A chorus of joyful voices cheer as volunteers spoon out purple mounds onto cut ti leaves that serve as compostable plates.

Today’s culinary delight is koelepalau, a simple pudding made with only boiled sweet potatoes and coconut milk. This healthy treat packed with vitamin and antioxidants is an unlikely favorite for notoriously picky youngsters.

Once a month, “Aina” volunteers from the Kokua Hawaii Foundation visit our classroom to help connect children to their land, waters and food. This year volunteers helped students plant taro, breadfruit and ti.

This is one of many community partners in Hawaii’s public schools to help students make connections outside of classrooms.

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• One school invites community partner YogaEd to start the students’ day with energizing yoga on the basketball court. YogaEd helps students build their self awareness and increase readiness for learning.

YogaEd CEO Brynne Caleda said she treasures her morning yoga time with students, too, because “it brings me so much joy.”

• Many schools take advantage of the Artist in Residence program, where professional artists come into classrooms to help teacher integrate art into their lessons. Artists also teach foundational arts skills such as craftsmanship and cultivating an aesthetic approach to life.

• Honolulu Theatre for Youth brings drama into classrooms. Fourth-graders learn about ancient Hawaiian life through re-enacting voyages. Students particularly like selecting ali’i (rulers) to govern the rest of the class.

• The Assistance League of Hawaii has been visiting Hawaii schools for more than 30 years. Volunteers tote two 50-pound suitcases packed with furry pelts, sleek skulls, ostrich eggs and even a real elephant foot that are placed around the perimeter of the classroom for students to touch and explore.

Interacting with these biofacts takes students on a sensorial trip around the world. The league’s collection and accompanying lessons from volunteers help students build an appreciation for the environment.

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• Another crowd pleaser is Bike Ed. The Hawaii Bicycling League takes this bike safety program for fourth-graders to schools in a big van containing bikes and helmets.

By learning how to properly put on a helmet and do a six-point check before heading out for a ride, students become safer cyclists. For some students living in high-rise residences, this is the first opportunity to ride on the street.

• Environmental education volunteers from Kupu, a Honolulu-based non-profit, work with students in a variety of service projects such as “Follow the Drop,” which builds awareness of water conservation.

The culminating project has students designing and building a sustainable garden.

• Some island schools benefit from the unconditional love of dogs. Hawaii Fi-Do visits schools offering an unconventional approach to building fluency. This islandwide program aims to provide a safe environment for students to improve fluency by reading out loud to service dogs.

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Gone are the days when students sit in desks all day taking notes and memorizing information. If you walk into a school you are likely to see students cooking, planting, building, singing, acting and stretching.

Schools are little communities teeming with learning opportunities, thanks in part to community partners. If you have something you can share with our keiki, consider bringing your expertise to our schools.

Aina volunteer Jan Sojot said she will cherish the memories of her time partnering with schools.

“I will never forget the students spontaneously singing “Hawaii Aloha,” or a student bringing an empty mamaki tea cup to have it filled with luau leaves, or seeing students happily bringing lau home,” she said.

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