Kailua-kona • T.kindergarten age 4-6
Outdoor homeschooling - Rooted and grown in nature
At Kona Nature School, our transitional kindergarten curriulum focuses on building confidence, creativity and critical thinking through outdoor activities, physical movement, real life skills, arts, cultural and historical knowledge, natural sciences and languages.
Our story
The creation of Kona Nature School
Kona Nature School was founded in 2024 by teacher Marine and a small group of parents. They wanted a school that honored the island their children were growing up on — one that treated the land as the curriculum itself, to grow this special bond of responsibility towards and belonging to the 'Aina while providing a solid and reliable curriculum including academics.
What makes Kona Nature School so special and unique is the commitment from teacher Marine to care for and grow with the same students for several years, offering the option to follow them from preschool all the way to 4th grade. A decade of working in public and traditional private schools left her feeling defeated as all her efforts to make her students feel safe and trust her would be cut short at the end of the year, only to start all over again with a new set of students the following year. Teacher Marine understands how important stability and consistency is for children to bloom and succeed. Our class is also limited to 8 children max to ensure quality teaching and student/teacher connection.
Drawing on the traditions of Forest School, Reggio Emilia, and Hawaiian place-based education, Teacher Marine built a program where children spend the majority of each day outdoors — learning the names of native plants, tracking the tides, tending to the garden, and developing a deep sense of kuleana (responsibility) and belonging for the natural world.
Our teachers and assistants
The people behind the magic
Our licensed teachers all have a master degree in education, and are artists, storytellers, and lifelong learners. Every one of them chose this work because they believe in the power of childhood wonder.
Marine Dupuis Christensen
Founder & Lead Teacher
Teacher Marine was born and raised in France where she completed her master degree in Education and worked as an elementary teacher for 5 years before moving to Hawai'i. She dedicated herself to a life of service to the future generations through teaching and to the land through growing food and community. Her love for the soil and firm belief in living in the right relationship with the land has lead her to open the Kona Nature school where she aspires to be a living example of that to the children. She has now been running diverse nature schools in Kona for 4 years. Teacher Marine is a lifelong student who takes teaching as an opportunity to grow and learn alongside children. She is also a loved mother and godmother/auntie.
Abby Bartenetti
Elementary teacher & artist
Abby is a young licensed teacher who graduated in San Diego. She comes and spends every summer teaching at the Kona Nature School, as her family is established in Hawai'i. Abby is passionate about art and the ocean and is a dynamic, gentle and knowledgeable teacher.
Where learning happens
Our Space
Our campus is a hybrid indoor/outdoor classroom where the natural world is woven into every part of the day. Children move freely between sheltered learning areas and living gardens, building a deep relationship with the land.
Our Indoor Classroom
Our sheltered indoor space is a warm, inviting extension of the outdoors — filled with natural materials, art supplies, books, musical instruments, and tools like a typewriter and a chompsaw (child friendly saw) that invite open-ended exploration. Children move freely between inside and outside throughout the day, following their curiosity wherever it leads.
8 Garden Beds
Eight raised garden beds give every child hands-on experience planting, tending, and harvesting. From leafy greens to tropical herbs, the garden is a living science lab that changes with every season.
Newly Built Greenhouse
Our greenhouse was built in January 2026 as a community effort from all of our students' 'ohana. The magic happens there everyday : morning circle to discuss the phase of the moon based off the hawaiian calendar, keeping our gardening log up to date, tending to the plant nursery and making plans for Kuleana time in the garden.
4 Kalo (Taro) Patches
Kalo — the mother plant — holds a central place in Hawaiian culture and in our curriculum. Our four kalo patches connect children to the land, to Hawaiian traditions, and to the cycle of growing food that has sustained island communities for generations. After 9 months, each Kalo patch is harvested and cooked for the children to make poi and pai'ai.
One Acre of Forest
A full acre of lush tropical forest surrounds our campus, offering children space to roam, observe wildlife, build forts, and develop a genuine sense of wonder. The forest is our biggest classroom — and it never teaches the same lesson twice.
Community Field Trips
Every Friday morning, we venture out to local farms, businesses, and cultural sites across Kailua-Kona. These field trips deepen children's connection to their community, introduce them to the people who grow and make things, and bring classroom learning to life in the real world.
Come meet our team !
The best way to understand Kona Nature School is to see it in action. We'd love to welcome your family for a morning tour.