A mishmash of family fun and news

Lego adventure takes children on global journey

The latest exhibit to come to the Bishop Museum combines the excitement of travel and kids’ fascination with vehicles with their enduring love for Lego.

The Lego Travel Adventure, which opens today, allows visitors to explore the world through the small plastic bricks, whether it be through painstakingly constructed dioramas of exotic locations or hands-on creation stations.

"Legos have appeal across a wide range of ages, from young children to adults," said Mike Shan­a­han, director of visitor experience at Bishop Museum. "This particular exhibit, ‘Lego Travel Adventure,’ has a travel theme that dovetails nicely with Hawaii’s role as a travel destination," he said.

Photo opportunities abound in the colorful display. Kids can pose in a race car constructed of Duplos or check out replicas of Henry Ford’s automobile factory and the Wright brothers’ biplane at Kitty Hawk, N.C.

Children can build and try out their own miniature cars on a racetrack. After building a car, plane, train or other creation, a station allows visitors to snap a photo of the piece and send it via email.

The exhibit includes a large "I Spy" case where visitors can search out travel-related items in a 3-D diorama exhibit, measuring 9 by 8 feet.

Younger visitors can have a hand in the fun in a play area filled with oversize bricks.

Lego Travel Adventure was created by the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis in conjunction with Lego Systems Inc. and is targeted at kids ages 3 to 10.

Young sea turtles head to Waikiki

They swim around, dive and explore the 1,000-gallon tank, and munch on lettuce, broccoli and celery.
Six Hawaiian green sea turtle hatchlings, on loan from Sea Life Park, have taken up residence at the Waikiki Aquarium.

“The exhibit underscores our mission to educate the public on marine conservation, and will raise awareness for this threatened species that is important within native Hawaiian culture and much loved by people everywhere,” aquarium director Andrew Rossiter said in a news release.

They are on loan to the aquarium for a year and will return to Sea Life Park, which is home to 15 grown Hawaiian sea turtles that breed regularly in its artificial lagoon. The turtle hatchlings born on the shores of the lagoon are released into the ocean on a regular basis.

Hawaiian green sea turtles, or honu, underwent a steep decline in the 1970s due to the harvest of turtles and eggs by humans and were listed in 1978 as “threatened” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

At the aquarium, three sea turtles will be on display, while the other three will swim in a pool behind the scenes.

Visitors can watch turtle feedings three times a day, according to live-exhibits curator Shawn Garner. The animals will be measured and weighed regularly, providing aquarium and University of Hawaii marine biologists numerous research opportunities.

They are 3 months old and do not have names, but have the numbers 1 to 6 painted on their shells.

Waikiki Aquarium is at 2777 Kala­kaua Ave. Admission for adults is $12 ($8 kama­aina, military); $5 ages 4 to 12 and seniors; free ages 3 and under. Call 923-9741 or visit www.waikikiaquarium.org.

Baby expo offers fun for older keiki, too

Whether you’re interested in new or classic toys, there will be plenty to play with at the Toy & Game Expo, a new component of the Oh Baby! Family Expo.

The annual baby expo takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 12 and 13 at the Neal Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall.

More than 150 exhibitors participate, displaying their wares alongside expert speakers, demonstrations, entertainment and activities for the family.

The Toy & Game Expo will give kids the opportunity to test out the latest toys and games before the holiday rush.

Toys R Us is sponsoring a Dart Tag Arena, set up in the Blaisdell’s Hawaii Suites, where kids can challenge each other to a game of tag using Nerf dart guns.

A test track will be set up to try out FirstBIKE pedal-less bicycles.

There will be demonstrations of kendama, the traditional Japa­nese toy that is seeing a resurgence in popularity, at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 12 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 13.

Also new to the expo is the Hawaii Party Expo, a resource for party planning.

Call 239-7777 or email info@familyexpositions.com for more information. Admission is $4.50. For a $1-off coupon or a full listing of activities and entertainment, visit www.ohbabyfamilyexpo.com.