🌧️ Kilo: to watch closely, observe, forecast 🌦️ “Observing nature is how one learns the language of nature.” ~ ʻAnakala Nainoa Thompson Kilo is the foundation of the hoʻokele, the navigator. On a deep sea voyage, the navigator makes well over a thousand observations each day: wind speed & direction, location of sun, moon, and stars; cloud formations, swell directions, birds, marine life, and many more. All of these things can change moment to moment, requiring a new observation for each moment. The navigator must always be watching, listening, smelling, feeling, and on rare occasions even tasting, in order to notice those changes, process how they may affect the speed and direction of the waʻa, then decide how the crew must adjust the sails or steering to accommodate for those changes. The greatest compliment for a steers-person is when the navigator trusts your skills of observation enough to stay on course while they take a quick 20 minute nap. Otherwise, the navigator is awake for over 20 hours each day, making over a thousand observations in order to keep the canoe on course. Our keiki may not be on a deep sea voyage making a thousand observations a day on four hours of sleep, but the hope is that one day they will. So we start them off with a few observations each morning. Keiki are encouraged to revisit those observations throughout the day to see what has changed. Keiki who also kilo at home can easily reach over 100 observations per day. It just depends on how well versed they are in the language of nature and how long they are able to watch, listen, feel, smell, and taste the natural elements surrounding them. There are many distractions today that keep us from learning the language of nature. Just like this device you are looking at right now. So if you can, step away from your device and go outside, make a few observations, practice the language of nature. #kilo #hookele #navigation #stargazing #waa #hawaii #hokulea #ohanawaa #keiki #holomoana #olelohawaii #aloha #ohana #culture #language #indigenouslanguages #indigenous #love #fun #ocean #sailing #canoe #outdoor #weather #education #earlychildhoodeducation #nature #kids #happy #school