Over a thousand years ago, ancient Polynesian settlers reached Hawaii. In their canoes they brought with them over 20 types of plants. These plants, which we now call canoe plants, had many practical uses for native Hawaiians. On this field trip students will become familiar with many of the canoe plants and the legends surrounding them. Students will get to play a game in which they “colonize” different islands with their new plants. They will use plant material to make take-home crafts and prepare their own tea using the same ingredients as the early settlers.
Ancient Hawaiian Settlers Game
Ahupuhi Shampoo Ginger
Educational Display Garden
Standards Alignment: Hawaii State Social Studies Standards: GRADE 4 History Standard 3: PRE-CONTACT HAWAII Understand the people, events, problems, and ideas that were significant in pre-contact Hawaiian history ALL GRADES: CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY Standard 6: SYSTEMS, DYNAMICS, AND INQUIRY: Understand culture as a system of beliefs, knowledge, and practices shared by a group and understand how cultural systems change over time