Papa Wauke

Today we toured Hawaii’s Plantation Village in Waipahu and saw how some of our kupuna lived when they worked on sugar plantations here in Hawai’i.  What are your thoughts about what you saw?  Were you surprised by anything?  Do you want to find out more about anything you saw or heard about?

In the special Earth Day issue of Time for Kids we read about young people who have made a “green” difference in their community.  What ideas do you have about how you could make a “green” difference at school, home or in your larger community?

The 5th graders worked hard to put on a meaningful performance for all of us.  What did you learn from the play?  What do you think some of the “big ideas” were?  Did anything surprise you?  What do you wonder about?  Is there anything you are inspired to learn more about?

Today we heard the story of Greg Mortensen and the friends he made in Korphe.  We talked about some of the big ideas: Appreciation, Helping/Giving (We all have something to give), Being Resourceful, Moving Forward and Teamwork.  What are your thoughts about this true story?  Any questions?  Connections?  Do you think there are some other big ideas we didn’t discuss?

Today we were fortunate to have John Stokes, his family, and Brother Noland lead us on a short hike through our upper campus trails.  Why do you think it was important that we experience this hike?  What did you learn that you think you will be able to use in the future?  Please explain.

We’ve started to observe the life cycle of monarch butterflies and the stages they go through as they change. What changes have you gone through since you were born? What about during your time here at Kamehameha?  What do you think is important about theses changes?

During chapel service on Friday, Kahu Cathy, Mr. Tschillard and Aha ‘Opio introduced the concept of PA’A (Positive Action Always) and reacquainted us with the Wheel of Choice.  What do these two concepts mean to you?  Why do you think it is important that we apply them in our lives?

Each of us celebrates the holiday season in unique ways.  We participate in certain activities, eat certain foods and celebrate certain events.  Our holiday traditions are usually based on our ethnicity, our faith and our family.  What are your holiday traditions?  How did you celebrate the holiday season?  Is there any special meaning to what you do/did?

We were so fortunate to hear Jake Shimabukuro play his amazing ukulele music and talk to us about the word “passion” during our last ‘Ohana gathering. His passion is his ukulele. Jake said he hopes each of you finds your passion. What does he mean by that? What are you passionate about? What factors do you think helps us find our passions?

Today we talked about the big ideas in “Those Shoes” by Maribeth Boelts. Some of the ideas we talked about were WANT, NEED, POPULARITY, SHAME, TEASING and KINDNESS. What important ideas did you think of when we read this story? Do you think you would have given Antonio those shoes? Why or why not? Why do you think Jeremy wanted those shoes so badly? What connections did you make?

This week we will celebrate Thanksgiving with our families. Last week we read about the very first Thanksgiving celebration. When you think about your life, what blessings are you thankful for?

Last week we were fortunate enough to have Inspector Akaka, Inspector Gipaya and Aunty Lani provide us with a wonderful fire safety presentation. What did you learn that you think is important to remember? What is going on in the picture to the right? Why did we practice this?

Today you had an opportunity to experience the wonderful storytelling of Karen Hackler. She shared the stories of Maui and The Flying Taro with you.  Then you worked in teams to dramatize the forming of an island. What did you think was the most interesting part of the experience? What did you think was the most difficult part? What would you do differently next time?

Last week we talked about IDENTITY.  What did you learn from our discussion that you think is important to remember?  Why do you think identity matters?

Today we toured the villages of Samoa, Aotearoa and Fiji at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We also learned about the voyaging canoe Iosepa in the village of Hawai’i. What did you learn? What do you wonder about? Why do you think it was important for us to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center?