Roots of Connection: Building the Next Generation of Environmental Storytellers through Animation & Coding (for students Grades 4-5)

The Roots of Connection workshop is designed to inspire the next generation of environmental storytellers by providing Hawaiʻi’s keiki with tools and skills to imagine, explore, and share their personal connections to community forests. Additionally, keiki will discover the cultural, ecological, and social roles that trees play in their daily lives. By learning to create animations through coding, they will not only strengthen their storytelling skills but also deepen their relationship with Hawaiʻi’s community forests, helping to carry forward our collective vision of fostering awareness of the cultural, ecological, and social significance of our community forests. What value will this workshop bring to keiki?

1. The nuanced roles that community forests play in their lives, highlighting the cultural, ecological, and social benefits they receive from trees in their communities.

2. Through creative tools and opportunities, students will develop the ability to tell their unique stories about their relationships with trees, deepening their understanding of local ecosystems, cultural heritage, and the importance of environmental stewardship.

3. Learn storytelling techniques & writing scripts

4. Learn to build an animation through coding using Scratch MIT