Hawaii

June 16th my husband and I made the long trip to beautiful Hawaii. We flew from Birmingham, AL to Denver and from Denver to Honolulu. There is a 5 hour time difference and when we arrived at 4:30 in the afternoon it was 9:30 p.m. our time. Our stay was six glorious days.

I had the privilege of telling stories at 4 public libraries and presenting a workshop for the Hawaii Children's Literature Conference at the University of Hawaii.

Hawaii is a beautiful state. The residents are the most gracious people I have ever met. The beauty of the mountains and the water takes your breath away. We stayed in Waikiki Beach at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach. It was a great location for walking to see local sites. The Shore Bird Restaurant in the hotel was marvelous for the great food not to mention it sits on the beach allowing you to watch the water and surfers and boats while you eat.

We were able to attend a luau and enjoy the history about the local culture. We visited the International Market Place and found souvenirs for ourselves and family.

I felt sadness when it was time to leave. You can really lose tract of time and days in such a place. Words are just not enough to describe it.

How we learn

I'm, sure that you have heard this before (It's not original by me.) but it bears repeating:

We remember only 10% of what we read.
We remember only 20% of what we hear.
We remember only 30% of what we see.
We remember 50% of what we both hear and see.
We remember 70% of what we see, hear, and discuss with others.
We remember 80% of what we experience personally.
We remember 90% of what we see, hear, discuss, and experience.

If children are going to learn, then we as teachers need to involve them in the process. Research indicates that asking questions before and after reading a story increases learning.