Our Field Trip to the Lo'i

On Thursday, April 12th, our class went on a field trip to a lo'i in the Kaneohe ahupua'a.  The bus drive was extremely long and loud! When we got to the lo'i, most students were anxious to get into the mud! But, first we did an activity where we collected rocks and sticks to clear out an area so that the people that are in charge of the lo'i could continue making the ahupua'a better by planting a garden.  Another activity we did was stomp in the mud to make the mud softer for the taro that would be planted in it.  There were cray fish swimming around and nibbling on our feet!  There was an auwai (stream) that we got to wash off in.  It was freezing cold, but worth it!

We learned that they are trying to bring back the ahupua'a as it looked like in 1920.  We changed our clothes and took a seat on the bus.  We had lots of fun and hope we can go back and help.

Our Field Trip to Downtown Honolulu

We started the off with a play called Tasi's Gift. It was at the Honolulu Theater for Youth in downtown Honolulu, near the Governor's house.  The play was about a Samoan bowl.  The main characters were Tasi, the woodcarver, and his granddaughter. In the play, Tasi's granddaughter learned that she needs to be patient, continue working until she completes her job, and to be focused and disciplined. We really enjoyed the play and thought it was great! The fourth graders would all like to see the play again.

After the play we walked to the State Capitol to eat lunch.  We saw the state seal hanging in front of the capitol and a lot of us thought it looked like a huge coin.  We also saw a statue of Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last queen. In the center of the state capitol there was a beautiful mosaic, kind of like the one in front of our school.  After we ate at the capitol, we walked along Richards street to the front of I'olani Palace. This is where the kings and queens of Hawaii used to live. Across the street of the capitol, we saw where the governor lives, and we also saw the statue of King Kamehameha. We also saw Kawaiaha'o church, which is the first church built in Hawaii.  We continued down the street past the supreme court and the Hawaii State Library and ended up in front of Honolulu Hale, where they were putting up the Christmas decorations.

Overall, we had a lot of fun and learned a lot. It was fun walking around downtown and taking a tour together. Everyone thought that it was the best field trip ever! We had a great time!

Field Trip to Bishop Museum

On Friday, November 4th, we went to Bishop Museum.  Ms. Correia was dressed as Kupuna Atoll (and island that has been broken down into an atoll by erosion and weathering).  After our groups broke up, Mrs. Branch's group stayed and explored the science center.  Ms. Correia and Mrs. Parker's group went to the Hawaiian Hall.

In the Hawaiian hall there was lot of information about Hawaiian history.  They even had a whale model made out of paper mache, but the bones inside it were real. We heard a story about the goddess Pele.  The goddess Pele was riding her brother the shark god and she planted her digging stick somewhere on the island. Pele's sister killed her and her spirit went to Kilauea, on the Big Island.

In the science exploration center we played with a wii game, wax volcano, and a submarine.  In the Mars exhibit, we played with toy rockets.  Some of us also got to experience what it would be like to walk on Mars. We finally finished our day with a peaceful lunch under a tree next to Hawaiian Hall.

Written by: Sky, Zackry, Justus, Erin, Elijah, and Joseph, with help from Mrs. Branch