Field Study Programs

Get ready to jump in and learn like never before!

With Wild Hawai'i, students and teachers roll up their sleeves (and pants!) and get close-up & personal with nature in our Living Classroom. Whether snorkeling in streams in search of o'opu and Tahitian prawns or tracing a newly-hatched turtle's path to the sea, our students get face-to-face with their schoolwork!

Our 1-day program is scheduled to fit in with the regular school day. Our team can pick up your group as early as you would like and can return to the school just before the end of the school day. See our Sample Program Schedule and our Site-Specific Program Information for details of how the day plays out.

Our programs are structured to maximize the learning experience while keeping fun as a top priority.

Depending on the program, students will:

• Hike and/or swim (snorkel)
• Get hands-on exploration
• Identify plants and animals
• Collect & analyze data

And they'll participate in:

• Interactive activities
• Restoration projects
• Group discussions
• Journal writing

Through direct observations and activities, students will learn about the interconnectedness of mountain to sea ecosystems.

In most cases, students will actively work to improve the environment. This may include testing water quality along a stream, coastal dune restoration, or replacing invasive plants and trees with natives. With a maximum Naturalist-to-Student ratio of 1-to-10, this unique experiential program offers individual attention and a multi-sensory, interdisciplinary learning adventure.

This program complies with DOE standards for Hawai'i through interdisciplinary activities incorporating Science, Language Arts, Social Science (Hawaiian History & Culture), and Life/Career Skills.

Wild Hawai'i Programs

• Water is Precious
  Waihe'e Ridge Program: A one-day hiking adventure along a windward ridge introduces Hawai'i's water cycle in a way students will not soon forget! This program highlights weather patterns and the manmade impacts to our watershed, comparing them to natural factors that affect the ahupua'a. We visit a heiau along the trail, exploring how Hawaiian cultural history maintained balance with the natural elements. Students discuss the plant & animal adaptations necessary for survival on the exposed ridge where water is precious.

• Seasonal Wetlands & the Watershed
  Kealia Pond Program: Kealia Pond is different from most places in Maui. We lead students through their discovery of what makes this Wetlands-to-Beach sanctuary special and critical to the watershed. Our program focuses on coastal birds, endangered species (e.g. turtles), and other unique animals that use the sanctuary. Students have fun and get their hands dirty in the Feature Creature Scavenger Hunt or Water Quality Testing, as well as assisting in Kealia's stewardship projects to protect the coastal habitat from human impact.

• Living Streams in Balance
  Lower Makamakaole Valley & Puohokomoa/Garden of Eden Program: Students get face-to-face with stream life as they snorkel in search of o'opu, crayfish, Tahitian prawns, insect larvae and other animals. The human impact on our streams is a theme, contrasting traditional Hawaiian watershed management techniques with today's policies. We guide students to their own conclusions of how native and non-native plants and animals arrived on the island -- why they thrive or dwindle.

• The Blue-Green Bridge: Connecting Oceans & Streams
  Waihe'e Preserve Program: This program is introduced by kupuna wahine, steering students through the area's features and rich cultural history. From the Waihe'e Stream to the Beach Park, we discuss the effects of predators and development in coastal habitats. Walking through the stream and taro fields above, to the beach and waves below, students discover two distinct ecosystems side-by-side. As they grasp the fragile balance to keep both habitats healthy, students may help with a stewardship project or other activity as part of the program.

• Journeys to the Sea
  Sugar Beach Program:Coming Soon

Sample Day/Timing

Alignment with DOE Curriculum Standards

Wild Hawai'i has adapted the Ho'ike Curriculum, which fully meets the needs of our program and corresponds with DOE standards. Other curricula are also utilized to strengthen the overall educational experience. Lessons from NOAA's Northwestern Hawaiian Island Reserve's "Navigating Change" and Project WILD have been adapted to the Wild Hawai'i program, too. Classroom discussions and exercises, outdoor experiences and post-trip reports target interdisciplinary DOE content standards including:

Science:

• Historical Perspectives – Interdependence of Science, Technology and Society; Sustainability.
• Organisms and Development – Unity and Diversity; Interdependence; Cycle of Matter and Energy Flow.
• How Humans Think While Understanding the Natural World – Understanding Scientific. Inquiry and the Character of Scientific Knowledge; Using Unifying Concepts and Themes; Relating the Nature of Technology to Science

Social Studies:

• Investigate cultural conflicts between the Western and traditional ways of living.
• Evaluate the importance of ecosystems in the environment.
• Analyze the distribution of natural resources, variations of physical systems, natural hazards, and positive and negative environmental impacts in different parts of the world, and engage in an environmental care-taking action/project.
• Evaluate consequences of human activities on earth and implement a plan of action for the use and stewardship of local and global resources.

Language:

• Read to research an issue, theme or thesis using technological and traditional informational resources.
• Read to solve problems and perform functional tasks.
• Generate questions, identify issues or problems, and investigate answers or solutions using general and specialized information sources.
• Participate in groups to solve problems, analyze issues, and make reasoned decisions.
• Write to reflect on learning (e.g, learning log, journal); write to communicate and report information from research.
• Demonstrate confidence in own ideas and ability to inform or influence others.

Career and Life Planning:

• Demonstrate the multidimensional impacts of technology, including economic, political, social and environmental.
• Design, implement and utilize technologies to manipulate natural systems to provide sustainable natural resources for societal needs.
• Select and complete activities and sequences of courses that develop essential skills and knowledge for a selected career area.
• Compare analogous situations, thereby transferring insights to new contexts.
• Use computers and a variety of other resources to acquire and evaluate, organize and maintain, interpret and communicate information.
• Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of how diverse perspectives, needs and characteristics of individuals and families impact on communities and society in general.

Contact Wild Hawai'i:
Wild Hawai'i Learning Adventures, Inc.
PO Box 1378
Kihei, Hawai'i 96753
Office: 808-874-1256
Fax: 808-875-7536
info@wildhawaii.net