Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
Maika’i card works wonders at park
Show your Foodland Maika‘i card to receive a four-pack of tickets for $40 or a single $12 adult or junior admission to Sea Life Park.
Regular entrance fees to the park are $29.99 for adults ($19.99 for kamaaina) and $19.99 for children ages 3 to 12 ($14.99 for kamaaina).
The Maika‘i card also gives you a discount price for the Dolphin Encounter experience for $64.99 or Sea Trek Adventure for $59.99.
Sea Life Park is one of Foodland’s Maika‘i Perks partners. The promotion lasts until Feb. 29.
Visit www.foodland.com/files/sea.pdf for more information. Call Sea Life Park at 259-2500.
Baby hula classes swing
Babies and toddlers can get their first taste of hula at classes at Hale Pulelehua in Kaneohe.
The Hula Preservation Society offers both classes on Tuesday mornings for moms and their children.
From 9:30 to 9:55 a.m., Kumu Malia Helela teaches "Toddler Hula," designed for children between 18 months and 5 years old. The parent-participation class is filled with song and dance where young ones sit on laps or are free to be "on the move." Cost is $25 per family for a four-week session, payable at the first class, or $7 for drop-in participants.
Baby-wearing hula begins at 10 a.m. with an hourlong class taught by kumu Maile Loo for moms with babies who can be worn in carriers (or moms who are pregnant). Moms must bring their own baby carriers.
You will experience hula, Hawaiian culture and learn songs you can sing and dance to at home with your babies. Older children may play in the studio while moms dance. Cost is $40 for a four-week series, payable at the first class, or $12 for drop-ins per class.
Classes take place at the Hale Pulelehua, 46-020 Alaloa St. in Kaneohe. Call 247-9440 or email workshops@hulapreservation.org to reserve a spot. Visit www.halepulelehua.org for more information.
Go Bananas
Get in shape for the 11th Annual Jamba Banana Man Chase at Magic Island on May 5.
The 5K (about 3.1-mile) run gives participants the opportunity to chase giant bananas around Ala Moana Beach Park and Magic Island. Kids ages 3 to 13, meanwhile, can participate in a 500-meter Keiki Fun Run and receive a medal.
Fun activities for keiki include speed and quickness drills, balloon animals, bouncers and face painting.
The Banana Man Chase begins at 7 a.m. at Ala Moana Beach Park (cost is $25 to register until April 20 and $30 afterward). The Keiki Fun Run starts at 7:45 a.m (cost is $15 to register). Prizes include free Jamba Juice for a year.
The deadline to register is May 3. Visit www.jambahawaii.com for more information.
Classes put science and art within reach
Students in first through fifth grades can explore the natural world around them at two spring break classes being offered at Lyon Arboretum in March.
The "Science & Art in Nature" class from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 12 to 14 will offer three days of hands-on learning. Students will spend their days hiking through the rain forest, exploring the garden, taking photos, cooking and creating artwork and Hawaiian crafts. Cost is $120.
The "Garden Adventures" class from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 15 and 16 allows students to explore the rain forest, discover a waterfall and take a closer look at the science of pollination in action. Outdoor activities such as hikes and garden adventures are balanced with indoor activities, including creative projects. Cost is $80.
Both classes are taught by Lyon Arboretum education staff.
Advanced registration is required. Call 988-0456 or go to www.hawaii.edu/lyonarboretum to download registration forms.
Kids follow presidential elections through student-written articles
The Republican primary campaign is providing an opportunity for an unusual group of reporters to contribute their take on the political process at the Scholastic News Election 2012 website, www.scholastic.com/election.
The Kids Press Corps, made up of 59 students ages 10 to 14, has been busy reporting on the results of the state primaries, and will continue with the Arizona and Michigan races to be held at the end of February.
The age-appropriate news is kept up to date — you can track the progress of primary votes on an interactive map — and is augmented with informative articles and election-related games. All this also provides resources for teachers and parents to discuss the presidential election with their keiki.
When the Republican Party determines who will run against President Barack Obama, the 2012 Scholastic Election Poll will open in late August, and students will be able to cast their votes in their own election. Voting will take place online and via paper ballots made available in the back-to-school issues of Scholastic News and Junior Scholastic magazines.
In the 2008 election, a quarter-million students in first through eighth grades participated in the poll.
81