Knowmads ®

Presenting TotoTravels to my own children

It was fun after all these years to have the opportunity to give my Toto Travels slide presentation to my own children's classrooms at Travis Heights Elementary. Until now it has always been in classrooms of my friends' children. The kids enjoyed seeing my sandals made out of recycled tires from Arusha, Tanzania and my toothbrushes made from twigs from Ethiopia. So much so, my son asked me that night if he could brush his teeth the way the Ethiopian family did with a stick toothbrush. He said it wasn't bad, but he preferred his Colgate toothpaste.

I think the teachers as much as the students enjoyed seeing my photos of the African elementary schools with their attentive children in much more barren classrooms.

 

Chapter 2: Big Island of Hawaii - Kings, Lava, & Manta Rays

Do you know only five of the fifty United States were their own countries before becoming a state? One is the island chain of Hawaii. (The others are Texas, where I grew up, California, Vermont, and some parishes of Louisana). Hawaii is the only one that was a monarchy, which means the people of Hawaii had a king and a queen. King Kamehameha the Great was the king who, by 1806, had united all the islands under his rule. How's that for a cool name? Do you think you can pronounce it? (Kah-MAY-ha-MAY-ha)

Toto went to the Big Island of Hawaii. I bet you can guess which island that is on the map!  The big island of Hawaii is very diverse.  It is basically the top of the world's largest mountain formed by a volcano (measured from the bottom of the ocean to the top of Mauna Kea volcano). I know you probably think of beaches when you think of Hawaii, but Mauna Kea volcano has snow at the top!  The Big Island also has one of the largest cattle ranches in America, the Parker Ranch.  It was founded in 1847 and has over 175,000 acres.  The cowboys in Hawaii are called "Paniolos," the Portuguese word for cowboy.  This is because the first ranch hands moved from Portugal to Hawaii even before Texas had cowboys.  Hawaii also has its own language.  So there is quite a bit to see and learn there above and below the water.

At Volcano National Park I saw remains of lava flows from Kileaua, the world's most active volcano.  Here you can see how the lava flowed over the road several years ago (double click on the pictures to see them larger).  You can see just how much lava flows across the land when the volcano erupts.

I guess there was a road at one point next to this old road sign.  I thought this was a funny picture.   

One of the coolest (or should I say hottest) things I saw was the lava flowing into the ocean.  This is the newest land on earth, as the island gets bigger every day here.  When lava cools, it becomes rock.  Since the lava is flowing constantly now into the ocean and hardening, this part of the island is gaining more land every day. The park rangers don't let you get too close, as the lava is very hot and dangerous.  We walked across a mile of hardened lava where you could

see how it had once flowed, just like in the pictures above.  We got to the edge of the trail and saw this view of the lava hitting the water and forming instant clouds.  It is just like when you boil water, except it was molten rock that was boiling the water instantly as it hit the ocean waves.

One of the consequences of all this lava is that Hawaii has black sand beaches.  Sand is basically small rocks.  Since all the rock around this part of the island is black, instead of white or brown sand, the sand is black!  Here is a picture of some coconuts hatching into palm trees on a black sand beach that did not even exist several years ago.  I enjoyed seeing the white waves crash on the contrasting black sand.

Beyond the sand you are in the middle of the large Pacific Ocean.  If you find Hawaii on a globe or atlas, you will see that there is not any land anywhere near Hawaii.  That means that you get to see some amazing animals underwater.  When I was there, the humpback whales were giving birth.  While I was snorkeling by the beach, I could hear the whales talking to each other out in the ocean.  Then I went in a boat to go scuba diving, and we saw a baby whale and his mother.  The mom jumped way in the air, and it looked like this.  Scientists call this "breaching," and they think whales do it to either clean parasites off their skin or to just show off.

Perhaps the coolest thing I did in Hawaii was to go scuba diving at night with the manta rays.  Manta rays are also called devil rays because their cephalic fins by their mouths make them look like a devil, though they are actually nice and docile. When they are feeding, they roll these cephalic fins out like a shovel to scoop the small plankton they eat into their big mouths.  We went diving at night and took flashlights, which attract the plankton who need light to make their food. The mantas come to eat the plankton attracted by the scuba divers' lights.  You can see it yourself in the video link below taken by Martina from www.DolphinDreams.com. Click here to see the Manta Ray video.

You wouldn't believe how big these manta rays are.  Can you guess how big the four mantas we saw were?  The biggest, named Koie, was twelve feet or over 3.5 meters long.  Measure out how big twelve feet is with a ruler and you will be impressed.  As you can see in the video, they "fly" underwater and are very graceful.  Manta rays tails do not sting like the smaller sting rays, so they are completely harmless and quite friendly even though they weigh over 1000 pounds!  They must eat a lot of plankton to get that big.  In fact manta rays can grow up to a 25 foot wing span.  That means they can grow to the size of an 18 wheel truck, which is pretty big when you think about it!  In fact, manta rays are the fifth biggest creature in the ocean.  Their main predators are man and sharks.  They defend themselves from sharks by swimming away faster than the sharks can swim.  We did not see any sharks while we were diving.  My diving buddy and I did have to wear wet suits as the water was a bit cold at night after a while.

We also saw dolphins and turtles in Hawaii.  The turtles were really relaxed.  Now I know why Disney made the turtle characters like surfer dudes in "Finding Nemo" as they seemed really laid back and carefree in the water.  You can see a turtle video for yourself by clicking here.

I hope you get a chance someday to visit Hawaii as it is full of history, geology, and beautiful marine life beyond its great beaches.

If you want to see a video of Toto diving with the manta rays, click on the following link. You will need the latest version of QuickTime to watch it. Download TotoTravelsMantaVideoFeb06.mov

Big Island Questions:

1. How many states were their own country before joining the United States of America?
2. Which is the only state to have been a monarchy?
3. Define the word "lava".
4. How were the islands of Hawaii formed?
5. Why is steam created when the lava meets the ocean?
6. Why do humpback whales breach out of the water?
7. What do manta rays eat and how do they eat?
8. How big can manta rays grow?
9. What is the nick name for a manta ray? How did it get that name?
10. Are manta rays dangerous?
11. What are Hawaiian cowboys called?  From what country did that term come?
12. Why do you think the Manna Kea volcano has snow on top of it?
13. Toto saw a twelve foot manta ray.  How many classroom desks do you need to lay end to end to get the equivalent distance?
14. If there are 2.2 pounds in a kilogram, how many kilos does a 1000 pound manta ray weigh?

Global Citizen Questions about Hawaii:

1. Draw a picture of the creatures you might see underwater in Hawaii.
2. Look on a map and name all the Hawaiian islands that make up the state of Hawaii.  Write down the capital of Hawaii and which island it is on.
3. If manta rays are the fifth largest creature in the ocean, what do you think the other four might be?
4. Research the Paniolos of Hawaii and why they might have moved to Hawaii in the 1800s.
5. Research the Hawaiian monarchy to determine the name of the last king or queen and how Hawaii became a state.
6. Find the elevations of the Hawaiian islands.  Compare those to land forms or buildings near you.

Epilogue:

Sadly, when Toto was in Zanzibar, Tanzania, he saw an example of the Manta Rays' worst predator - humans. Here is a picture of five manta rays for sale on the ground of the fish market there. Hopefully we can work together to help prevent humans from killing these beautiful animals for food.

Chapter 1: Quebec, Canada - Where Does Maple Syrup Come From

If you're like me, you love maple syrup.  But where does it come from?  Any guesses?

It is made from the sap of a maple tree!  Maybe that is why the Canadians chose the Maple Leaf as the symbol in their flag. 

I went with some friends to a "Sugar Shack" in Quebec, Canada to see how maple syrup is made and to eat LOTS of maple syrup.

Most maple syrup is made in Quebec (and in Vermont, USA just South of Quebec, Canada).  A Sugar Shack is a Quebec tradition.  Schools and families often go to the Sugar Shack when the farmers are making maple syrup - usually in March and April.  Why then?  Well, let's learn why.

My Quebec friends were proud to tell me that the Indians discovered how to make maple syrup.  (In the US we refer to Indians as Native Americans.  In Canada they prefer the term First Peoples.) 

It all starts by collecting the maple tree sap in buckets like this.  Around March, a tree can tell that spring is coming and so it starts to push the sap up from its roots to its branches to make its new leaves. The farmer puts a little spigot through the bark which drips the sap into the bucket.  The sap looks just like water.  When we tasted it, the sap tasted like water with a small sweet taste.  The First Peoples must have been very smart to realize this sap could be made into delicious syrup!

So how does the sap become the syrup that Toto loves to put on his pancakes, waffles, ice cream, ham, eggs, and baked beans (baked beans!)?  Well, first the farmer has to collect all the sap in all the buckets from all the trees.  In the old days they used to do this with horses and wagons often through the snow as the weather is often still cold.  Then the farmer pours the sap into a long metal pan with a fire underneath.  Here is my friend, Emile, in the Sugar Shack next to the pan used to boil the sap down into syrup.

The farmer has to boil 30 gallons of sap to get just one gallon of maple syrup.  No wonder my Dad used to tell me not to pour so much all over my pancakes that I had pools of it left over on my plate.  He would only let me get away with that with the less expensive Aunt Jemima syrup, which is made from corn syrup, not authentic maple syrup which tastes much better.

Well, at the Sugar Shack you can pour as much as you like all over your food.  They want you to enjoy as much of their maple syrup as possible because they are proud of how good it tastes.   We poured it all over our dinner.  The best thing about dinner at the Sugar Shack with your school, friends or family is that they serve you breakfast!  We had eggs, ham, bacon and baked beans.  And I poured maple syrup over all of it!  Yumm.  Dessert was pancakes, maple pie (like pecan pie without the pecans), and a maple cobbler.  I poured syrup all over those as well.

My friends' favorite part was the maple taffy.  They remembered eating that every winter when they visited the sugar shack.  Basically the farmer boils the syrup even more to make it thicker and sweeter.  Then he pours it over a pan of snow so it hardens.  You then take a popsicle stick and peel the sticky maple taffy off the snow and eat it like a lollipop.  Super yumm!  My friend Emile and his father ate three of them each.  We had to dance afterward just so we would be able to fall asleep in our beds later that night after all that sugar.

You can ask some grown-ups to make you maple taffy.  My friends said their parents used to make it for them when they were kids.  First, you have to start with real maple syrup (not Log Cabin brand).  A grown-up must then boil it down so it is thicker and sweeter.  You then need to collect clean snow outside (best is to collect it in pans as it falls).  Otherwise, you will need to make some fine crushed ice like a snow cone at least a few centimeters thick (2 inches).  With a ladle, pour the warm syrup into the snow.  Let it cool for a couple minutes until it is really sticky and start pulling it off the snow with a clean popsicle stick.  Eat it before it droops down the stick and all over your hands!  Then thank the Native Americans for inventing maple syrup for all of us to enjoy.

Sugar Shack Questions:

1. Which leaf is on the Canadian flag?
   a) Poison Ivy  b) The Oak Leaf  c) The Maple Leaf  d) Loose Leaf paper
2. What months do they collect maple syrup?
3. Write the definition of a spigot.
4. Write two words that rhyme with 'sugar'.
5. Write down two other words that have the same number of syllables as 'Canada'.
6. If I need to make two and a half gallons of maple syrup, how much maple sap do I need to collect?
7. Why did Toto's Dad not allow him to waste too much maple syrup on his pancakes?
8. Which state in the United States makes the most maple syrup?
9. Why do you have to boil down the maple sap to make syrup?
10. Draw a picture of you making maple syrup for the Sugar Shack, be sure and include the Canadian flag!
11. Imagine you were a First People collecting maple syrup for your family.  Describe your adventure for the day.
12. How many quarts of Aunt Jemima syrup at $2.50/quart can you buy for the same price as one gallon of real maple syrup at $50.00/gallon?  Hint: There are four quarts in one gallon.

Global citizen questions about Quebec:

1. Find Quebec on a map. 
   a) What is the capital of Quebec? 
   b) Which US States border Quebec?
   c) What is the name of the large river that flows past Montreal and connects to the Great Lakes?
   
2. Draw the Quebec flag.  Hint: It is different from the Canadian flag.
3. Do you know Quebec is bigger than Alaska?  90% of the Quebec population lives within 200 miles of the US border.  Why do you think that is?
4. Why do you think the Canadians call the Indians the First Peoples?
5. List all the provinces of Canada.
6. Research and explain the history of why one of Quebec's official languages is French.
7. Do a taste test of real maple syrup and pancake syrup made with corn syrup.  Describe the difference.