Volunteering at O’o Organic Farm, Maui
Imagine yourself perched on the hillside of a dormant volcano, above the clouds, hands and knees covered in volcanic soil as you help thin arugula seedlings on an organic farm. Sounds like heaven…right?!
That is exactly where my family found ourselves, thanks to prize money from “The Wheel of Fortune,”. The gorgeous island of Maui!!!
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Of course, as a homeschool parent, a trip of this magnitude provided an unbelievable opportunity to teach on a number of subjects such as:
- endemic species
- endangered animals
- volcanoes
- ocean pollution
- the Pacific Garbage Patch
- stargazing
- state symbols
- marine life
- Hawaiian customs and rich culture
- conventional farming and the use of synthetic chemicals
- organic farming and stewardship of the land
My brain would not stop, and as always, neither would my children’s desire to learn about a place we were going! So armed with these two things, I set to work to plan the most incredible trip, balancing learning, relaxing, family time and giving back to the community we were visiting!
Volunteers on Vacation
While doing my internet searches, I came across a FREE program, “Volunteers on Vacation,” offered by The Pacific Whale Foundation (PWF) on Maui.
PWF is an organization that does research, education and conservation programs to educate people on the importance and protection of marine animals and to inspire citizens to get involved in the efforts. I was familiar with PWF as my husband and I had been on one of their whale watching cruises before on a previous trip he won (I know right?! Winning two trips to Maui!!! I’m still in shock also!). We were pleased with PWF from the get-go and were excited to join them to help out on Maui!
One of the volunteer opportunities offered was at O’o Organic Farm in the town of Kula. I was sold! Organic farming is extremely important to my family! Plus, we already had experience with volunteering on a local organic farm so this was a perfect fit! I signed us up and happily jotted it down on the itinerary! Thank goodness I am blessed with a patient, adventurous husband and two children who get excited about helping others!
Don’t forget to check out our list of Over 50 Amazing Resources for Kids, All About Hawai’i!
O’o Organic Farm
Wednesday mornings will always be remembered with a smile, as that is the day of the week our volunteering fell on! We awoke early and drove from our ocean side condo rental in Kihei up the slopes of Haleakala (means “House of the Sun” in Hawaiian) to O’o Organic Farm in Kula…elevation 3,500 feet! Talk about a breathtaking drive! I was so energized I could’ve given my daily coffee the morning off! And then we saw the simple, weathered, yellow sign, “O’o Farm”!
We drove through a citrus tree orchard, past beehives and chicken coops, until we were greeted with a warm Aloha welcome by one of the farmers.
We soon discovered we were the only four scheduled to volunteer that day. I selfishly cheered…YAY! More one-on-one time to learn for us and more time to let the experience soak in. Actually, let’s be real… it was easier for me to daydream it was MY farm with only my family there!!!
I quick took a video to send to Trisha back home, then it was time to get to work! We started by helping our farmer friend thin arugula seedlings in a patch of the garden. My eager children got to work diving hands first into the cool, moist soil. We spent the first hour or so squatting in that glorious arugula bed, sandwiched by rows of other emerging greens, the air slightly warming as the sun rose further in the sky above Haleakala. The sounds of chickens, breezes and the voices of those I was with, formed a wonderful, seemingly well-rehearsed chorus.
Our curious kids kept asking that poor, patient farmer EVERY question they could about insects they were seeing, composting, life on Maui and of course, which plants they could please taste!! Having our own raised garden beds back home, our children know the simple joy of eating food your own two hands have grown and picked!
Tiny, Silvery, Rolling Everywhere Kohlrabi Seeds!
From the arugula patch we moved to the greenhouse area and helped plant Kohlrabi seeds. Tiny, silvery, rolling everywhere Kohlrabi seeds! The kids were great helpers with this as they help plant seeds at home.
They took great pride in gathering soil to fill the seed-starting trays!!! And bonus…a walk past a native leafy green provided a new plant to taste and learn about!!!
After planting it was on to the bean rows to help pick the remaining harvest before tearing out the old vines. Of course, all while tasting beans! Once we had accumulated a nice pile of debris beside us, we gathered it in our arms and took it to the compost pile where we helped add it to the heap, chatting about the composting process as we worked. My kids, of course, adored the worms!
While cleaning up before leaving for the day, our farmer friend pointed out a fennel plant with its bright yellow, EDIBLE flowers! A flower that tastes like black licorice! Even my husband had to check this out and reluctantly ate the flower and exclaimed “It tastes just like “Good ‘n Plenty,” and proceeded to take another small bite! Kids aghast, Dad’s actually eating a flower!!! I love him so…he is such a good sport!
Upon leaving O’o Farm we stopped to take a photo with our young farmer friend prompting the kids to hold up the Shaka sign! I mean really!?!?! How cool!!! And one final new item given to us to take and taste later…persimmons, of course, grown on the farm!
No Distractions
There was never an awkward moment on the slopes above the clouds, even when silence occurred. No distractions, no phone ringing, radio playing or a television blaring. Just five people content with working together and just “being” together, having a natural good old fashioned conversation and sharing each other’s stories and knowledge.
Volunteering at O’o Organic Farm wound up giving us far more than we gave…which was not the intention. The three hours we spent on the farm working hard will not end all work needing to be done there for the day, not even close! I very much hope those three hours told that farm their way of life matters to people, so much so we are willing to set aside a whole morning to help while on a “once in a lifetime” vacation in paradise! Our family was blessed with such a meaningful memory and the opportunity to give back to the community we were visiting.
Our children learned they can PERHAPS help others wherever they go… even the “House of the Sun”!!!
Read about our other Hawaiian adventures:
Maui
- Maui Ocean Center, Aquarium
- Stargazing at Haleakala National Park
- Best Snorkeling in Maui ~ Molokini & Turtle Arches Snorkel Cruise with Pacific Whale Foundation
- The Best Luau in Maui ~ The ‘Aha’aina Wailea Luau, at Grand Wailea Resort
- Maui Humane Society, Beach Buddies Program ~ Volunteer on Vacation
Big Island
- Hilo Tropical Waterfall Tour with Hawaii Forest and Trail
- Kona House Condo
- Giving Back on Vacation: Hawai’i Wildlife Center
- One Aloha Shave Ice (organic)
- Meet the Artist; Mattie Mae Larson of Upcycle Hawaii (Big Island: plastic pollution, marine debris, unique, wearable art.)
- Upcycle Hawaii ~ A Peek Inside their Studio
- A Visit with Upcycle Hawaii to One of the Most Plastic Polluted Beaches in the World
Lemonade Stand and Back to School
68 Comments
Missy Debnar
Volunteering is a wonderful way to add an adventure to your vacation.
Charlene
Hi Missy! Yes, this was quite an adventure we had as a family. We have great memories of helping others on the side of that volcano.
Pam
What an amazing experience! I love this. We’ve done a few outdoors volunteering days before and had a fun time as a family, but definitely not like this!
Charlene
Thank you Pam! When I found this opportunity it was too good to pass up. O’O Farm was gorgeous and welcoming. I’m glad to hear you enjoy being outdoors and volunteering as a family too! Yay for helping others!
katie
What a great learning opportunity! and in such a gorgeous location, too. I have no doubt that will be an experience your children carry with you for the rest of their lives. 🙂
Charlene
Hello Katie! We feel so blessed to have had this opportunity to help others and enjoy such a beautiful setting too. It definitely left a lasting mark on all of us. I made sure to pinch myself several times while there! Hoping one day to return to help again.
Tricia Snow
I love playing in the dirt. What a great learning experience!
Charlene
Tricia, we love the dirt too! Haleakala and O’O Farm made weed pulling look good!
Julie
This is something my girls and I would enjoy!!
Charlene
Julie, I hope one day you and your girls can go visit O’O Farm on Maui. Dreams really do come true…you just read a part of mine!
Shirley
How cool! And congratulations on your wins! It looks like your entire family had a wonderful, fulfilling time. As a high school teacher, I often encounter students who have no understanding of the world outside of a five mile radius from their home. I firmly believe that service projects and volunteering enriches the soul and many more should try to do it. Love this post!
Charlene
Thank you Shirley, I am still in shock over the wins myself! Our kids left with amazing family memories and knowing they can help others no matter where they go. I strongly agree volunteering and service projects enrich the soul and that more people should try it. You seem like the kind of teacher that shows your students ways to get involved in their community. Thank you for reading…we hope our story inspires others to lend a helping hand at home or on vacation.
Trina
I would love this! I am wanting to do something like this in a vineyard in Israel. Great information.
Charlene
Trina, a vineyard in Israel sounds amazing! I hope you get to go! I’d love to read about it!
Karie Babbitt
That is so great to do. Did it cost to volunteer?
Charlene
Thank you Karie. The volunteering was completely free! We found it through a volunteering program by Pacific Whale Foundation, on Maui.
alison
What a fantastic way to give back and have the kids be involved in their surroundings. This is such a great way to travel. I have been thinking more and more about doing this next time we travel.
Charlene
Alison, I highly recommend volunteering on vacation if you can! I love the idea of giving back as a family to a place you visit on vacation. Keep us posted if your family volunteers on any of your travels. We’d love to know!
Brooke
This sounds like such a cool experience. I hope to do what you’re doing some day – homeschool my kids as we travel the world. It’s such a great experience for them to learn while doing things. To see history, science, etc. in action.
Charlene
Brooke, I wish you the best of luck as you work towards your goal of homeschooling while travelling the world! You got this!! For us, it has been a perfect fit and I am thankful to be able to do this for our family. We love visiting new places and hands-on learning! We are thankful to Pacific Whale Foundation for offering this opportunity to give back on Maui.
Lee Anne
This sounds amazing, a great experience for the whole family. I will be looking into the Volunteers on Vacation! Thanks for sharing. I can’t wait to read about all of your other Hawaiian adventures as well. 🙂
Charlene
We truly were so happy to be able to give back to the community. We learned so much about Maui and organic farming and would definitely do it again!
Glory
What a wonderful opportunity for your family! And I’m really looking forward to hearing about how you won two trips to Maui! 😉
Charlene
We are so thankful Pacific Whale Foundation offers the Volunteer on Vacation program… we never would’ve known if they hadn’t. Yes, winning two trips, I’m still in shock myself. My husband won the first trip from work in a “minute to win it” type game and the second time we used the prize money I won on the Wheel of Fortune to take our kids! Dreams do come true!
Kristin
What a cool way to add learning and giving back to an already amazing trip! Thanks for sharing!
Charlene
Thank you! We hope to inspire other families to try volunteering on vacation together.
Jay Hall
I can’t wait until I can vacation like this. Right now, when I go anywhere it’s 50% pleasure, 50% work. Awesome way to teach your kids on a more personal level. Way to go!
Charlene
Aw, thank you for your kind words. It is difficult to find a good balance between work and pleasure when travelling. It looks like you’ve travelled quite a bit around the U.S., how lucky!
Pam
What an interesting way to spend part of your vacation. I love the idea of volunteering – you get to help others, learn something and experience something new. Definitely a win!
Charlene
Couldn’t agree more! This was actually our first official volunteering on vacation experience. Because of it, we now try to incorporate giving back to the community in all of our travels.
Missy
That is a great experience to have and in a great place.
Charlene
Indeed! We feel very blessed.
Leeanne
What a great opportunity for your family. I’ve always wanted to do help out on a farm like this. Maybe we will one day as well.
Charlene
O’O Farm was beyond words incredible! Everyone was so nice and knowledgeable and took the time to really explain things to us. I hope you find a farm to help at soon! We helped at local farms first, before this trip.
Jordan
I love this concept and am now going to check out Volunteers on Vacation. What a great way to make a trip more than just about me enjoying myself. I don’t know if I’ll make it to Hawai’i any time soon, although it is on my bucket list, but I will take this philosophy with me on my next trip. Thank you!
Charlene
We are so happy to hear this! Don’t get us wrong… we definitely do our fair share of enjoying our family time on vacation! My husband’s job is very intense and requires a lot of time away from home, so when we travel it is our chance to escape it all for a bit and just relax. Volunteering has become an important part of our travels and we always try to work it into our plans… even if it is just picking up litter as a family on a beach we are visiting.
Keagan
I’ve always wanted to go to Maui. It’s looks beautiful
Charlene
I sure hope you get to visit Maui someday… it will not disappoint!
Sheila
Wow… what a great adventure for the whole family. Learning new things, seeing things you’ve never seen and doing it with those you love.
Charlene
We think so too! Thanks for checking it out!
Lisa
What a great way to experience Maui and an awesome hands on lesson.
Charlene
Absolutely! We cannot say enough good things!
Lisa Manderino
That is a great idea! You must be really lucky to win two trips to Hawaii!
Charlene
Thank you! We had quite a winning streak going there…lol.
jen
What a tremendous experience! I love it so much!!!!
Charlene
Thank you! We do too… thankful Pacific Whale Foundation put together such an incredible program to allow visitors to give back.
Amanda
We have thought about Woofing, but haven’t done it yet. It’s staying for free on an organic farm and learning organic farming. This looks like such a great experience. It’s very encouraging for me to look more into it. Thanks for sharing!
Charlene
Woofing sounds like a great idea to me! I’d never heard that term before and am going to look into it! I hope you get to stay on an organic farm soon!
Susan Whitehead
What a special treat to have been the only volunteers there that day! I bet your kids will remember this forever. 🙂
Charlene
I secretly was daydreaming it was my farm, so us being the only ones there really made the dream real! We definitely think back on this quite a bit.
Clara Reck
First, I love your writing style. Second, this is why I want to home school my kids! I feel that home schooled kids have it best! I volunteer at the climbing gym and I work with public school and home school kids and the HS kids are so much nicer! Thank you for sharing and for motivating!
Charlene
Thank you so much for your kind words about writing and homeschooling. We have really enjoyed our homeschool journey. I was terrified at first to make the commitment but am so glad we did. My husband was a huge supporter which made it a lot easier. We have our days when we want to pull our hair out, but overall are very pleased with the decision we made.
Christy
What an amazing opportunity to show your kids the importance of where food comes from and a little about hard work. So cool
Charlene
Thank you… those were some of our thoughts too!
Wendy Robinson
What a great trip was well as volunteering opportunity. We want to volunteer in our travels as well but it’s hard to find places where toddlers can participate.
Charlene
You are correct… it is SO hard to find places for young kids to volunteer. Our daughter was five when we did this and I was worried that may be a factor in if she was allowed to participate. I’ve found farms in general are a little more accommodating for the younger age group of volunteers.
Lori Nielsen
What a rewarding experience! I have never heard of that program. Thanks for sharing!
Charlene
This was our first time hearing about the Volunteer on Vacation program through Pacific Whale Foundation. I am so thankful we found it!
Gina Haraguchi
I learned so much! We live on Oahu and I didn’t even know this opportunity existed. We go to Maui a couple of times a year. Thanks for all the info!
Charlene
How lucky to live in Hawai’i! We dream of living on Maui one day. Happy travels island hopping.
kmf
Wow…what an inspiring experience and so cool your children also had the opportunity to volunteer. Some of the best learning experiences happen outside the classroom. I subscribed to the Pacific Whale Foundation as I would love to give back also. Thank you so much for sharing this experience! And, wait, what? The Wheel of Fortune! Can’t wait for that post! I’m a wheel watcher so it’s possible I saw you!😎
Charlene
So glad to hear…we’ve enjoyed following along with Pacific Whale too! We love hands-on learning. Yes, Wheel… still can’t believe it myself! I was on Disney Sea and Shore Week and my episode aired March 6th, 2015. Never thought I’d have a rerun, LOL! There’s a pic on our IG feed. Crazy fun and I still am in shock! YAY for Wheel Watchers! Hoping to get that post finished up in the coming months.
Michele
Volunteering seems like such a wonderful way to add more meaning to your travels. Something the kids will never forget!
Charlene
It was such a great opportunity to learn together and give back to the community.
Shirley
What a great idea! As a retired high school teacher, I admire the variety of topics you were using as teaching tools. Your kids are super lucky to have you as their teacher!
Charlene
Aw, thank you… that means so much. We’ve really enjoyed learning with and teaching our kids.
Julie
What a different experience!!
Charlene
Yes, it was our first experience volunteering on vacation and it impacted us so much, we now try to incorporate giving back to the communities we visit wherever we go.