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Exploring the Stories of Manoa

Exploring the Stories of Manoa
June Pepper

Hau‘oli makahiki hou! We have hit the ground running in this first week back at school by going to the Lyon Arboretum to continue our inquiry work. It is exciting to think about where our wonderings will take us this semester. But let’s take a moment to reflect on where we have been so we can see better where we might go.

At the beginning of the school year, we pondered the possibility that stories surround us everywhere. The children explored their own stories first by researching and sharing the origins and stories connected with their names. The focus on individuality then broadened to thinking about the places where they live, and what might make them unique. This led to thinking about a place that is an almost daily, common experience in the lives of the children: Manoa!

Every Monday morning, all of the elementary students gather in the courtyard and begin the week with our oli, Welina Manoa. They stand facing in the direction of Manoa and chant about its gentle winds and rains. But what is Manoa? From where we stand in the courtyard, we can see only a small sliver of mountain. Is Manoa a mountain? Is there more to it? We wondered.

Leslie Gleim, Mid-Pacific’s preschool pedagogista, treated the children to their first broad peek at Manoa through her personal aerial photography. Through her picturesque early-morning photographs, the children saw all of Manoa from a bird’s eye view. They found that Manoa was much more than a sliver of mountain. They observed:

  • “It’s a place surrounded by mountains.” – K.H.
  • “It [Manoa] looks like a V!” – L.S.
  • “There’s a flat ground in the middle.” – K.H
  • “It’s like a bowl. The flat part is a little slanted and the mountain is really tall.” – H.T.
  • “It looks like the mountains are guarding over buildings and houses and schools.” – E.L.

 

Leslie Gleim shows the children the helicopter she rode to capture aerial photography of Manoa.

This launched us into finding out about land forms, and the children have just determined that Manoa fits the bill of being a valley! But what are the stories in Manoa Valley?

Our research trip to the Lyon Arboretum gave us a thread to begin thinking about “nature stories” in Manoa. Walking through the expansive grounds, the children experienced being in Manoa from a different vantage point, and they were introduced to seeds and plant cycles, propagation, and preservation of nature.

Our trip next week to the Manoa Heritage Center may give us opportunities to learn more about agriculture and maybe hear mo’olelo – legends or narratives – about the valley.

We are excited to see where our wonderings about the stories of Manoa Valley take us this semester. Happy New Year!

This exploration of Manoa will be the central focus as we continue with our inquiry work this semester.

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