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Earth Guardian Explorers: Ohia Pod!
Creativity-Fueled Education for Mauiʻs Soveriegn Youth!
Integrative Project Based Learning with a Science & Cultural Lens
Child-Led * Mentor-Inspired * Multi Age * Community Values
An alternative education program that has adopted a hybrid indoor / outdoor model to foster the connection to themselves, their peers and the natural environment. Our program focuses on ecological knowledge, scientific investigation, imagination, games, wilderness skills, Hawaiian Cultural learning and emotional intelligence. We weave reading, writing, math and social skills into our topics and group projects as we go through the year. We emphasize collaboration over competition and effort over perfection.
We are welcoming a few new families to join our pod for the 2026-2027 school year :) Welcoming ages 9 to 12 years of age who are desiring a mix of indoor and outdoor learning! A blend of Waldorf, Montessori and Good and Beautiful Curriculum with the focus being on student well being holistically and following their natural interests.
We teach interconnected science, culture, wilderness skills and emotional intelligence outdoors. There are 2 full days in the classroom with enrichment teachers, hands on projects, group discussions and small group skill building support. There are two full field days for Hawaiian Culture, Wilderness Skills and Exploration. And Wednesday is a hybrid half in and half out day. 9:00 - 3:00 based in Haiku.
Guided Freedom & Supported Creativity to Foster a Sense of Self and Place. The power of inquiry comes from: prompting students to ask their own questions; providing experiences where those curiosities can be met; sitting and moving with them as they synthesize and communicate their findings; and then - support them to create products, projects or stewardship actions that support their findings
There is limited space for this program with our passenger van. Please sign up using this registration form and send deposit of first two classes ($100) to PayPal.me/KahuAina to reserve a seat (with a note with child's name and how many days of week). Please forward questions to earthguardian@kahuaina.org
We look forward to learning and growing with you and your 'ohana!
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Outside of our daily curriculum lessons and basic learning blocks, our outdoor field trips allow for continued creativity and exploration. Each month we will follow the cycle of learning and flow through the elements with the lunar cycle .The children will help to guide where we go, and why, as we walk the pathway from inquiry to action. The goal is to have an outcome each month - a stewardship action, building project, written document or event - that they create as a group - as a response to their own interests and experiences.
This is powerful because it fosters their sense of curiosity, voice, and their individual importance and creativity. And - having to figure out how to make decisions as a group and work together with their peers ;)
Home base for lessons in a private three wall classroom with large yard and space to play and explore on a local family farm with gulch and tree orchards. Opening circle and group games are followed by open classroom / self-directed project time and mentor guided lessons. After recess and lunch we have extracurricular classes and small group collaborative academic skill building.
We have multiple main mentors during the week and follow a thematic schedule of topics that tie to the natural elements. Aligning with main values and themes allows each mentor to bring their own special magic to the children and also allows for the organic nature of exploration and variation of days while having a central theme or focus to anchor the group each month.
Thematic Topic Schedule
The total tuition for teachers, space rental, transportation and materials monthly is between $680 for three days, $820 for four days or $950 for 5 days a week. Tuition is only for a full 4 week cycle of school. It is not charged over breaks (ie no cost during Christmas, spring break, etc). We are am looking for energetic commitment for the school year and will not force contracts or hold financials if not attending.
All of our mentors are also parents! And 5/9 of our team have children within our learning pod (some are much older teens and others just born!). We also hold a collaborative non-hierarchical model of shared leadership. There is no "principal" or single leader of our hui, but a leadership team with different key roles. And we are essentially all co-parenting our children. One way to help our community return to the function of a village, through raising our children in a supportive environment where they learn not only topics and skills, but that many adults around them care for their well being and hold them accountable to shared values.
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Child-Led, Mentor Inspired Education
Culture and Technology * Spirit and Science
A blend of Structure and Sovereignty
Core Principles for Supporting Freedom + Learning
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Loose Parts & Nature as Teacher: Provide open-ended materials and trust the land to inspire learning. Witnessing the childrenʻs interactions and their natural interests.
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Mentor as Guide, Not Instructor: Model curiosity, ask questions, and offer tools—but let the children lead. Suggestions and invitations are supportive.
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Emotional Intelligence Woven Through Everything: Use group check-ins, reflective questions, and co-regulation moments.
Self-Motivation & Curiosity
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When children choose what they engage with, they’re learning because they want to, not because they have to.
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This cultivates a lifelong love of learning, intrinsic motivation, and a strong sense of personal agency.
📚 How Children Get Their Academic Needs Met in a Mixed-Age, Child-Led Learning Program
Engaging, Fun and Educational
1. Individualized Learning Through Scaffolding
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Children are met where they are. Instead of being expected to fit a grade-level standard, mentors observe and support each child’s current stage of development.
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Mentors can adjust the complexity of questions, projects, and materials to meet different levels of readiness—offering challenges when a child is ready, and foundational support when needed.
2. Natural Differentiation in Projects
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In open-ended, project-based learning, the same project can yield different academic challenges for different learners.
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🌱 A 7-year-old might draw and label plant parts.
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🌿 A 9-year-old might research photosynthesis and measure plant growth.
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🌳 An 11-year-old might lead a planting project, creating a budget, plan, and journal reflections.
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Everyone is working on the same theme, but at their own level—like a beautiful tapestry of learning.
💡 The Magic of Mixed Ages
Rather than falling behind or getting bored, kids thrive:
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🧠 They’re not held back by age-based limits.
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❤️ They’re not pressured by performance or comparison.
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🌈 They’re inspired by real-life connection and relevance.
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Mixed-age groups mirror real-world communities, where we collaborate across generations and skill sets.
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Children learn empathy, patience, and how to function as part of an interdependent group.
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Older children naturally step into mentorship roles, reinforcing their own learning and practicing leadership.
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Younger ones learn from peers in a non-intimidating way, often absorbing more through observation and participation than direct instruction.
🌊 The Overall Impact
A program like this fosters whole-child development. It supports academic learning, emotional well-being, creativity, cultural connection, and community interdependence all at once. It creates not just learners, but engaged humans—confident, compassionate, curious, and connected.
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Dedicated to Sustainable Communities
Kahu ʻAina: Earth Guardian Network provides an enriched and diverse learning environment for our students. Founded in 2020, our Environmental Education Cooperative is based out of Haiku and reflects the various backgrounds and cultures of the area. Our teachers are passionate, experienced and eager to pass on their knowledge to their students.
At Kahu ʻAina: Earth Guardian Network, we do our best to prepare our students for a rewarding and fulfilling holistic life. We believe that great education means much more than acquiring knowledge, and attach great importance to maintaining a close relationship with the Hawaiian community.
Lead teacher Liana Auli'i was born in Hawaii and has been an educator and coordinator for 15 years. Liana has a Masters of Science in Oceanography, has taught science and mathematics at multiple Charter Schools and has been a project coordinator for other environmental non -profit organizations before creating programs for Kahu 'Aina. She has been studying with her Hawaiian Cultural Kumu, Kekuhi Kealiikanakaole, with Halau 'Ohia for the last 4 years.
Are you ready to weave into community with us? Get in touch!
