This is Partners in Development Foundation's second year doing the Hoʻi i ka Mole Summer program. Some of the main objectives we had for the program were to introduce keiki and their mākua to a STEAM approach to learning, teach them Hawaiian mele and oli, and to make plants a focus of the program. Families were asking about the return of the summer program months before the program was going to start and the sign up for the program was filled in just two minutes! One of the biggest struggles was not being able to allow all the families to sign up but the teacher in running the program created a waitlist to put the overflow of families on. This proved to be very helpful and will be used again for any future summer programs where space is limited.

The setting of this program was at the Hawaiʻi Plantation Village in Waipahu, under an outdoor A-frame. This was the same location families attended this program last year and both staff and families were in love with the environment the keiki were able to learn in. On the property, keiki and mākua have plants, loʻi kalo, and a stream at their fingertips to observe and learn from. This location also offers access to one of the volunteers, Aunty Wainani Texeira, who we were able to start and end the program with. The first day at this location, Aunty Wainani had a loʻi day for the families and keiki got to get right into the loʻi and pull kalo. Throughout the program, families were also allowed to take home food from the grounds, like watercress that was picked straight from the stream just steps away from the outdoor classroom. The program ended with Aunty Wainani bringing her poi machine. Keiki and mākua cleaned cook kalo with ʻopihi shells, saw how the poi machine works, and got to take home a bag with some fresh paʻi ʻai in it.

For the curriculum of the program, keiki and mākua were asked to become great observers. Keiki were asked to kilo their surroundings and were given tools like binoculars, magnifying glasses, and test tubes to enhance their experience and get even better observations. Mākua were provided with table stands that had open-ended questions to ask their keiki about the things they had in front of them for that activity. Most of the families attending the program also attend the Tūtū and Me program during the year, so the staff were familiar with most of them. The staff noted the growth they saw in the mākua who were asking more "how" and "why" questions in the summer program compared to what they typically see during the year in their Tūtū and Me program.

Some of the supplies and educational materials families received included: magnifying glass, binoculars, writing materials (crayons, markers, pencils), backpack, children's books ("Nou Kēia," "My Kalo Has Lau, Big and Green," "Mālama i ka Ulu Lāʻau,"), journal, and a Hawaiian moon calendar.

This site had three guest speakers come to teach at the program, Wainani Texeira, Pua o Eleili Pinto, and Kaula Tauotaha.

As stated above, Wainani Texeira provided opportunities for the keiki and mākua to get their hands into the ʻāina and learn about the different foods the ʻāina provides.

Pua Pinto spoke to the families about the medicinal benefits of the plants at their location and the protocol involved before taking any plants they need. She took the families on a walk around the property to teach them the names of the plants and how they could be used to help treat certain things like thrush or cuts on your skin.

Kaula Tauotaha is the co-founder and lead teacher of Kūlaniākea, which is a dual language early education program centered around teaching keiki with a culturally relevant curriculum. Kaula spoke to the families about how their program uses the Hawaiian moon phases to be more intentional about how they teach their keiki. They taught families how to observe the moon and their keiki and journal any patterns they seen. Each of the families were given a journal to take home with them and practice what they learned.

One objective that was stated in the grant that was not met was going on a field trip to Papahana Kuaola. Attempts were made to try and reserve a field trip to that location but proved to be unsuccessful. Heʻeia Fishpond was another option, but they were already booked. In place of taking a field trip, keiki had an extra day with Aunty Wainani, which is why she came to the program once in the beginning and once at the end.

Overall, the feedback received from both the staff and the families was overwhelmingly positive and many families requested the program extend longer. Families were also extremely thankful for all the resources they were provided, both through the guest speakers and the physical materials that were given.