Quarter 4: WAIWAI

Using as many senses as possible, what do you notice about the ʻāina (including fresh and saltwater resources) in your area? Record these items in our Kilo Journal or in a notebook and track them over time.

• What plants and animals are growing? What do they sound, smell, and feel like (as appropriate)? Do they change at different times of the day or year?

• When does it rain? What does the rain look, sound, smell, feel, and taste like? Are there different types of rains that I notice? What are their characteristics? Where and when do the clouds gather? Are there different types of clouds that come around at different times of the day or at different times of the year?

• What do our streams, rivers, and springs look like? Do they change over time? What does the rain look, sound, smell, and feel like?

• What is happening in the ocean? What do you see, smell, hear, feel (and taste if appropriate)? Does the activity (waves, animals, limu, etc.) change at different times of the day or year? Are there different types of fish, limu, or other animals present at different types of the year?

 In addition to kalo, you could find ways to grow other types of food at home such as kale, lettuce, tomatoes, microgreens, etc. If you have a yard, create a māla (garden) by finding an area that will provide you adequate water and sunlight. If you do not have enough space on your ʻāina, you could mix your soil and compost and place it into buckets or large bins with adequate drainage.

• Math: Measure the area needed to plant. Create a sketch of the area with a key that includes your measurement scale. Be sure to map out where each of your plants will go. Each kalo should be around one haʻilima (from elbow to fingertip) apart.

• Science: Prepare the soil mixing it with natural organic fertilizers and/or compost before planting. Do daily observations of your kalo and other things in the ʻāina. You can record this data along with measurements on a data table or use our Kilo Journal.

• English: Write poems, reflections, or short stories about your māla and the food you are growing. Write an argumentative essay or constructed response about the importance of food sovereignty and growing our own food.

• Social Studies: Research the konohiki, ahupuaʻa, and moku systems in Hawaiʻi and the self-sufficiency of traditional Hawaiian land management.

Reflection Questions

• What have you learned about what your plants need to stay healthy? How do they respond to different things you have or have not done?

• How are tasks like watering and pulling weeds essential to the healthy growth of your plants? What happens when you do or don’t do these things?

• How might caring for those plants also help you, your family, and your community to thrive?

• Do you notice a shift in your own demeanor when you see your plants thriving?

• What do you think would happen if you were not there to care for your māla? How would its health be affected? How would you be affected as well?