Key Concepts: Nature is all around us.

Goals: To help children become comfortable in nature and to foster awareness and appreciation of nature.

Objectives: Students will be able to describe different parts of nature, interact appropriately with the natural world, and suggest how they can care for nature at home.

Activities:

• Mountain Hike - Children will explore a mountain trail, exercising all of their senses (except taste).
  
• Wonderful Water - Students will water plants with stream water and interact with live stream animals.
  
• Amazing Animals - Children will explore the homes of animals that live in Hawaii's forests and meadows.

Program Site: Makiki Valley

A sensory exploration and learning experience that leads to a greater appreciation for both living and non-living parts of nature.

Key Concepts: Nature is made up of both living and nonliving things. Nature is all around us; people are part of nature.

Goals: To help children become comfortable in nature; to foster an awareness and appreciation of nature, with emphasis on sensory exploration; to expose students to some of the plants and animals found in Hawaii.

Objectives: Students will be able to interact appropriately with the natural world, express ways in which nature is important to them, and suggest how they can care for nature at home.

Activities:

• Soil Cookies - Students will make some soil. We will grind rocks, add leaves and twigs, and add water. Afterwards, each student will mold a cookie and place it near a special tree.
  
• Bamboo Forest - We will walk into the bamboo forest and study bamboo. Then we will play with a variety of games and toys made from bamboo.
  
• Nature Explorers - Children will use their senses to explore nature, and experiment with magnifying glasses to find various types of living and non-living things.

Kindergarten Teacher Resource PDF

Program Site: Makiki Valley

2nd Grade Teacher Resource PDF

Program Site: Honouliuli National Wildlife Refuge

Explore the arrival and establilshment of plants and animals in Hawai'i, their adaptation and evolution within a wetland ecosystem and wetland conservation.

3rd Grade Teacher Resource PDF

Program Site: Waimanalo Bay Recreation Area

Coastal Guide Teacher Resource PDF

Key Concepts: Nature is all around us.

Goals: To help children become comfortable in nature and to foster awareness and appreciation of nature.

Objectives: Students will be able to describe different parts of nature, interact appropriately with the natural world, and suggest how they can care for nature at home.

Activities:

• Rainforest Hike - Children will explore a mountain trail, exercising all of their senses (except taste).
  
• Stream Valley - Students will water plants with stream water and interact with live stream animals.
  
• Mountain Meadow - Children will explore the homes of animals that live in Hawaii's forests and meadows.

Key Concepts: Nature is all around us; people are part of nature. Some things around us are "nature-made", while other things are man-made or “factory-made”.

Goals: To help children become comfortable in nature; to foster an awareness and appreciation of nature, with emphasis on sensory exploration; to expose students to some of the plants and animals found in Hawaii.

Objectives: Students will be able to interact appropriately with the natural world, express ways in which nature is important to them, and suggest how they can care for nature at home. Students will be able to decipher between “nature-made” and “factory-made” objects”

Activities:

• Soil Soup - Students will learn about the "ingredients"that go into making soil. We will grind rocks, add leaves and twigs, and add water. Afterwards, each student stir the soup a spoonful to a plant.
  
• Secret Garden- Students will search for secrets colors and shapes hidden in nature.
  
• Sensory trail - Children will use their five senses to explore nature on a forest trail. They will also use only touch to the contents of a secret “feely-jar”.

Kindergarten Teacher Resource PDF

Key Concepts: Plants and animals live in special localities called habitats. Plants and animals must have 5 essentials (“must haves”) in their habitat to survive: air, food, water, shelter, and space.

Goals: To foster an awareness and appreciation of nature, with an emphasis on food chains and habitats; to expose students to the plants and animals found in lowland Hawaiian forest and stream environments.

Objectives: Students will be able to describe the essential elements of a habitat, demonstrate a simple food chain, identify some of the components of a stream ecosystem, and express why nature is important to them.

Activities:

• Freshwater Habitat- After discussing the differences between a freshwater and saltwater habitat and naming the 5 essential components of a freshwater habitat, students will practice net fishing! We will then visit the ‘Iao stream and create a stream habitat in a bin.
  
• Clubhouse and forest habitat- After visiting a fun human habitat and sorting a box of objects into habitat “must haves” or not, we will explore a forest trail and look for creatures in their habitat.
  
• Food Chain Challenge/ The Sun is in My Lunch - Students will role play a food chain in nature, then explore a meadow to create a food chain of their own in a Hawaii Nature Center bug box.

1st Grade Teacher Resource PDF

Key Concepts: Cycles are a part of nature. Cycles in nature interact with one another. People are a part of nature cycles.

Goals: To foster an awareness and appreciation of nature, with emphasis on natural, biological and physical cycles; to expose students to the plants and animals found in present lowland Hawaiian forest and stream environments.

Objectives: Students will be able to describe the life cycles of flowering plants and some stream organisms, the water cycle, and the nutrient cycle; identify common decomposers and explain their importance in nature; illustrate the interrelationships between cycles; demonstrate how people are a part of nature through recycling efforts.

Activities:

• Stream Cycles - Students will gather at the edge of Makiki Stream to review the water cycle. Afterwards, they'll explore the stream banks and look for hidden stream life.
  
• Nutrient Cycle - At first glance, this forest is home to little more than bushes and trees. As investigative scientists, students search the soil for hidden organisms that break down fallen branches and leaves, and make it possible for this towering forest to exist.
  
• Plant Cycles - Most of us know that seeds sprout seedlings, but where do the seeds come from? We'll use fallen flowers, fruits and seeds to demonstrate the process, and then proceed on a treasure hunt through the forest, looking for various plants and plant parts.

2nd Grade Teacher Resource PDF

Key Concepts: Plants and animals that dispersed to Hawaii on the wind, the waves, or via birds are called native. Native species that evolved to become unique are endemic. Plants and animals that arrived with people are introduced. Endemic waterbirds are vulnerable to predation by introduced species and habitat loss. Plants and animals in the wetland have undergone adaptations that help them survive in this environment. They form a complex, interdependent food web within the wetlands.

Goals: To foster an awareness, appreciation, and sense of stewardship of Hawaiian wetlands and waterbirds, with an emphasis on dispersal, adaptation and interdependence.

Objectives: Students will be able to describe the basic geography and biology of a Hawaiian wetland, locate and identify components of the wetland food web, and describe some of the adaptations that enable wetland organisms to thrive in their environment. Students will also be able to suggest several ways they can help care for wetlands in Hawaii.

Activities:

• Mucking in the Mud - Working in small groups, students will venture to the water's edge on wooden pallets equipped with nets. They'll probe in the mud, grasses and shallow water to collect some of the smaller animals that live in the wetland. All organisms will be shared with the larger group, and then gently returned to their wetland homes.
  
• Wetland Walkabout - Students will explore and investigate the path and vegetation along the edges of the wetlands. Specific activities for each day will vary depending upon what's found along the trail, but will probably include tasting pickleweed, collecting land snail shells, investigating a trap, and analyzing tracks and scat.
  
• Bird Bonanza - After reviewing the adaptations of Hawaiian wetland birds, students use binoculars to locate and identify birds within the refuge, and describe and discuss their behavior.

3rd Grade Teacher Resource PDF

Key Concepts: Change is a part of nature; people are often forces of change.

Goals: To foster an awareness and appreciation of nature, with emphasis on geological, biological and human-caused change. To discuss the history of species introduction in Hawai’i, including native, Polynesian introduced and invasive species. To expose students to some of the plants and animals found in lowland Hawaiian forest environments; and to introduce factors which influence soil erosion and water runoff in the forest.

Objectives: Students will be able to explain how natural forces shape our islands, interpret one type of change that has occurred in ‘Iao Valley, and predict how human activity may affect the forest floor and watershed. Students will be able to define the following terms: native, endemic, Polynesian introduced, and invasive. They will also be able to suggest changes they could make to create a better future for Hawaii.

Activities:

• Ranger Hike - The program will begin on our trail along the ‘Iao stream. The students will proceed up the trail, stopping at Ranger stations along the way to learn about plants in the forest and changes that have taken place in the area. Each student will be a Ranger, and be responsible for imparting information to their classmates. The students will gather at the end of the trail for a review and discussion.
  
• Erosion - Students will work in small groups to build and erode their own miniature volcano. Through this activity, students will gain a better understanding of how over time water can carve through rock and soil and create valleys.
  
• Stream Studies - Students will work in groups to do basic tests of water quality at the ‘Iao stream. Afterwards, the groups will share their data, and consider what these tests tell us about the health of the ‘Iao watershed.

Forest Guide Teacher Resource PDF

Key Concepts: Coastal areas were the first places in Hawaii settled by people. Most of our population today still lives in these areas. People have changed coastal ecosystems dramatically, and continue to affect them. Coastal areas are now dominated by introduced species and native coastal ecosystems are among the most imperiled in Hawaii. Coastal plants, which are adapted to tolerate drought, heat, solar radiation, wind, sandy soils and salt spray, help shape the coastal environment by protecting sand and soil, and providing shade and moisture. By better understanding coastal communities and the plants and animals that live there, we can identify ways to help care for this precious resource.

Goals: To foster an awareness, appreciation and understanding of coastal ecosystems, and promote a sense of stewardship for these special places.

Objectives: Students will be able to explain why coastlines were the first permanently settled areas in Hawaii; identify five coastal plants and/or animals and describe ways they have adapted to their environment; describe three important threats to coastal ecosystems in Hawaii; describe three reasons coastlines constantly change; and suggest several ways they can help care for coastal areas.

Activities:

• Hands-on Archaeology - After an interactive introduction to archaeology and what it tells us about our coastlines in the distant past, students will work in groups to conduct mock archaeological digs to uncover artifacts from different eras of Waihe’e’s history.
  
• Walk back in time – Students will walk in groups to view archeological sites including an old fishpond and discuss the history of the Waihe’e dunes. We will also identify coastal plants along the way.
  
• Advanced Garbology - Students will collect, sort, and analyze coastal debris collected along an established transect. They will discuss sources of ocean debris and how it may threaten the natural environment.

Coastal Guide Teacher Resource PDF

Managing our natural resources from the mountain to the sea

Starting the 2008-2009 school year, the Hawai`i Nature Center in `Iao Valley is offering an exciting new overnight program for Middle school students based on the ancient Hawaiian resource management concept of ahupua’a.

As described by HawaiiHistory.org, the ancient ahupua`a, the basic self-sustaining unit, extended elements of Hawaiian spirituality into the natural landscape. Amidst a belief system that emphasized the interrelationship of elements and beings, the ahupua`a contained those interrelationships in the activities of daily and seasonal life. Shaped by island geography, each ahupua`a was a wedge-shaped area of land running from the uplands to the sea, following the natural boundaries of the watershed. Each ahupua`a contained the resources the human community needed, from fish and salt, to fertile land for farming taro or sweet potato, to koa and other trees growing in upslope areas.

The Hawai`i Nature Center’s Hawaiian Watershed Sustainability Program uses this ancient concept of the ahupua’a to explore the past, present, and future of natural resource management in Hawai’i. The spectacular setting of ‘Iao Valley will immerse students in one of Maui’s most vital watersheds and historically significant sites. This experiential program allows students to imagine life in the ahupua’a and apply these sustainable concepts and practices to modern watershed management.

Program activities may include hands-on water quality testing in ‘Iao stream, rainforest hikes, lo’i kalo (taro patch) restoration, resource sustainability games, plant identification, native stream life identification, campfire storytelling and much more.

Here are some enthusiastic comments from our 2008-2009 student participants:

"I think you guys have a really awesome program. I learned a million things and it was fun too. I think everyone in Hawai’i would enjoy the program. It was awesome. Thank you and rock on!"

"The activity that I will always remember is the ranger hike because I got to ‘get lost’ in the forest for a little while and I also got to hear all my class mates share with me about their specific plant"

"Thank you for making my first trip to Maui so memorable…it has been one of my greatest trips ever…I will NEVER EVER forget it!"

We also offer many variations of this program including an advanced program for high school students, a day-only program (no overnight), and extended multiple night programs that include fieldtrips to other locations on Maui. Student groups from the continental US are also welcome to join us. Both content and program locations can be customized for your group.

For more information and pricing please use our Program Booking Form.

For more information on overnight accommodations, meal service and a packing list, please see our Facility Rentals.

Let's explore the wonderful, mysterious world of nature! Using all of our senses we'll search out nature's secret corners discovering creatures large and small. We'll take a nature walk, explore Makiki stream and look for insects in the meadow. Ages 5 & up, adults always welcome.

Are cockroaches and ants good for anything? (Come find out!) Why do dragonflies dip their tails into water? Do millipedes tickle when they walk on your hand? Find the answers to these questions and others by tromping through a forest, digging in the soil and exploring in a meadow to find insects, bugs and spiders. Ages 7 & up, adults always welcome.

Venture the valley trails of Makiki discovering fungus and moss, birds and bugs while exploring Hawaii's "upside-down" rainforest. Ages 7 & up, adults always welcome.

If you have a special program that you want to experience with your family or group, the Nature Center can customize the program to meet your needs and interests. Please call us at 808-955-0100 ext 23 to reserve a space for your group.

Celebrate a child's birthday party in the great, green out-of-doors! Children ages 3 and up are invited to celebrate with their friends (and their friends' parents) with nature adventures and hands-on crafts. Hawai'i Nature Center birthday adventures are one of the most popular privileges of our family membership program.

Some crafts are subject to availability of items in season. Refer to the list above and check with your party coordinator. Birthday Nature Adventures are very popular, and require advance reservations.

For more information, please see our flier!

Invite your friends to play outdoors at the Hawaii Nature Center for your next birthday. Enjoy fishing, a hike through the forest, and do a nature craft with one of our Environmental Educators.

For more information, please email The Hawaii Nature Center or call us at (808) 244-6500 ext 22.

Join us along ancient footpaths along `Iao Stream into mystical `Iao Valley. Hear the history and legends of the Hawaiian rainforest as we trek along this moderate loop trail. See ancient Hawaiian village sites, kalo, native flora and fauna, coffee and kukui groves and your own personal viewing of the `Iao Needle.

Call ahead to schedule a hike for 11:30 a.m. or 1:30 PM.

Please call (808) 244-6500 ext. 22 to make your reservation.

Prices: $19.95 Adults, $9.95 kids (5-12).