The four strands of Theme 1- Sense of Place are guided by the Papakū Makawalu co-developed by the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation: Papahulihonua (of the earth/ocean), Papahulilani (of the sky), and Papahānaumoku (of the living). The Papakū Makawalu serve as the lens through which haumāna and kumu together come to understand and build relationships with our places–  from the mountains and waterways that form the foundation; to the winds and rains that bring waters that feed life; to all the flora and fauna that sustain us. The final strand, Nā Kini Pua Lei Mamo (place-based values in action), guides us to consider how these relationships inform our movements and choices as we live, work, and cultivate the places we call home. These mindful relationships to our places are an essential foundation for working and learning in our school gardens in Hawaiʻi, which connect us to even greater networks that nourish the work we do. 

• Papahulihonua- Ko ka Honua – Of the Earth and Ocean
  • Hānau ka ʻāina, hānau ke aliʻi, hānau ke kanaka. (466)
  • Born was the land, born were the chiefs, born were the common people.
  • The land, the chiefs, and the commoners belong together.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau  reminds us that the land, like people, has a genealogy—formed over generations through natural processes: volcanic fire, wind, water, organic decay[1] , and time. Just as people trace their moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy) to understand who they are and where they come from, so too can the honua be seen as having a moʻokūʻauhau—a lineage of life, transformation, and connection. By understanding this, we don’t just see our earth and ocean as water and rock —we see it as kūpuna, as an ancestor with a story, deserving of respect, protection, and care.

• Papahulilani Ko ka Lani – Of the Sky
  • Ka lā i ka Mauliola. (1422)
  • The sun is  the source of life.
  • Maui-ola (Breath-of-life) is the god of health.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau speaks to the relationship of the sun to the local weather patterns that shape our landscapes and bring living-giving rains. The predictable rising/setting of the sun and heat is what activates the water cycle, feeds our plants through photosynthesis, and helps form our concept of time. Ka lā also has an important relationship with mahina, whose changing shape reflects the sun’s light and helps us to plan our planting cycles. When we consider the sun’s role as the source of all life, we link the celestial with the terrestrial, and we are reminded of how our health is connected to phenomena beyond our own planet.
  • Ola i ka wai a ka ʻōpua. (2482)
  • There is life in the water from the clouds.
  • Rain gives life.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau reminds us that through observation, one can learn to read the clouds to predict the  wind and rain patterns of our places. This informs the choices we make in designing our gardens and selecting which plants are going to thrive in a particular context. This ʻōlelo noʻeau also reminds us that while clouds can block the sun and put a wrench in our best-laid plans, they bring the rains that are essential to helping our gardens thrive.

• Papahānaumoku Ko ka Meola – Of the Living
  • Mōhala i ka wai ka maka o ka pua. (2178)
  • Unfolded by the water are the faces of the flowers. 
  • Flowers thrive where there is water, as thriving people are found where living conditions are good.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau speaks to the way that life begets more life! When living things have what they need to grow- water, food, shelter, and aloha- that is when they are able to thrive, which in turn provides more food and shelter for other beings who can thrive. This ʻōlelo noʻeau reminds us of the interconnectedness and interdependence that living things have amongst themselves.

• Nā Kini Pua Lei Mamo – Place Based Values in Action
  • He keiki aloha nā mea kanu. (684)
  • Beloved children are the plants.
  • It is said of farmers that their plants are like beloved children, receiving much attention and care.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau draws a powerful comparison between plants and beloved children, reminding us that our caretaking of plants should come from a place of aloha, patience, and attentiveness—just as we would care for our own keiki. In the context of garden practices, this ʻōlelo invites us to nurture plants with love, consistency, and respect, aware that they are living beings who respond to our energy, attention, and presence. It also reflects the idea that when children are involved in gardening, they must treat the plants the way they themselves wish to be treated—with kindness, curiosity, and care. By cultivating this relationship, gardens become more than a place to grow food—they become spaces of learning, empathy, and connection. Children learn that to help something thrive, you must mālama it—and in turn, they learn to mālama themselves, others, and the ʻāina.

Theme 2- Living Soil, Living Plants begins with two namesake strands delving into the symbiotic relationship between the health of our soils and the vitality of our plants. The Living Soil strand explores how places inform the content, quality, and quantity of their soil, as well as how nutrient cycling is essential to building and maintaining soil health.  The Living Plants strand examines the science of plant growth and reproduction, with a focus on the specialized uses and functions specific plants serve in our specific places. The third and final strand, Resilient Garden Ecosystems & Communities, examines the role of biodiversity and interdependent partnerships in promoting resilience, considering the many challenges to growing food, such pests, disease, drought, flooding, nutrient deficiencies, etc.

• Living Soil
  • He lepo ka ʻai a Oʻahu, a māʻona nō i ka lepo. (758)
  • Earth is the food of Oʻahu, and it is satisfied with its earth.
  • Said in derision of Oʻahu, which was said to be an earth-eating land. In older times, an edible mud like gelatine was said to fill Kawainui Pond. The mud, which was brought hither from Kahiki in ancient days, was once served to the warriors and servants of Kamehameha as a replacement for poi.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau reminds us that soil that is ʻono, will in turn grow food that is ʻono! If our soil is rich and nutrient dense, it will be able to provide us with all the mea ʻai that we need to be māʻona. It also reminds us that while soil and those who work with it may be humble, the importance and function of soil to our survival and quality of life could not be more noble.

• Living Plants
  • Make nō ke kalo a ola i ka palili. (2107)
  • The taro may die but lives on in the young plants that it produces.
  • One lives on in his children.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau reflects the cycle of life, and continuity through reproduction. Though the parent kalo plant may die, its essence and life force continue in the pālili—the shoots or keiki that sprout from its base. In a biological sense, this mirrors the function of all living plants: to survive, grow, and pass on their genetic legacy. This ʻōlelo reminds us that death is not an end, but a transformation. Life continues through the structures, energy, and intelligence passed on from one generation to the next—with families as with nature, where living systems are cyclical, resilient, and ever-evolving.

• Resilient Garden Ecosystems & Communities
  • ʻAʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia. (142)
  • No task is too big when done together by all.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau reflects the strength that comes from interconnectedness and cooperation—such as in a thriving garden or community. In nature, resilient ecosystems are made up of many diverse organisms working together—plants, microbes, insects, birds, and people all playing a role in maintaining balance, cycling nutrients, and adapting to change. In a community context, resilience comes from shared responsibility, mutual support, and collective care—foundational values in mālama ʻāina and lāhui building. Just like a healthy garden, a strong community bounces back, adapts, and thrives because of the many hands and relationships that sustain it.

The first two strands of Theme 3- Nourishment, Food Culture and Food and Nourishment,  build on the associations we make with food. Food can serve as an expression of cultural identity and connection to our families, while food also provides our bodies with the energy and sustenance we need to be healthy. The third strand, Food Justice & Security, addresses the role that our sociopolitical and economic systems play in creating conditions that can support or undermine food security. The fourth strand, Food– Seasons and Place, discusses the benefits of eating and growing food that is best suited to seasons of one’s place. The fifth and final strand, Safe Food Preparation, provides tips for safely harvesting and preparing garden-grown foods with students. Kumu and haumāna can use this theme to explore food, agricultural, and culinary traditions that inform the types of food they grow and prepare in the garden, as well as learning to support their broader communities in accessing life-affirming food plants.

• Food Culture
  • E pū paʻakai kākou (…me ka mahalo ua loaʻa hoʻi iā kākou ka ʻai a me ke aloha)
  • Letʻs share salt together.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau speaks to the deep connections between food, culture, and community. In traditional Hawaiian life, sharing paʻakai (salt) was a gesture of hospitality and unity — a way to come together around food, build pilina (relationships), and nourish more than just our bodies. As part of our exploration of nourishment, E pū paʻakai kākou reminds us that what we eat tells a story of place, history, and values. It invites us to reflect on where our food comes from, how it connects us to the ʻāina, and how we can cultivate food systems that are just, sustainable, and equitable.

• Food and Nourishment
  • I ola nō ke kino i ka māʻona o ka ʻōpū. (1246)
  • The body enjoys health when the stomach is well filled.
    • When the ʻōpū (stomach) is well fed with wholesome, sustaining food, the entire kino (body) thrives. This ʻōlelo noʻeau reflects a deep understanding that physical wellness is rooted in what and how we eat—not just quantity, but the quality and intention behind our food.

• Food Justice and Security
  • E kanu mea ʻai o nānā keiki i kā haʻi. (317)
  • Plant edible food plants lest your children look with longing at someone elseʻs.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau is a message of kuleana, resilience, and food sovereignty. As we explore food justice, this ʻōlelo grounds us in the importance of advocating for food systems that allow for physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food, fulfilling a community’s dietary needs, food preferences, and requirements for an active and healthy life.

• Food– Seasons and Place
  • E kanu i ka huli ʻoi hāʻule ka ua. (316)
  • Plant taro while there is rain.
    • Just as planting kalo (taro) during the rainy season gives it the best chance to thrive, we must pay attention to the natural cycles that guide when and how we grow all of our foods. We consider the timing of which foods grow best at different times of the year, and why eating in season supports both our health and the health of the ʻāina.

• Safe Food Preparation
  • Hana kāpulu ka lima, ʻai ʻino ka waha. (458)
  • Careless work with the hands puts dirty food in the mouth.
    • If our hands work carelessly or without cleanliness, the result is unhealthy, unsafe food. In the garden and kitchen, this saying helps us remember that careful, clean hands are part of caring for ourselves and others. It reinforces the idea that nourishment isn’t just about what we eat, but how we prepare it — with mindfulness, responsibility, and respect for the food that sustains us. It speaks directly to safe food preparation, hygiene, and the connection between our actions and our well-being.

The first two strands of Theme 4 – Nature’s Design, Systems in Balance and Systems and Cycles in Agriculture, examine how balance in the cycling of water and nutrients can support a healthy garden ecosystem. Place-based agricultural traditions and modern systems can impact that balance. This understanding can counsel kumu and haumāna in making strategic choices to care for their gardens. The third strand, Kilo & Kuleana, investigates how kilo serves as the basis for developing a sense of kuleana, thereby gathering the ʻike required to take informed action in support of ʻāina momona (abundant, nourishing land). In the fourth and final strand, Advocacy & Action, kumu and haumāna explore how they can apply their knowledge, observations, and relationships with and within places to advocate for policies that promote healthy, thriving agricultural ecosystems that mimic nature’s design.

• Systems in Balance
  • Ko koā uka, ko koā kai. (1821)
  • Those of the upland, those of the shore.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau illustrates the natural balance and interdependence between communities and ecosystems — the idea that each has something to offer, and that health and abundance derive from this reciprocity. Upland dwellers provided kalo and poi, shore dwellers shared fish and salt. In the context of our Nature’s Design theme, this proverb reminds us that systems thrive when they are in balance.

• Systems and Cycles in Agriculture
  • He aliʻi ka ʻāina, he kauwā ke kanaka. (531)
  • The land is a chief; man is its servant.
  • Land has no need for man, but man needs the land and works it for a livelihood.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau reminds us that the ʻāina (land) is not something to be owned or controlled, but something to be honored — a chief whose well-being determines our own. In Hawaiian thinking, people are not above nature; rather, we are a part of it, responsible for caring for the land that feeds and sustains us. As we explore Systems and Cycles in Agriculture, this ʻōlelo invites us to comprehend the reciprocal relationship between humans and the land. The ʻāina provides for us, but only if we tend it with respect, intention, and aloha. In planting, harvesting, composting, and restoring soil health, we become part of the natural cycles that keep the land and our communities thriving.

• Kilo & Kuleana
  • ʻIke aku, ʻike mai, kōkua aku, kōkua mai; pēlā iho la ka nohona ʻohana. (1200)
  • Recognize and be recognized, help and be helped; such is family life.
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau captures the spirit of observation and responsibility — the foundation of healthy relationships in ʻohana, in community, and in our connection to the ʻāina. When we kilo (observe) with awareness, we see what is needed. When we understand our kuleana, we step up to help, knowing that support is mutual and we each have a role to play. Within the Kilo and Kuleana strand, this ʻōlelo encourages students to notice deeply — whether it’s a plant that needs water, a classmate who needs support, or a system that needs care. It reminds us that being part of a community means paying attention, taking action, and grasping that our contributions matter.

• Advocacy and Action
  • E mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono.
  • Life of the land is preserved in righteousness.
  • Derived from the words of Kamehameha III, originally “ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono,” written into the lyrics of “Ka Naʻi Aupuni”  as “e mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono,” (mele written by William Kahino in 1906)
    • This ʻōlelo noʻeau, first spoken by Kamehameha III in 1843, continues to inspire movements for justice, sovereignty, and environmental protection. It speaks to the deep truth that the health and vitality of the land — and of the people — can only be sustained through pono: doing what is right, just, and balanced. As we focus on Advocacy and Action, this proverb reminds us that standing up for the ʻāina and our communities means grounding our actions in values. Whether we are protecting natural resources, speaking out for justice, or creating change in our own school gardens, our advocacy must come from a place of aloha, kuleana, and pono.