This page shares playful, place-based STEAM kits that center local materials as tools for innovation. Rooted in Hawaiian frameworks, these kits support conversations around environmental challenges and community science. Each activity includes a visual postcard guide and a detailed lesson plan. Designed for all ages, Pono STEAM Kits are free to use and adapt under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
These workshops are also shared as activity resources links on the 2025 Hawai'i DLNR Year of Our Community Forests page.
ADVISORY BOARD
I hold deep gratitude to the Advisory Board who contributed their insights and ideas for this ongoing project journey. The Advisory Board includes: Dr. Kiana Frank of Frank Laboratory at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center, Matthew and Roxanne Ortiz of Wooden Wave, Kea'aokahonua (Kea'a) Davis who is the Lead Design and Product Strategist at Purple Mai'a, David Okada (a Maui born toy designer and former Senior VP of Boys Toys at Mattel), strategic design advisor Lisa Whitsitt, and Skye Haraga who is a Community Forestry Specialist with DLNR DOFAW through Kupu. To read more about this team, please visit the lab note announcing the Advisory Board.
FUNDING
A special thank you to experiment.com and grant managers Dr. Justice Toshiba Walker and Dr. Keolu Fox for support of this project journey.
Below is a work in progress of the activities:
These workshops are also shared as activity resources links on the 2025 Hawai'i DLNR Year of Our Community Forests page.
ADVISORY BOARD
I hold deep gratitude to the Advisory Board who contributed their insights and ideas for this ongoing project journey. The Advisory Board includes: Dr. Kiana Frank of Frank Laboratory at the Pacific Biosciences Research Center, Matthew and Roxanne Ortiz of Wooden Wave, Kea'aokahonua (Kea'a) Davis who is the Lead Design and Product Strategist at Purple Mai'a, David Okada (a Maui born toy designer and former Senior VP of Boys Toys at Mattel), strategic design advisor Lisa Whitsitt, and Skye Haraga who is a Community Forestry Specialist with DLNR DOFAW through Kupu. To read more about this team, please visit the lab note announcing the Advisory Board.
FUNDING
A special thank you to experiment.com and grant managers Dr. Justice Toshiba Walker and Dr. Keolu Fox for support of this project journey.
Below is a work in progress of the activities:
ACTIVITY POSTCARDS (Click on each of these images below to see front and back of card with step by step instructions)
ACTIVITIES
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Hawaiian Solar Bot
Make your own bot creature made of local materials that moves with the power of the sun! Dream of a Hawai’i powered by renewable energy and constructed with local materials. step-by-step postcard Detailed lesson plan |
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Hua Moa & Kukui Nut Chalk
Make your own sidewalk chalk using locally source materials. step-by-step postcard Detailed lesson plan |
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Mo'o Shapeshifter/ color mixer and pH sensor
A hands-on millifluidic STEAM activity that results in a paper color mixing tool or a pH sensing tool. It invites reflection on fluid flow at a range of scales, from the scale of ahupua'a to a pocket sensor tool, and introduces the basics of passive fluid and capillary forces. This is simple enough to invite iteration and has quick enough fluid movement to be observed over a period of minutes rather than hours. step-by-step postcard Detailed lesson plan |
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Leaf Name Tag
Make name tags by etching the leaves of the invasive Autograph Tree. A fun exercise that eliminates wasteful sticker and plastic encased name tags at workshop events. step-by-step postcard Detailed lesson plan |
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Lau & Light/Chlorophyll Prints
Explore making images on leaves using just paper, leaves, and the rays of the sun. Using leaves with a high amount of magnesium, such as Crotan leaves, experiment creating images that harness the process of photosynthesis within leaves. step-by-step postcard Detailed lesson plan |
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Limu Bioplastic
Explore making bioplastics from invasive limu (seaweed) such as Prickley Weed and Gorilla Ogo. These instructions will get you started on your experimentation process. step-by-step postcard Detailed lesson plan |
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Niu Cube
Explore weaving a cube from niu (coconut) fronds step-by-step handout Detailed lesson plan (growing place-based mycelium in woven hina'i for bioremediation experiments) |
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Natural Lights
Explore making a small illuminated sculpture made of natural materials powered by a mini solar cell panel, LED diode, and copper tape. The question: "What lights you up?" is the open ended prompt. Step-by-step postcard [link coming soon] Detailed lesson plan [link coming soon] Workshop photos |
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Limu Paper
Explore making paper from local seaweed. Step-by-step postcard [link coming soon] Detailed lesson plan [link coming soon] |
THE JOURNEY OF THESE KITS
In fall 2023, the Nest Makerspace was awarded an experiment.com grant to explore place-based natural material STEAM kits. The campaign is titled A sustainable Hawai’i bio-makerspace rooted in cultural & ancestral knowledge and one can see associated lab notes at the project link. Through August 2024, we explored how to design science kits rooted in local natural materials, cultural and ancestral knowledge unique to Hawai’i.
Additionally, frameworks of this project was shared at the 2024 Biodesign Challenge Summit ( slide deck can be viewed at this link.) The abstract for that presentation, Cultivating Biodesigners: Integrating Local Biology, Culture, and Place-Based Design in Education, has been accepted by Cambridge University Press Research Directions in Biotechnology.
In fall 2023, the Nest Makerspace was awarded an experiment.com grant to explore place-based natural material STEAM kits. The campaign is titled A sustainable Hawai’i bio-makerspace rooted in cultural & ancestral knowledge and one can see associated lab notes at the project link. Through August 2024, we explored how to design science kits rooted in local natural materials, cultural and ancestral knowledge unique to Hawai’i.
Additionally, frameworks of this project was shared at the 2024 Biodesign Challenge Summit ( slide deck can be viewed at this link.) The abstract for that presentation, Cultivating Biodesigners: Integrating Local Biology, Culture, and Place-Based Design in Education, has been accepted by Cambridge University Press Research Directions in Biotechnology.
