Hakipu‘u Learning Center, Jarrett Middle School, and the YMCA – Bishop Museum: March 24, 2016
The students from Hakipu‘u Learning Center, Jarrett Middle School, and the YMCA were invited to the Bishop Museum to partake in educational deliveries covering wa‘a (canoe) design, engineering, history, and the physics of buoyancy and motion. The students were introduced to the design and construction of tin-foil canoes that were tested toward buoyancy with applied ballast.
Through the Bishop Museum’s docent guidance, the students explored the history of wa‘a, navigation, and the human impact upon the environment.
Through design and construction techniques, the students created their own canoes using natural and recycled materials. This exercise was developed as a means for the students to express their understanding of the engineering practices deemed necessary for successful canoes.
The Educational Specialists introduced the students to the traditional prevalent sail designs for construction. By their choice, the students selected and assembled their unique sails. In turn, the sails were applied to miniature double hull canoes and employed through group based relay/ time trial races.
