FARM TO SCHOOL EVENTS AND RESOURCES.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS, FAMILIES, SCHOOLS, AND FARMERS.
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Resources During School Closures
HOME COOKING IDEAS
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NOTE: ALWAYS inspect and thoroughly wash fresh foods before eating them!
- Do an inventory of the main ingredients in your kitchen.
- Visit a farmers’ market or join a CSA (community-support agriculture) on your island. Make a menu out of items you find and cook it with your family for meals. Visit these sites for current updates on food access points:
- Hawai‘i Food Sources (farmers markets, CSAs, food hubs, etc.)
- Farms and Food Aggregators (GoFarm Hawai‘i)
- Farmers Markets (Edible Hawaiian Islands)
- Research simple nutritious recipes online:
- Check out these ʻulu (breadfruit) recipes from the Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative!
- Find more delicious and nutritious local farm to table recipes from the Farm to Keiki book!
- Learn about local produce (with fun facts and recipes) in Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation’s Hawaiian Harvest Toolkit!
- See what food scraps you can use for composting.
- Experiment with re-planting foods from their roots, shoots, stems or seeds (e.g., pineapple, potatoes, carrots, onions, papaya, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, taro).
- Research your family’s cultural cuisine and learn to cook a new dish as a family.
- How does your dinner grow? Identify where each item on your plate comes from and how it is grown or raised.
- Make tea with fresh herbs (e.g., māmaki, lemongrass, mint, basil).
- With adult supervision, have children participate by practicing safely with kitchen tools (peelers, knives, juicers, pitchers, scissors, whisk).
- Teach children how to wash dishes/load dishwasher/help in the kitchen.
HOME GARDENING IDEAS
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HOME GARDENING IDEAS
NOTE: ALWAYS wash your hands well after gardening and composting.
- Use best practices for gardening and food safety:
- How to Practice School Garden and Food Safety (Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation)
- Hawai‘i School Garden Safety Poster (Hawai‘i Farm to School Hui)
- Hawai‘i School Garden Safety Manual (Hawai‘i Farm to School Hui)
- Purchase locally grown seeds:
- Plant in pots or start a garden! Check out these resources from Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation and learn how to:
- Make your own compost to reduce waste, recycle nutrients, and feed your garden! Check out these resources from Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation and learn how to:
- Create Aerobic Compost (compost piles)
- Create a Vermicomposting System (worm bin)
- Make and Use Bokashi (anaerobic composting with beneficial microorganisms)
- Cultivate Beneficial Microorganisms
- Make a Compost Sifter
- Protect your soil by covering it with mulch from yard clippings, fallen leaves, and branches.
- Research which food plants grow well in Hawaiʻi. Look at the Farm to Keiki book and Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation’s Hawaiian Harvest Toolkit for ideas.
- Contribute to food security and food self-sufficiency in Hawai‘i by growing taro, breadfruit, sweet potato, and other staple foods.
- Read about 10 important crops for your home garden in Hawai‘i.
- Plant some vines along a fence in your yard (e.g. pole or wing beans, liliko‘i, blue butterfly pea vine).
- Research and find weeds you can eat.
- Identify native Hawaiian plants in your neighborhood.
- Go on nature walks:
- Find the “rainbow” in nature.
- Print pictures and go on a plant or insect hunt.
- Match leaves.
- Collect items in nature and create a collage or do leaf rubbings with crayons or leaf printing with paint.
- Look to nature for design solutions: how does nature solve problems? How does nature capture water? Check out AskNature.org.
INVASIVE SPECIES
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INVASIVE SPECIES PREVENTION & CONTROL
- Learn about little fire ants (LFA) and their current distribution, and test for them in your yard!
- Educate your family about rat lungworm disease (RLWD) with these resources:
- RLWD Activity Book (UH Hilo)
- RLWD K-12 STEAM Curriculum (UH Hilo) and Videos (Hawai‘i Farm to School Hui)
- Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture
- University of Hawai‘i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH CTAHR)
- Safely remove slugs and snails from your yard:
- Practice Slug and Snail Control (Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation)
- NEVER touch slugs and snails with bare hands. Remove them by picking up with disposable chopsticks, double bagging securely, and disposing in the trash. Wash your hands well!
- Set up different traps (e.g. lay down cardboard, newspaper, wood, trash bag); collect data to determine the most effective design.
- Learn about the many invasive species affecting Hawai‘i from the Hawai‘i Invasive Species Council (explore their extensive list with links).
- Report invasive species to (808) 643-PEST.
MORE RESOURCES FOR REMOTE LEARNING
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MORE RESOURCES FOR REMOTE LEARNING
- Farm to Keiki: Cooking, Gardening and Nutrition with Children
- FoodCorps: Resources to Support Remote Education
- Kōkua Hawai‘i Foundation
- Learn at Home Resources for Keiki
- Earth Month Activities, Resources, and Inspiration
- ‘ĀINA In Schools, K-6 Farm to School Curriculum
- Mālama Learning Center: Virtual Resources/Field Trips
- The Edible Schoolyard Project: Lessons for Students to Complete at Home
OTHER FARM TO SCHOOL RESOURCES
‘Aina Pono
ʻAina Pono (Hawai’i Department of Education School Food Services Branch, HIDOE SFSB)
Farm to school food improvements through scratch-cooking and local procurement.
Farm & Supplier Webinar (January 30, 2020):
1. Webinar Recording
2. Webinar Slides
3. Webinar Q&A
Other helpful links:
HIDOE SFSB Current Produce Vendors (to supply via a current distributor).
HIDOE SFSB Vendor Requirements (to supply directly).
Hawai‘i Foodservice Hui Toolkit
School Garden Safety
Garden to Cafeteria
Curriculum
Funding
Data & Reports
Get Involved