Rewild is a program designed to provide homeschooled students with access to outdoor and ʻāina-based educational opportunities through a place-based curriculum supported by partnerships with community-led conservation and cultural organizations. Students will participate in a curriculum focused on ʻāina, ahupuaʻa, ecology, and the environment, guided by knowledgeable Wild Kids educators with experience in natural resource management and environmental restoration across Hawaiʻi, particularly in the Koʻolaupoko region. In addition to structured learning, students will have time for unstructured play, exploration, and problem-solving, in alignment with the Wild Kids framework for outdoor education.
Additionally, we will also visit several sites around Koʻolaupoko where other incredible community organizations are doing restoration work and perpetuating cultural and agricultural traditions rooted in ʻāina and in Hawaiʻi.
ʻĀina-based education: Teaching and learning through deepening our kinship with ʻāina, so our people, communities, and lands thrive. ʻĀina refers to land, sea, and air-all that feeds, heals and sustains us.
"When access to high quality ʻāina-based education is high, people begin to see the value in ʻāina, connection to place, to culture, and to long-term well-being. When we value such things, it increases the health and well-being of ʻāina, our haumāna, our ʻohana, and community.” (A Future with ‘Āina)
Nitty Gritty:
Cost: $625 per student for 1 session (11 classes). Please pay by check. Checks should be made out to Wild Communities Foundation and mailed to 111 Hekili St Ste A182, Kailua HI 96734.
Dates: Oct 27th - Nov 21st
When: Mon-Wed-Fri 9am-1pm
Daily Packing List:
Backpack
Change of clothes
Rain jacket
Water bottle
Lunch and snacks
Appropriate clothing that can get muddy (long pants and sleeves recommended)
Closed toe shoes
Bug spray + sunscreen (in a zip-loc bag) *we recommend applying before drop-off)
Gloves and any tools or other materials will be provided. Packing list may vary for specific days based on activity- Wild Guides will always inform parents well in advance.
DAILY ITINERARY
Each day starts with check-in, kilo (observation) and oli and ends with reflection, discussion and appreciations.
Monday - Kahanaiki
Start each week at Kahanaiki, a restoration site in Kawainui that has been restored from invasive-dominated forest to biodiverse agroforest thanks to work of hundreds of student volunteers over the years.
Learn about the history of the Kahanaiki site and of Kawainui marsh, as well as wetland ecology, and Hawaiian land management and agriculture.
Mālama a native plant kīpuka (planted restoration area) at Kahanaiki and learn how to grow and care for native plants in our nursery!
Wednesday - Mālama ‘āina with Local Organization
Weekly visit to an environmental or cultural organization around the Koʻolaupoko area, with hands-on learning about different components of Hawaiian agriculture and land management such as loʻi kalo, loko iʻa (fishponds), rock wall building, and more!
Location varies week to week - schedule will be shared upon registration. Parents welcome to join!
Friday - Forest Exploration
Finish the week with a morning of unstructured exploration, play and imagination in the King Forest.
About Wild Kids, Kahanaiki and King Forest
Wild Kids was started by a class of 6th graders at Le Jardin Academy in 2008. They convinced their teacher at the time, Christina Hoe, to take them to explore the forest adjacent to campus and, together, they designed a learning culture built on imagination, adventure, compassion, freedom and love of the land. Since then, each age group has been added as a direct result of bold young people demanding that they be included!
We now offer a variety of different programs intentionally designed to provide students with opportunities to grow alongside and connect with nature, in Hawaiʻi and Montana. Wild Kids is built around exploration, discovery and imagination. We encourage students to expand their comfort zones by trying new things and making mistakes.
Kahanaiki is a community restoration site and green space at the mauka end of Kawainui Marsh. Since 2021, Le Jardin Academy and Wild Kids students have stewarded Kahanaiki, removing invasive plant species and reintroducing native plant biodiversity along with food plants and trees. We appreciate the ongoing dedication of Le Jardin Academy to caring for Kahanaiki and Kawainui, our shared backyard, and their commitment to making it a space that benefits our entire community.
King Forest is the land adjacent to Le Jardin Academy’s campus. For years, Wild Kids have ventured out into the forest to enjoy mud slides, scavenger hunts, hiking, tree climbing, making up games, building shelters, creating nature-based art, camouflage activities, scouting for trails, tracking birds, and searching for the magical forest elves known as "Little Greenies." We are excited to share this forest magic with you! We are thankful to Susan and Paul King for their unwavering belief in our community. They have generously opened their land for all students to learn and grow; their commitment to the children of Hawai’i is profound.