities and lessons: 

• Big Green at Home has a plethora of age appropriate activities for keiki to do with their families. From games to art activities to planting how-tos, and kid-friendly garden jams and plant part dance, these updated weekly activities will be sure to keep your family entertained!

• The Edible Schoolyard Project has compiled lessons that students can complete at home. These lessons include videos on seed germination, reflections on Food Memory, and simple cooking activities, like How to Roast Veggies and Knife Skills: Mincing, that teach keiki valuable life skills.

• FoodCorps has put together an extensive list of lessons related to gardening, nutrition, and cooking specifically tailored to distance learning! All of the lessons have the grade they were intended for (though many of the lessons can be suitable for other grades) and the length of the lesson.