I hope you liked the boomerang you received in your box this month. I found a few YouTube videos that tell you how to throw one. I liked this one. I hope you can get your boomerang to come back to you.
What makes a boomerang work? I found an interesting article by Popular Science that addresses the physics of this. Are you interesting in making one? Here is a link to a video by Science Samurai showing how to make your own. Elias, I know you love science so I challenge you on this one. Let me know if you make your own. I would be mighty impressed.
I always like to find some fun facts about topics and here are a few:
**The oldest boomerang was found in Poland and is believed to be over 30,000 years old. It was made from a Mammoth Tusk.
**The longest boomerang flight known was over 2 minutes.
**The largest returning boomerang is over 9 feet tip to tip.
The Boomerang, able to fly much farther than a spear, was originally used to bring down game while hunting. The Aborigines (original people) of Australia used them thousands of years ago. Not all boomerangs are meant to return and they can be a variety of shapes and sizes. The early ones were made from roots, limbs, or bones. They were multipurpose, not just used for hunting. I found one type that has a special hook on it meant to catch on the shield of the person you were fighting. After hooking onto the shield the fighter could swing behind the shield to attack.
Not all hunting techniques involved hitting the animal. One technique involved throwing the boomerang over a flock of birds. The birds, mistaking it for a bird-of-prey, would drop down into nets or toward waiting hunters.
Other uses include starting a fire by rubbing the boomerangs together. Some were used as clappers in music and dance. I read that they are Sonorus when struck together. (I had to look that up: –Definition of sonorous: having a sound that is deep, loud, and pleasant)
Today there are competitions built around the art/ sport of throwing. The Boomerang Association of Australia has a great online newsletter. Check it out.
There are some boomerangs that are just too beautiful to throw. You can find them for sale or in art museums. Symbols are often included in the decoration and have meaning. Here is an example of symbols used.
I would like to decorate my own tool and make up symbols that are relevant to me. Here is one I designed just for our trip.
Nanna Trips 