How can we protect our paddles?
Our paddles seem to be getting worn quickly. Of course during an expedition like this, some wear in the paddles is expected and normal. Chips have developed in all of our wooden-shafted paddles. Oddly, all of the chips are in the same area on only the right side of the shaft. It leads us to believe that the wearing might be due to the snaps for our spray skirts. We plan to bring them back to the US with us to fix them so that they are good as new before we begin paddling in September.
Do you have any suggestions to keep them from wearing more during the next 10 days?
Thank you for posting how you interact with your habitat, and how your lives are different than those of people living in the Amazon. We learned that many of you walk to school, which is good for the environment and good for you!
Below are some more answers the questions you asked us on Monday.
What is it like to have no electronics?
The Wilderness Classroom team has some electronics. We have computers, a satellite phone, cameras, and video cameras for doing the website updates. Some team members have mp3 players to listen to music. We also have a GPS transmitter to determine our location. People in the communities also have some electronics. In Brazil almost every community we've been to has power in the evenings and some have had power all the time. Many families have televisions with satellite reception, radios, stereos, etc. We have seen any computers in the communities, but we see a lot of them in the towns and cities. Our team doesn't have access to television, but we have so much to do that we don't miss it.
Is it hard adjusting to hot temperatures & insects?
We have had a tough time adjusting to hot temperatures, especially the high temperatures in the mid-afternoon. We've been lucky for the last week or so with cloud cover most of the time and a gentle breeze that makes it a bit more tolerable. When the sun is really hot for a long time, we cool off by swimming in the river.
Do the communities have stores, books, flags, maps, refrigerators?
Some of the larger communities have small stores, usually run out of someone's house, that sell limited items like a convenience store. They have soda, cookies, soap, rice, beans, and maybe a few other common things. We have seen books in many of the communities, especially in the schools, but we haven't seen a library. Some communities have flags. There is a national flag for Brazil and a regional flag for the Amazonas area. Most folks don't have maps because they know their area very well and don't need maps. The older people pass on the geographic knowledge to the younger people. The Wilderness Classroom team has a large map of the Amazon area without much detail, we also have a small hand drawn map, but have found it unreliable. For the most part, we use Google Earth at night to determine our location and to look at our path of travel for the coming day. Most people in the communities do not have refrigerators because they only have power at night fueled by a generator. In some of the larger communities close to large towns or cities with full time power, we have seen refrigerators.
Are there any traditions we've seen similar to those in US?
When we were in Coari there was a large Mother's Day celebration going on with a parade. To give the sign that things are good, people in Brazil give the thumbs up. It's used even more than in the U.S.
What is a traditional home like?
Traditional homes are built of wood and either have metal roofs or thatched roofs. They are all built on piers to raise them up off the ground to help protect them from animals, but also to keep them safe in case of a flood. Many homes have steps leading up to the front door and some have either a front porch or a back porch. Homes are small and rooms are often multi-purpose with cooking, living, and sleeping happening all in the same areas. There are often multiple generations of families living together with grand parents, parents, kids and sometimes even great grandparents all under one roof.
What is a traditional meal?
The staple items in the diet of people living in Amazonas are fish, manioc, farinha, and bananas. Most communities also raise chickens and pigs for meat, some also have cows. People tend to eat a small meal first thing in the morning, a large lunch mid-day and a light dinner late in the evening. Most of the work is done early in the day while it's cool and then after lunch is a fairly quiet time. Things pick up again in the late afternoon just before sunset.
Thank you for posting how you interact with your habitat, and how your lives are different than those of people living in the Amazon. We learned that many of you walk to school, which is good for the environment and good for you!Below are some more answers the questions you asked us on Monday.
What is it like to have no electronics?
The Wilderness Classroom team has some electronics. We have computers, a satellite phone, cameras, and video cameras for doing the website updates. Some team members have mp3 players to listen to music. We also have a GPS transmitter to determine our location. People in the communities also have some electronics. In Brazil almost every community we've been to has power in the evenings and some have had power all the time. Many families have televisions with satellite reception, radios, stereos, etc. We have seen any computers in the communities, but we see a lot of them in the towns and cities. Our team doesn't have access to television, but we have so much to do that we don't miss it.
Is it hard adjusting to hot temperatures & insects?
We have had a tough time adjusting to hot temperatures, especially the high temperatures in the mid-afternoon. We've been lucky for the last week or so with cloud cover most of the time and a gentle breeze that makes it a bit more tolerable. When the sun is really hot for a long time, we cool off by swimming in the river.
Do the communities have stores, books, flags, maps, refrigerators?
Some of the larger communities have small stores, usually run out of someone's house, that sell limited items like a convenience store. They have soda, cookies, soap, rice, beans, and maybe a few other common things. We have seen books in many of the communities, especially in the schools, but we haven't seen a library. Some communities have flags. There is a national flag for Brazil and a regional flag for the Amazonas area. Most folks don't have maps because they know their area very well and don't need maps. The older people pass on the geographic knowledge to the younger people. The Wilderness Classroom team has a large map of the Amazon area without much detail, we also have a small hand drawn map, but have found it unreliable. For the most part, we use Google Earth at night to determine our location and to look at our path of travel for the coming day. Most people in the communities do not have refrigerators because they only have power at night fueled by a generator. In some of the larger communities close to large towns or cities with full time power, we have seen refrigerators.
Are there any traditions we've seen similar to those in US?
When we were in Coari there was a large Mother's Day celebration going on with a parade. To give the sign that things are good, people in Brazil give the thumbs up. It's used even more than in the U.S.
What is a traditional home like?
Traditional homes are built of wood and either have metal roofs or thatched roofs. They are all built on piers to raise them up off the ground to help protect them from animals, but also to keep them safe in case of a flood. Many homes have steps leading up to the front door and some have either a front porch or a back porch. Homes are small and rooms are often multi-purpose with cooking, living, and sleeping happening all in the same areas. There are often multiple generations of families living together with grand parents, parents, kids and sometimes even great grandparents all under one roof.
What is a traditional meal?
The staple items in the diet of people living in Amazonas are fish, manioc, farinha, and bananas. Most communities also raise chickens and pigs for meat, some also have cows. People tend to eat a small meal first thing in the morning, a large lunch mid-day and a light dinner late in the evening. Most of the work is done early in the day while it's cool and then after lunch is a fairly quiet time. Things pick up again in the late afternoon just before sunset.
Comments
Wear gloves while you are paddling to deter wearing.
Tape the paddles until you get back home.
1st Period
SHJH
Posted by: Mrs. Hartley | May 7, 2008 8:13 AM
use your hands
Posted by: nicky | May 7, 2008 8:22 AM
try asking for something that could keep the paddles together or get some new ones.
Posted by: joe | May 7, 2008 8:23 AM
A way to preserve your paddles is being careful with them. don't over use them if you don't need to. This might help them last 10 more days.
Posted by: Makaila | May 7, 2008 8:27 AM
Try not to use your paddles to much and that might help. But if you can't then try not to use them so much as you usually do. Try to be more carefull.
Hope I could help
Posted by: esther | May 7, 2008 8:28 AM
Our class has two ideas. The first one is to switch the paddles to the other side since it is only the right side that is worn. The other idea is to make another paddle from a branch or log.
Posted by: Mrs. V's class | May 7, 2008 8:42 AM
You can stick tape over the snaps.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 7, 2008 8:52 AM
Do you have any suggestions to keep them from wearing more during the next 10 days?
Don't let your paddles go in the water for a while.
Don't let the paddles go in the water because they get chips.
To protant the paddle by taking it out.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 7, 2008 9:09 AM
YOu could use medal(if they have any) instead of wood so it would be tougher.
Hope this works! 5L
Posted by: BELTER-FIRST COMMENT | May 7, 2008 9:15 AM
YOu could use medal(if they have any) instead of wood so it would be tougher.
Hope this works! 5L
Posted by: BELTER-FIRST COMMENT | May 7, 2008 9:15 AM
Do you have any suggestions to keep them from wearing more during the next 10 days?
you can use clothe and put the clothe around the shaft.You can shafe the shaft.You can us stering and put it around the shaft.you can use tape and put it around the shaft.
Posted by: napthali | May 7, 2008 9:15 AM
Use cloth to cover the snaps. Duct tape the paddles where they rub.
Posted by: Gary Keiser | May 7, 2008 9:16 AM
Do you have any suggestions to keep them from wearing more during the next 10 days?
you can use clothe and put the clothe around the shaft.You can shafe the shaft.You can us stering and put it around the shaft.you can use tape and put it around the shaft.
Posted by: jazmine | May 7, 2008 9:16 AM
Ride the current!
Just use the paddles to turn if the current pushes you in a way you don't want to go.
Posted by: Mrs. Bickel's Class | May 7, 2008 9:25 AM
You could use some of the sap from the trees to rub it on the paddles
Posted by: Andrew G | May 7, 2008 10:50 AM
You could cover the paddles with a raincoat or you could cover them with tape!
I think that you should cover the paddles with a raincoat because it doesnt need electicity! The raincoat is waterproof! Also its no harm to animals1
Posted by: Anonymous | May 7, 2008 10:50 AM
My class suggests that you could use some of the rubber sap from the rubber tree to either cover the snaps or to fill in the spaces worn down on the paddles by the snaps. Another idea is to use vines to cover up the damaged paddles.
Posted by: Mrs. Ellis | May 7, 2008 10:57 AM
You could buy some duct tape in Manaus and cover the chipped areas with the tape.
Posted by: Mrs. D's class | May 7, 2008 11:13 AM
You guys should swim.
Posted by: Rezac | May 7, 2008 12:00 PM
A way to preserve the paddles is by not over using the paddles.You could also put something hard so they wont brake or put tape on them.
Posted by: jessica briseno | May 7, 2008 12:03 PM
I think you should protect your selfs without having bacteria or other staff.Also you could protect your selves with cloths.
Posted by: Jeyci | May 7, 2008 12:04 PM
i think you people should try 2 use them lessonly when you really need it
Posted by: kathy | May 7, 2008 12:10 PM
try to use another material that doesn't wear out.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 7, 2008 12:10 PM
u should buy some new ones or trying buliding your own
Posted by: RALPHIE | May 7, 2008 12:13 PM
put tape around the paddle to protected . as for you use gloves or take turns paddleing.
Posted by: alfonso | May 7, 2008 12:55 PM
Maybe put some tape or a special tape so it could stay together.
Posted by: Maria s | May 7, 2008 12:56 PM
you put some protecting in the bottom
Posted by: juan | May 7, 2008 12:56 PM
i think that you and your team
mate could use a special tape or glue.
Posted by: Maria.V | May 7, 2008 12:57 PM
by wearing gloves and by not using it a lot also protect your selves without having bacteria
Posted by: ola | May 7, 2008 12:58 PM
I THINK THAT YOU GUYS SHOULD PUT SOMETHING OVER ALL OF YOUR PADDLES. OR JUST PUT SOME TYPE OF THING SO NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. HAVE A NICE DAY THIS IS MIREYA FROM CHAVEZ :]
Posted by: MIREYA | May 7, 2008 12:58 PM
I think that you could use tape
Posted by: Maria s | May 7, 2008 12:59 PM
you could pretect them by putting them in a safe place that nobody could get it or now where it could be.
Posted by: c_diaz | May 7, 2008 12:59 PM
you can make the paddles out of another material like plastic or something else
Posted by: sam | May 7, 2008 1:00 PM
i think u should make some....
thiz iz jennifer 4m chavez..
Posted by: Anonymous | May 7, 2008 1:05 PM
I THINK used a special tape.
Posted by: Jasminne A | May 7, 2008 1:06 PM
I think that you should try to buy new ones or you should try to build new ones use CREATIVITY........
Posted by: Anonymous | May 7, 2008 1:11 PM
you should make new ones or buy cheep ones an try to fix them really well
Posted by: Marie | May 7, 2008 3:54 PM
Dont leave them in the water at night and take them out!And also when theres currents take them out.
Posted by: mckennna | May 7, 2008 8:05 PM
-make new paddles
-use metal paddles
-wear gloves
Posted by: Anonymous | May 8, 2008 2:04 PM
I think that you should go to the local store in the next town and buy some cloth or heavy-duty material. Then wrap it arould the grip on the handle. It might help.
Posted by: Sportysam24 | May 8, 2008 7:16 PM
A raincoat can be your best friend!
I think you should try using a rain coat because a raincot is the best thing you could use if your paddling through the Amazon!
You should use a raincoat because it's really safe to the enviroment! it's safe to the enviroment because it dosnt use electricity!
A raincoat is also really safe! There's nothing safer than a raincoat! It's safe because it's waterproof! So a raincoat is easy to hold onto!
It's one of the easiest thing to hold onto! When it's wet it's not slippery! When it gets wet it's still really light!
I love raincoats like how an adault loves his or her kid!
Posted by: Gracie | May 9, 2008 9:05 AM