Salty Sam’s Fun Blog for Children
Number 477
Hawaii
Hello Everyone
A few days ago, Bill and Bob’s mum asked them to tidy up their bedroom and they had hardly got started when they found their globe under a pile of clothes.
They thought that looking at the countries on the globe was more interesting than tidying up and in the end not much got done.
They told me that they had noticed some islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and it had struck them how remote they looked way out to sea on their own.
l told them that these islands were actually the tips of volcanoes which were rising up from the floor of the ocean.
Hawaii is a group of islands created by an undersea magma source. The islands rise up in the south-east and move to the north-west. As they move away from the source that made them, they become flatter.
Of course, this activity takes place over millions of years.
There are 137 islands altogether lined up over one and a half thousand miles.
A group of islands is called an archipelago.
The islands have different names.
The biggest one to the south-east is called often call Big lsland (although its proper name is Hawaii) and has live volcanoes spewing up hot lava on its southern side. People do live on this island in communities away from this activity.
The other main islands are called Maui, Kaho’olawe, Lāna’I, Moloka’I, O’ahu, Kaua’I and Ni’ihau. They have different densities of population and a couple are not freely open to visitors. The largest city is the state capital Honolulu on O’ahu. lt has many tall, modern buildings, many of which are hotels overlooking the ocean. Because of the way the city limits have been designated, Honolulu is the biggest city in the world.
The small islands way over to the north-west of this group of islands are flat and are inhabited by nesting seabirds and other wildlife.
The names of the islands and the names of lots of other places on the islands come from the language of the original people to live on these islands.
Hawaiian and English are now the official languages.
Lots of races now live in Hawaii, and lots of tourists visit as well.
The islands are thought of as a paradise and are often a favourite destination for people on honeymoon. lt is warm all year round with enough rainfall to sustain lush tropical growth and there are cooling winds from the sea that keep down air humidity.
Although the islands are mostly warm and sunny all year round, Mount Wai’ale’ale on Kaua’i has one of the highest rainfalls on Earth and snow can fall on high peaks of Big lsland in winter.
Climates can vary from island to island!
Hawaii is especially known for beautiful beaches, tall palm trees, Hawaiian music, incorporating the ukulele which is a small guitar-like instrument, and dancing in traditional grass skirts – also a warm welcome accompanied by a gift of a floral wreath that is placed around the neck.
The sea around the islands is very deep, and large, powerful sea waves come in to the shore so Hawaii is also famous for having good surfing conditions.
Famous competitions are held for surfing and golf.
The islands are a state of the United States of America.
They are the only state to be an island, the only state to incorporate the Union Jack in their flag and the only state to have a royal palace. There are no reigning Hawaiian monarchs now and this building is used as a police headquarters.
The islands were first mapped by Europeans in 1778 when they were discovered and documented by the explorer Captain Cook. Now tourism is a major source of income to the islands. Millions of visitors arrive every year by plane or ship.
Arrivals are adorned with a neck garland made of flowers, leaves and vines called a lei (pronounced lay) which is a traditional Polynesian welcome of greeting and affection. They are also worn by locals, both men and women, as decoration.
People who live on the islands say it is a very spiritual place.
Aloha is a Hawaiian word for love and peace. lt is often used as a greeting but has a deep meaning relating to an invisible force that holds together the whole of creation. The locals have the belief that nature and the supernatural are continuously connected.
Hilo is the oldest town in Hawaii and sits besides an ancient volcano that can erupt at any time. The locals there believe the volcano is controlled by Pele the deity of fire and she will send out larva flows when she is displeased. She manifests herself before an eruption as a young or old woman or even a hitchhiker to warn of an impending eruption. lf you help her, you will have good luck.
There are lots of myths and legends told by the indigenous population.
They often talk about the fire, lightning and volcano goddess Pele who lives in the volcanoes and some make offerings to her in their garden in the hope that lava streams will not crush their property if a nearby volcano erupts.
They call her Tutu Pele which means Grandmother Pele to show reverence to her. There are stories that she has a sister called Nāmaka who is the goddess of the sea and the two sisters have an ongoing feud and pit their strengths against each other. This battle results in earthquakes and tsunamis that hit the islands.
Many say that Pele is not happy with the way the islands have been burdened with many buildings and an ever-growing population in recent times. Above all she wants respect for the land and the old ways. Ancient, sacred, burial sites have been disturbed during modern building work and the native islanders believe this is wrong and it has upset Pele.
Several areas are now designated as national parks to protect the land and the wildlife. There is even a rainforest zoo that people can visit.
There are 23 astronomical observatories in Hawaii with professional telescopes used for research. Not all of them are open to the public; they are for international scientists to use.
Why is Hawaii a good place for telescopes? Well, the skies are dark – there is little light pollution, and air pollution.
And being in Hawaii is probably more comfortable for scientists than being in Antarctica!
The Mauna Kea Observatories on the Big lsland are on high ground above most of the water vapour in the air.
Hawaii has good weather too, so there is little cloud to cover the skies.
The locals are not so happy about the telescopes being built on ground that is historically important to them though.
There are also lots of farms on Hawaii growing sugar cane, pineapples and coffee plants. One of the most valuable exports is honey.
The islands have lots of mountains, forests, sandy beaches and beautiful sunsets.
Bill and Bob say that they definitely want to go there one day!
And their bedroom never did get tidied up.
lf you like my blog, please support it by telling all your friends and followers about it.
Thank you!
And see you again next Fun Friday!
Love and kisses
Salty Sam
www.christina-sinclair.com
Bill and Bob’s Joke of the Week
Bill: Why does the Sun not go to school?
Bob: l don’t know.
Bill: Because it already has a million degrees
Salty Sam © Christina Sinclair 2015
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material from this blog without express and written permission from this blog’s author and owner is strictly prohibited.
Links may be used to www.christina-sinclair.com
Picture Gallery
Captain Cook
Honolulu
Iolani Palace
Surfing
Frangipani
Tiki mask
Surf boards
THE SALTY SAM NEWS DESK
This week, Miss Pringle asked her class if they knew what these idioms meant.
Do you know what they mean?
- To need all hands on deck
- A mutiny
- To bail someone out
- Like rats leaving a sinking ship
- On the rocks
- In uncharted territory
- To weather the storm
There will be an eclipse of the Sun on Monday 8th April. People in and around Manchester, Liverpool. Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Cardiff are most likely to see it.
You must not look directly at the Sun if you want to witness this spectacle.
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Quick Quiz
Some people only read a book on the beach or in a garden.
Some people only read in bed.
Some people read a book every week to continue to learn
for the whole of their life.
Read what you love – until you love to read!
Can you solve this puzzle to find types of books?
- f _ _ _ _ _ n
- n _ n-f _ _ _ _ _ n
- p _ _ _ _ _ e b _ _ _ s
- c _ _ _ t b _ _ _ s
- r _ _ _ _ e b _ _ _ s
- h _ _ _ y b _ _ _ s
- a _ _ _ s
lt’s the Weekend!
HOW TO MAKE SPA STAFF AND CLlENT CHARACTER DOLLS
Not everyone wants to go to the beach on holiday.
Some people love to relax in a spa and be pampered with treatments.
Here we have a masseur, a beauty therapist and a hairdresser.
There are also a couple of clients.
You will find the patterns for these dolls back on Blog Post 371.
STAFF
SHORT TUNIC FOR MASSEUR (KNIT TWO)
Using 4mm knitting needles and white dk yarn cast on 14 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Knit 18 rows of stocking stitch
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Cast off
SHORT TUNIC SLEEVES (KNIT TWO)
Using 4mm knitting needles and white dk yarn cast on 12 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Knit 10 rows of stocking stitch
Cast off
TO MAKE UP
Using Swiss darning stitches and a yarn of a contrasting colour embroider a line up the front of the tunic to represent an opening and then embroider French knots onto the knitting to represent buttons
(Remember that men and women’s clothing close up in different directions)
With right sides together using over-sew stitching
- Sew up shoulder seams
- Sew the tops of the sleeves in place
- Sew up side seams and under arm seams
TROUSERS (KNIT TWO)
Using 4mm knitting needles and black yarn cast on 14 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Knit 18 rows of stocking stitch
Decrease 1 stitch at the beginning of the next 4 rows of stocking stitch
Knit 4 rows stocking stitch
Slip 1 (p1, k1) repeat these 2 stitches to the last stitch purl 1
Repeat the last row once
Cast off rib-wise to give more stretch to the top of the trousers
TO MAKE UP
With right sides together using over-sew stitching
- Sew up the front and back seam of the trousers on the part that will fit onto the body
- Sew along the inside leg seams with right sides together using over-sew stitching
LONG TUNIC FOR BEAUTY THERAPIST (KNIT TWO)
Using 4mm knitting needles and pink dk yarn cast on 14 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Knit 26 rows of stocking stitch
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Cast off
LONG TUNIC SLEEVES (KNIT TWO)
Using 4mm knitting needles and pink dk yarn cast on 12 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Knit 4 rows of stocking stitch
Cast off
TO MAKE UP
Using Swiss darning stitches and a yarn of a contrasting colour embroider a line up the front of the tunic to represent an opening and then embroider French knots onto the knitting to represent buttons
(Remember that men and women’s clothing close up in different directions)
With right sides together using over-sew stitching
- Sew up shoulder seams
- Sew the tops of the sleeves in place
- Sew up side seams and under arm seams
DRESS FOR HAIR STYLIST (KNIT TWO)
Using 4mm knitting needles and pale green dk yarn cast on 14 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Knit 24 rows of stocking stitch
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Cast off
DRESS SLEEVES (KNIT TWO)
Using 4mm knitting needles and pale green dk yarn cast on 12 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Knit 2 rows of stocking stitch
Cast off
TO MAKE UP
With right sides together using over-sew stitching
- Sew up shoulder seams
- Sew the tops of the sleeves in place
- Sew up side seams and under arm seams
APRON FOR HAIR STYLIST (KNIT TWO)
Using 4mm knitting needles and pink dk yarn cast on 8 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Increase 1 stitch at each end of the next knit row
Knit 2, purl 6, knit 2
Increase 1 stitch at each end of the next knit row
Knit 2, purl 8, knit 2 (12sts)
Knit 1 row
Knit 2, purl 8, knit 2
Repeat last 2 rows 6 times
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Cast off
APRON POCKET (KNIT ONE)
Using 4mm knitting needles and pink dk yarn cast on 8 stitches
Knit 4 rows of stocking stitch
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Cast off
TO MAKE UP
With right sides together using over-sew stitching
- Sew the pocket to the front of the apron
- Sew up shoulder seams
- sew 4 ties of 15cm lengths to the sides of the apron so that this garment can lie flat against the dress
CLIENTS
DRESSING GOWN FOR CLIENT BACK (KNIT ONE)
Using 4mm knitting needles and white dk yarn cast on 16 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Knit 26 rows of stocking stitch
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Cast off
DRESSING GOWN RIGHT FRONT (KNIT ONE)
Using 4mm knitting needles and white dk yarn cast on 10 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Knit 1 row
Purl 7, knit 3
Repeat the last 2 rows 12 times
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Cast off
DRESSING GOWN LEFT FRONT (KNIT ONE)
Using 4mm knitting needles and white dk yarn cast on 10 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Knit 1 row
Knit 3, purl 7
Repeat the last 2 rows 12 times
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Cast off
SLEEVES (KNIT TWO)
Using 4mm knitting needles and white dk yarn cast on 14 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Knit 8 rows of stocking stitch
Cast off
BELT (KNIT ONE)
Using 4mm knitting needles and white dk yarn cast on 3 stitches
Knit 100 rows of garter stitch
Cast off
TO MAKE UP
With right sides together using over-sew stitching
- Sew up shoulder seams
- Sew the tops of the sleeves in place
- Sew up side seams and under arm seams
TOWEL WRAP (KNIT ONE)
Using 4mm knitting needles and white dk yarn cast on 34 stitches
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Knit 1 row
Knit 2, purl 30, knit 2
Repeat the last 2 rows 9 times
Knit 2 rows of garter stitch
Cast off
TO MAKE UP
Catch stitch into place at the top making sure that it fits the body of the doll you are putting it onto
Please note that the material on this blog is for personal use and for use in classrooms only.
It is a copyright infringement and, therefore, illegal under international law to sell items made with these patterns.
Use of the toys and projects is at your own risk.
©Christina Sinclair Designs 2015
Answers to the News Desk Quiz
- To need all hands on deck – everyone available to help should come and help to sort out a problem
- A mutiny – a crew challenging the authority of a captain
- To bail someone out – to help them out with their problem, probably with money
- Like rats leaving a sinking ship – people leaving an organization or group because they seemed doomed to failure
- On the rocks – ruined
- In uncharted territory – tackling something you have not done before
- To weather the storm – to get through a problem
Quick Quiz Answers
- fiction – novels and story books
- non-fiction – books with facts
- picture books – most of the book is pictures
- craft books – books with instructions and patterns
- recipe books – how to cook dishes
- hobby books – learning how to do a hobby
- atlas – a book of maps
Embroidery Stitches
