Tūtū and Me: About

Tūtū and Me Wai‘anae Goes to the Farm!

To wrap up our animal theme for the months of May and June, The families from Tūtū and Me Wai‘anae went on a great field trip to Hoa ‘Aina O Makaha, which is a community farm that works in conjunction with Makaha Elementary to educate the children about taking care of the land. This was not an easy field trip to schedule, because although we called early in the school year, most of the year was already booked by other schools!

When the families arrived, Kumu Kiaha and Auntie Ceny were there to meet us at the entrance to the farm. Our families chanted an oli komo (entrance chant) to ask for permission to enter (mahalo to Uncle Keli‘i for finding the right oli!), and at the end of the oli, we were invited in. The keiki and adults had an opportunity to visit the different areas of the farm and participate in different activities. The families all got a chance to feed the animals, such as the goats, chickens, geese and ducks. There were also turtles, fish and the bees that lived in the apiary! Everyone learned about the recent mite problem that has killed many of the bees on our island. That can’t be good for plant reproduction.

The families were also able to learn about farming and we were taken on a tour of the planting area. We talked to all of the plants and said hello and goodbye to them as we walked through the farm. The keiki each got a chance to pick cotton, plant baby lettuce and pull carrots out of the ground to take home with them. The families picked tomatoes and lettuce to take with them, too. Everyone was given a chance to taste papaya, mango, orange and even sugarcane.

Many of the families said that they really enjoyed this field trip. It was a great way to finish up our animals unit, and would also be a great field trip to do for the nutrition or planting themes.

« Back