Lessons from the Kon-Tiki Expedition
The sixth grade’s recent Kon-Tiki project encompassed their studies of geography, economics, history, government, and culture. Sixth-grader William Sykes summarized what he learned through this hands-on project.
“We read about the exciting voyage of Thor Heyerdahl on the Kon-Tiki expedition. Thor Heyerdahl was a man who lived in a time when many people thought that people who lived in Polynesia were originally from Asia. He was very much against that idea, and instead thought that the people of Polynesia came from South America. In order to prove this theory, Thor decided to make his own raft out of the materials that the tribe would’ve used, gathered a team of several other men, and set sail from Peru.”
“In class we split up into small groups and also designed a raft that was supposed to be able to float and carry at least six pennies across a long tub of water. However, we were only able to use things like corks, sticks, balsa wood, and a few rubber bands. We could also use some things from home like water bottles, clay, and boxes.”
“After several days the groups were able to present. Our group had used a paper plate along with water bottles, string, a straw, and a piece of cloth to create a sail. Most people’s rafts turned out to be successful, but after a “rainstorm” (hose) some rafts could not hold up. This was the most creative part of the project, as it allowed our class to recreate Thor’s situation.”
“Then there is the final question. Did Thor succeed in making it to Polynesia? After 101 days, the raft made of balsa wood made a final landing (crash-landing) on the shores of eastern Polynesia. The crew had proved that it was possible for Peruvians to have gone to Polynesia hundreds of years ago. However, a new discovery has found that it was indeed people from Asia who inhabited the islands of Polynesia. This was found through DNA testing.”
