Students learn value of hard work with garden project

SPECIAL TO WEST HAWAII TODAY

Honaunau School’s Garden Project is growing fast under the leadership of instructor Melissa Chivers. Each grade level is responsible for various elements of the garden. This provides an opportunity to bring science, math, social studies, language and visual arts to life through hands-on learning.

Learning to appreciate the wonder and power of nature while fostering an awareness of resources, healthy food choices, food culture and different farming methods are all part of an environmental education. Children share in the work and the abundance of the garden. For example, one class will work on building a compost bin, another group will harvest and prepare a salad and salad dressing, while others independently water, plant and make informative garden signs. They all share in the harvest, which is served on ti leaves that were grown in the garden. Children learn how to be responsible by taking care of something and seeing the rewards of their work.

As the garden grows and becomes fruitful and beautiful, students can take pride in the efforts they put forth. The preschool students are the main maintenance crew and are already master planters and movers of mulch. The kindergarten students have grown beautiful zinnias, while first-graders are learning to be soil scientists and seed experts.

The second-grade students have learned how to tie a square knot and worked to build trellises made from guava harvested on the Honaunau School grounds, and third-graders have been moving mountains of soil and working on garden journals.

The fourth-grade students harvested two pounds of kid-grown organic lettuce and dressed it with a student-made lilikoi salad dressing. The fifth-graders are working on the community garden plots, which are thriving.

If you would like more information on Honaunau School’s Garden Project, call 328-2727.