Our summer program expanded haumanas’ knowledge of all things 'aina by cultivating compassion and nurturing skills through hands-on, place based learning. Haumana tapped into their Hawaiian culture by learning how to weave coconut leaf baskets, ku’i kalo, harvesting and stringing their own leis and more. They harvested for the kupuna in their community and developed a sense of place and belonging within it. Haumana also learned basic cooking and knife skills and prepared several dishes together. They also participated in several STEM challenges, including creating hand-pollinators. Haumana also built bee houses, hale models, kukui nut tops and more. These challenges and activities encouraged teamwork, patience, perseverance, creativity and critical thinking skills.