From Seed to Snack: Keiki Discover the Magic of Growing Food

🌿 The Hana (The Practice)

From the moment a tiny seed is placed in soil, keiki at Ka Hana Pono begin a journey of wonder and responsibility. They water, weed, and watch over the garden, waiting for the day when the vines bear fruit. When the first bright red tomatoes appear, it’s not just a harvest — it’s a celebration of patience, aloha ʻāina, and care.

🌱 What Children Learn

Through the tomato garden, children discover:

• Patience, as they learn good things take time to grow.

• Responsibility, in tending plants and caring for the garden.

• Joy, in the reward of eating something they nurtured themselves.

Harvesting their own tomatoes shows keiki that their effort has meaning and value.

💛 Connection to Social-Emotional Learning

The garden is also a classroom for emotional literacy. Keiki practice turn-taking as they water or harvest, share their excitement with friends, and learn to celebrate each other’s efforts. These small acts build empathy, cooperation, and gratitude — skills that root deeply in their sense of community.

🌺 Connection to ʻĀina

Tomatoes remind keiki of the abundance Hawaiʻi offers when we care for the land. By growing and harvesting their own food, they learn that we are part of a reciprocal relationship with ʻāina — what we nurture, nurtures us back.

✨ Living in Pono

From seed to snack, keiki see that living in pono means respecting cycles of growth, honoring the work behind the harvest, and sharing the gifts of nature with aloha. It is in these simple, everyday practices that they build the foundation for balanced, joyful living.