Getting to the Root of Things

Some local 5- and 6-year-olds on Fall break spent the week off school at the Komohana Research & Extension Center helping to pilot a new 4-H Junior Master Gardener Early Childhood Development curriculum. The week-long day camp was centered around the theme of roots. The program participants learned to write words and practiced counting, learned some Hawaiian culture, sang the song “Roots Growing in the Ground,” did crafts, and learned the science behind how roots function. The kids also grew broccoli sprouts, planted carrot seeds and sweet potatoes, listened to garden stories read to them, and learned about food safety and rat lungworm disease. Check out photos from the event on the East Hawai‘i 4-H Facebook page.