Hawaiian Islands

Can you feel the warm sunshine on your skin? Can you hear the gentle waves whisper a soft ‘shhh’ as they tickle your toes in the sand? You can smell sweet flowers blooming all around. We are a happy family of islands, like green jewels sparkling in the big, blue ocean. Hello. We are the Hawaiian Islands.

Our story began a long, long time ago. Deep under the sea, fiery volcanoes bubbled up. Pop. Pop. Pop. We grew bigger and bigger, like stacking blocks, until our mountain tops peeked out of the water to say hello to the sun. For a long time, it was just us and the birds. Then, one day, brave people found us. They were the Polynesian voyagers. They came in big, beautiful canoes around the year 400, following the sparkly stars in the night sky to find their way. Many years later, a captain named James Cook sailed his big ship to visit us in the year 1778. He was so happy to see our tall, green mountains and sandy beaches.

Today, we are a home for many wonderful people, colorful flowers, and playful fish that swim in our warm water. We have a very special word here. The word is ‘aloha’. It means hello, goodbye, and most of all, it means love and kindness. We love to share our aloha spirit with everyone who visits. On a sunny day, August 21st, 1959, we became a special part of a big family of places called the United States. We are here to remind everyone to be kind, to care for the beautiful world, and to always share your aloha.