Teach Me Obi-Wan!

Okay so my dad isn’t a Jedi master, but once upon a time he was not only a Scoutmaster but a great teacher. He had so many things he wanted to share with his goof ball of a son, but all the boy wanted to do was to see the end result of whatever it was.

For instance, Dad wanted to show me how to attach the strings to a kite so that it would fly just right. But all I wanted was to run with the already strung kite and fly it up high. Here’s another example, with a rope in hand, he wanted to show me how to tie the various knots. And all I would be interested in was getting hold of the rope so I could tie my sister up.

Well lately, I was thinking of all the fascinating things he had showed me when I was little and now I have the greatest of desire to learn it all so that I, in turn may pass it on.

So first I asked Dad if he would teach me how to make a whistle out of coconut leaves. So after mass on Sunday he went with Mom to Changi to watch the Air show and on their way back, he got hold of some coconut leaves to show me.

Dad in action….

Snipping two tiny equal length of leaves to be placed

together prior to using a longer piece to wrap round it.

Beginning to wrap it round the two smaller pieces.

The end result…the Coconut Leaf Whistle!

At a different angle….

This is me…trying my hand at it!….First I stripped the leaves from the spine…

Then I coiled (wrap) it round the two smaller pieces from pic 2

Then I placed a snipped off piece of the spine and secure the end by gently screwing it through the leaves.

Then I squeeze the tip slightly, to part the two smaller pieces

My very own working Coconut Leaf Whistle!

Posing for a photo shot!

 

*Footnotes*

• My working whistle shown above was possible only on the fourth attempt!
• I chose Obi-Wan for the title because Dad speaks fluently, unlike Yoda! hee hee
• Next I hope to learn how he makes a grasshopper out of the same kind of leaves or how to tie the various kinds of knots using a rope…hmmm *thinks of bondage and…..erm never mind*