The Food Chain Game
Fall 2014 Programming at the Green School
Where does our food come from? Students enrolled in the Food Chain Game will learn about the full food system cycle, get to know the different people and pieces of the food system, and discover where they and their family fit in to the food system cycle. Who grows our food and how can we learn to be more engaged stewards of our local food system?
From ancient civilization history and the origin of foods from around the world, down to the soil and seeds that are essential ingredients to producing food today, Fall session Green Schoolers are studying the Food Chain through science, language arts, creative movement, their school garden, history and social studies. Our classroom activities are combined with outdoor garden-based learning every class day for challenging weekly and monthly projects that engage each student in strong academic, intellectually challenging and real world experiences.
created by the Green School and complemented by the Hawaii Island School Garden Network, Kokua Hawaii, and the Jane Goodall Roots ‘n Shoots programs. Family field trips will include visits to local farms and ethnobotanic gardens to meet the growers active in our island food chain today and those carrying forwards ancient Hawaiian sustainable agricultural practices. We’ll also be inviting families to come make paper from edible plants – and to join in a seasonal tamale making celebration!
The fall quarter at the Green School offers academic and hands-on experiential activities that bring learning to life and provide parent involvement field trips and activities that enrich the whole family. Weekly classes start in North Kohala on September 16th and monthly classes start in South Kona on September 19th.
Green School Introductory Meetings:
To learn more about the Green School, families are invited to attend an upcoming introductory gathering in North Kohala on July 16th (serving North and South Kohala) and in South Kona on July 25th (serving North and South Kona and Ka’u), 10am – noon.
Please RSVP for directions to greenschool@oneisland.org or call 808-328-2452.
Learn more about the Green School online
at www.oneisland.org/hawaii-test/greenschools
Mahalo!
Special free screenings of this great soil film:
How can a small ranch turn water from an agricultural ditch into so much hydropower it has at times had to turn ON appliances just to use up the excess power in order to keep the system in balance? And provide water for its agricultural and residential water needs plus replenish a seasonal stream flow? Star Seed Ranch was our second field trip destination on the 8th and thankfully the rain held back just long enough for us to enjoy both a tour of the hydroelectric pump house, electricity conversion and impressive battery storage system, and the garden systems it irrigates. The use of ditch water for power, reuse of that water for the ranch needs, and then overflow as recharge for the local stream bed was an impressive system to witness.
Saturday, February 8th we brought guest teacher Anna Birkas from Village Ecosystems in Mendocino County, California to North Kohala for an afternoon grey water design workshop.
bathroom sink, shower and washing machine water out to our plants. Anna did a soil perc test, taught us how to recognize soil types, and guided us on laying out a model grey water pipe system. Great event!
Watersheds, water rights, water quality – these things impact us where ever we live. Jan-Apr of 2014 is full of water themed education, field trips, workshops, speakers and celebrations. Learn more by 
Where ever you live, we encourage you to explore your watershed and learn about the water issues impacting your region. Water IS the BLUE GOLD of the 21st century.
Amazing fun with natural fibers from local plants. Our first papermaking workshops held October 19th up in Kapa’au and November 23rd and 24th were a fantastic experience for everyone involved. Instructor Susan O’Malley brought buckets and buckets of amazing plant fiber pulp and the crew of 14 made dozens and dozens of paper sheets, collage pieces for fusing to larger sheets, and several sculptural pieces. Ages 12 – 68 were present!
Chocolate. Just the word can get our taste buds eager for a silky, rich delicious experience. Yet so much more than taste is involved in a chocolate bar, or truffle, or mousse. In Hawaii, we are fortunate to have innovative growers who cultivate thousands of brightly colored red and yellow cacao pods every year and creative chocolatiers who turn the beans held in those pods into delicious chocolate products. Each year, to celebrate Hawaii growers and chocolatier’s accomplishments, One Island’s sustainable living program hosts Chocolate Chocolate! as a fun and festive farmer and artisan-to- consumer direct tasting experience. This year the popular event comes to North Kohala and will be featured at the Buy Local Block Party on November 30th in Hawi. 
Our first Mushroom Workshop with Zach Mermel was an exciting dive into the world of fungi. Each participant made three inoculated kits to take home to grow Shiitake and Pearl Mushrooms over the coming months.
Art in the Garden’s first workshop with printmaker Andrea Pro on Sat. May 18th was a great success and we encourge you to join us for future hands-on art events.
