ʻUlu by Steve

ʻUlu

Fruits
# ʻUlu - Breadfruit is used to make poi and puddings.
#Breadfruit is a good source of vitamin B
#Breadfruit is also used to fatten pigs.

Tree Trunk
#The wooden part is used to make...
- Pahu - Drums
-Poi pounding board
#Because of the lightness, it was used to make surfing boards.

Dye
#Young male ones make a tan dye.
#Older ones make darker brown dye.

Latex
#Thick milky sap are used to make chewing gums and glues.

Medicine
#Thickened dried sap were used for certain skin diseases.   
          
  

Ki by Kara

Ki

Clothing 

Ki leaves were used to make rain capes, hula skirts, and sandals. 

Fishing

Ki leaves were used to wrap bait. In the hukilau, they used leaf fronds to lure the fish into the net.

Religion

Ki was sacred to Lono, the god. When Kahuna wore the leaves around his neck, it was a sign of high rank or divine power.  

Stain

The juice from the pounded root was used to stain surfboards. 

Thatching

Ki leaves were used for hales, and the temple for the god Lono.

Medicine

The leaves were dipped in the cold spring water, and placed on the forehead to relieve headaches. They were used for backaches, and sore muscles.

Food Service

Leaves were used for laulau, fish, and other meats, and placed in the imu. They were also used to store pa'i'ai. Cut leaves were used for cups and plates.  

Lyon Arboretum by Steve, Kara, and Haruka

Lyon Arboretum

Experiences at Lyon Arboretum

1. We learned about different kinds of plants, bugs and animals.

2. We went on a little tour through the mountains and forests.

3. We tasted some plants and also learned about plants.

Something we learned at Lyon Arboretum

1. Lyon Arboretum is a watershed. A watershed is a place that has  mountains and valleys around one forest and rains a lot. When it rains a lot, a lot of water soaks into the ground and through water clearing system that takes about 20- 25 years. After the clearing system, it becomes water that we can drink.

2. Plants we saw and learned about

Hala is a tree that is half native and half brought . When the hawaiian ancestors brought hala trees, but there were Hala trees already. Hala tree leaves are used to build hale too.

An ohe is a Hawaiian bamboo tree. It is not really strong so we can't make hales with ohe trees. Ohe is very rare.

Loulu is a tree that is very high. Loulu palms were used to help make the hale at Lyon Arboretum. Some of the trees have ferns growing in the middle of the tree trunk.

Awapuhi is a plant that gave Hawaiian ancestors shampoo for washing. The shampoo smelled like ginger.

Spiral ginger is a plant that has sweet nectar when we pop the flower out and get the cap off and sucked the nectar out of there.

3. Why is it important to take care of the native plants? 

We need to keep native plants safe because they might become extinct. The plants and animals that people bring from other places aren't native, and these sometimes cause problems for the native species. They are very rare so we need to keep them safe. The definition of native is that something that was in there before someone came. Native forest plants soak up water more than the plants that were brought here, and we need to preserve the water. 


4. How does Lyon Arboretum protect the environment? 
Lyon Arboretum helps protect the environment by taking care of the plants and not letting them die and become extinct. They also educate us about how we can help the environment as well. 

Paʻiʻai with Daniel Anthony by Kate and Elizabeth

Today we went to pound taro into Paʻiʻai and it was really fun. We learned what Paʻiʻai is; it tasted like poi but with less water. It tasted yummy!

The ingredients are taro and a little bit of water. You make that by cleaning the skin off and then we used a knife to scrape off all the inedible stuff. Kumu Daniel told us that the outside was the hamburger and the inside was the steak, we then tried to scrape off the hamburger the best we could.

This part would later be used by Kumu Daniel and his crew to make poi. Then we pounded it with the pohaku (a stone carved to make a pounder). What we liked most about the experience was the pounding with the pohaku.

Pa'i'ai is special because it is made by hand poi is made by a machine.

Terrariums by Kira, Aidan B., Bryant

On June 23rd, we made terrariums. The terrariums we made were made out of a jar we had to bring, cinder, soil, plants, and water. We made the terrariums because we are learning about the water cycle.

The day after we made the terrariums the water cycle started! Right now it is in condensation stage. The water we sprayed inside was evaporating. The terrarium has a lot of water on its sides, which is a sign of condensation.

Makiki Stream by Aidan and Lucas

In the beginning, we did a worksheet which asked us what we thought was going to be at Makiki Stream. Then we hiked up to Makiki Stream. We climbed down a slippery ladder which was slightly rusted. First, we went net fishing and caught swordtails, shrimp and guppies. It was hard to stand because the rocks were very slippery. We noticed the stream was muddy and had a lot of trash and that it was higher than usual while we were fishing. The murkiness of the water may have been caused by the trash and rain. 

So after fishing, we had a competition between girls and boys to clean all the trash up. When we got back, we finished a worksheet that asked us what we knew was at Makiki Stream like fish, rocks, water, plants, insects, bugs, and (sadly) trash. Makiki Stream was a very marvelous field trip!

Meet Our Bloggers!

Welcome to the Nature Study PM class blog! 

Here our bloggers will compose articles about the various wonders of nature that they will learn about this summer. Some examples include the water cycle, the structure and function of an Ahupua'a, and the process of worm composting. They will also document their exciting field trips, reflecting upon their activities and experiences. These blogs may also include the poems or journal entries written after each trip. Please enjoy the insightful reflections that our bloggers will share throughout this summer.  

Ka Papa Loʻi o Kanewai (UH loʻi) by Bryant, Aidan B, and Kira

We went to Ka Papa Loʻi o Kanewai on Thursday the 20th. There we learned many things and we have written it down for you to read, so please enjoy.

What did we learn at the loʻi?

Here we learned about the farming culture of ancient Hawaiians. There is a story for the area of Kanewai, which we have retold below.

At the loʻi, volunteers had to restore the walls and the water canal for the loʻi. Today, many schools, families, and people help keep the lo'i alive.

                                                  The Story of the Land of Kanewai

There were two Hawaiian gods named Kane and Kaneloa; they were brothers. Kane was the god of freshwater and life and Kaneloa was the god of saltwater and fisherman. they sailed to kohala on the big island There kane learned his powers. From there they sailed to kahala on oahu there they swam and played then The walked all the way to kanewai. There, Kaneloa wanted to take a drink so he asked Kane to bring freshwater from the ground. Kane said "Not now, we need to go further." When they went further, Kane said, "Here's water" and stomped the ground with his o'o, or digging stick and freshwater bubbled out. Kaneloa took a drink and bath. As Kaneloa took a bath, salt and sand traveled to a field that remains rich in sandstone and salt.

The Lo'i Experience

When we got there, we met three teachers who told us the story of Kanewai inside their hale. This hale was built 11 years ago in 2002.

After, we traveled upstream to check the water at the makawai, which is the water source. Makawai means "eye water." When we were there, we walked along the rocks and took leaves away from the crevices of the rocks so that the water could flow.

After that, we went back to the loʻi and picked up leaves so that we could fertilize the loʻi. We collected a whole wheel barrow and divided the leaves in half between to loʻi patches.

The girls took one side and the boys did the other. We all hehi hehi'd the leaves into the mud so that the soil could be fertilized and aerated.

After we finished that, we picked the weeds out of another loʻi, which was growing kalo. We pulled the weeds out of the mounds and scrape the mud off the roots, and threw it on the side. We also hehi hehi'd weeds that were away from the mounds. This helped get rid of the weeds because it could not see the sunlight AND it became fertilizer for the kalo. Once we took the weeds off the mounds, we added more mud to them because the crayfish eat away at the mounds. Finally, we went to wash off in the stream and said goodbye! 

Worm Composting by Aidan B., Bryant, and Kira

On Tuesday, June 18th, Ms. Breanna came to visit our nature studies class to teach us about composting and worms. We made our own composting bin and we are going to tell you the facts we learned.

Why do people compost?

People make compost bins in order to give their plants healthy and nutritious soil, and to reduce garbage disposal. Some people compost in order to have nutritious fertilizer for their plants, for free!
They also compost because it is good for plants and you don't waste food by putting it in the garbage.

Why are worms an important part of the bin?

Worms are important for composting because they are the main decomposers of the leaves and food scraps you throw in.  Compost is basically worm poop.you can use that compost for nutritious soil to help your plants grow better.


What are the materials you need to make a compost bin?

You need worms, damp newspaper, vegetable and fruit scraps, water, a bin, air, and dirt.

How to Make Your Own Worm Bin:

1) First, for air you need to put holes in the top.
2) Shred newspaper from top to bottom, in thin strips. 
3) Dampen the shredded newspaper with a water bottle spray because worms like damp areas. Newspaper is for the bedding for the worms and to get rid of the smell.
4) Put holes on the bottom of the bin  to drain the water.
5) Put in the damp shredded newspaper in the bottom, add a layer of dirt (with the worms).
6) Put your old and leftover food on ONE side of the bin. The next time the worms need food, you will put it on the opposite side. This is so they have a place to escape if it gets too hot. f
7) Fluff some newspaper on top of the food and dampen it with water. 
8) Put a tray under the bin to collect worm water. 
9) Now you are done, and make sure to put it in a dark quiet place.


SOME HINTS:
1) If the bin smells put more newspaper that means your adding more carbon
2) If you see the worms trying to escape that means it is too hot or there is not enough food
3) If you see ants or other bugs coming put more carbon
4) Don't feed them papaya seeds or fruits with citrus, because it has a lot of acid