We officially started our unit study today. I wrote out lesson plans last night, and we are looking at Hawai’i in a way that we never have before. There is so much to learn…
We will start with geography. Looking at maps and gaining an understanding of being the most isolated land mass in the world. We will also look at who the Hawaiian people are, and where they may have come from. The thought is that there was more than one migration to these islands from elsewhere in Polynesia. First from the Marquesas, then from the Tahitian group of islands and later from Samoa.
For science, we will look through my Aunty’s many books on Native Hawaiian plants. I also picked up several books on the many animals and insects that are native to Hawai’i. We will learn which are endangered and which are threatened. The opportunities to study various fields of science are endless here! While we study astronomy (did you know you can see the southern cross and the northern star in the same hemisphere here?), oceanography, volcanism, rainforests, birds, fish and land animals, we will not forget about the mighty wonders of God in this beautiful geological masterpiece!
Language Arts will be filled with the beautiful Hawaiian language. This language is so gorgeous, it can be mesmerizing to listen to people speak fluent Hawaiian. I like pidgin too, and we will learn some of that as well – but mostly that will come naturally in our community. We will learn how the vowels are pronounced in the Hawaiian language and how they only have 12 letters in the alphabet. I have written down the days of the week and other common words. We will be working to incorporate these words into our daily lives.
There is so much to learn about the Hawaiian government. We will study the genealogy of the kings and queens starting with King Kamehameha the Great on down to Hawai’is last Queen, Queen Liliuokalani. We will also look at the trials and triumphs of this Island chain.
I realize much of this will have to be learned in our daily lives here and that there is no way I can possibly cover everything. However, I am excited to learn along with my children about the many facets of Hawaii, its culture, people, weather, plants animals, and beauty!
I am a grateful, homeschooling Mama! Praying for a great week!