At the new Hawai‘i Keiki Museum in Kailua-­Kona, kids laugh and chatter in delight as they build towering rocket ships with oversize foam blocks, splash their hands in a tabletop model taro patch and run zigzags through swaying foam tubes simulating a limu forest.

But the ultimate vision for this 11,000-square-foot science center and the keiki who visit goes far beyond child’s play.

Founded by three moms who have extensive backgrounds in technology, business and other fields, and opened to the public in October, the lively, colorful museum was conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide hands-on learning opportunities in a time and place where they’ve been hard to find, and to welcome children of all ages and abilities, including keiki who have autism or other differences.

And with the museum’s focus on STEAM — science, technology, engineering, arts and math — the founders envision a perpetually evolving resource that will not only spark kids’ imaginations, but ultimately lead them to work in those fields at home on Hawaii island.

A long-term goal as the museum expands to serve older students is to “connect keiki on the island to some of the skills or some of the experience that they might need to take those jobs in the future,” says co-founder Anne Van Brunt. “Maybe the telescopes won’t have to look off island for people to come in and monitor the skies. Maybe they won’t have to look off island for someone to make lava samples when the volcano is erupting. … Maybe we could be the bridge for that.”

The Hawai‘i Keiki Museum aims to help kids understand basic concepts of astronomy, physics, marine biology and more through play, with a “hyperlocal” focus on Hawaii island’s land, air and ocean. Kids can dabble in science-related activities without the time limits or rigid rules of a classroom, and “we want them to touch everything and get their hands in there,” said founder and Executive Director Dana McLaughlin.

In the popular “air scarf” exhibit, children insert scarves into translucent plastic tubes fed with rushing air, sending the brightly colored fabric swatches darting through twists and loops, and up and down peaks as high as about 12 feet. The idea is to demonstrate fluid dynamics while also illustrating how some sea creatures rise and descend below the ocean surface to feed.

Ball ramps, a spinning table and a Lego station tempt keiki to get creative and experiment with the laws of physics. A reef exhibit includes a video screen with a live feed from underwater just off the Kona Coast, books with photos and information about the animals likely to appear in the video, and crocheted model corals for kids to manipulate.

A pop-up planetarium gives kids a glimpse of the universe. Massive murals feature an erupting volcano, the moon phases and native flora and fauna. Signage in both English and Hawaiian are in development. Even the “‘opihi area,” a play area for infants and toddlers, includes a pretend fruit stand featuring actual coffee beans from a local farm.

A giant model jellyfish suspended from the ceiling was built by members of the Boys & Girls Club from single-use plastics collected from nearby beaches. The whimsical art accent doubles as a reminder of the importance of recycling, sustainability and stewardship.

Diverse backgrounds

The Hawai‘i Keiki Museum came to be because three mothers with wide industry skills and credentials saw a need and filled it.

McLaughlin, a mom of two boys, 4 and 8, and a Silicon Valley native who moved to the island seven years ago, holds an MIT master’s degree and another master’s degree in business administration and, as an Apple engineering program manager, once served as a lead on the development of AirPods, among numerous other positions. The idea of the museum came to her around 2021, during the height of the pandemic, when she noticed that not all students or teachers were thriving while distance-learning.

“This concept of a place that is educational, where kids can learn about science and industries and things that are actually happening right here on the island, really started to resonate. It started to feel like we can fill a void here,” McLaughlin said. “I said, you know, ‘I really need to think about what’s going on with education on our islands, what’s going on in our town. What could we do that would make a difference?’”

She tapped her background in technology, including her studies of how children relate to computers. And she tapped into her own $200,000 savings she had been reserving for a worthwhile project, to put up seed money for the museum.

Van Brunt — a Chicago-­area native and mom of two boys, ages 3 and 5 — also holds an M.B.A. degree, and has spent most of her career in finance and technology. She worked for a decade at Google, volunteered for years in museums and is a co-founder at the clean-­energy startup Island Research Inc. So aligning with McLaughlin and the museum project was a natural fit.

The third co-founder, Jyness Jones, is a 17-year Hawaii island resident and co-owner and operator of a construction company. She says her experience as a mother of seven, including three Native Hawaiian children adopted as teenagers, and a grandmother of two fuels her passion for “place-based learning” and Hawaiian culture.

“I dream of improving our education system at large. The museum has been a natural extension of my passion to improve educational opportunities and inspire our keiki to gain a love of learning,” Jones said.

McLaughlin signed the lease for the nonprofit museum in April. Its first furnishings and exhibits have been built out by the founders, their friends and families, and a small army of volunteers from community organizations, churches and businesses. Dozens of people showed up over the summer and fall for “work parties,” lending their time, materials, skills and sweat.

They got the museum ready in barely half a year. The Oct. 15 grand opening attracted more than 1,000 visitors over the eight-hour day.

It’s already cultivating regulars. Among them are South Kona mom Olivia Lee and her 6-year-old son, Patrick, whom she home­schools. They visit at least once a month, and Patrick’s favorite thing to do is run through the pool-noodle limu forest.

“Until the Hawai‘i Keiki Museum opened, we had to travel to Hilo on the other side of the island to access kid-friendly activities in a dedicated space,” Lee said. She called the museum “such an engaging place for families here on this side of the island for kids to learn, explore and play. … It truly is a community-building venture, and I am thrilled to see its doors open.”

Funding is a challenge

As is common with startups, funding has been the biggest challenge, Van Brunt said. Because the museum doesn’t yet have a long track record, it doesn’t qualify for some grants. “It takes 10 noes to get a yes, so we work for those yeses,” Van Brunt said.

So birthday parties, day camps, field trips, workshops, performances and a gift store featuring science toys have been added to increase engagement and revenue. The three founders take turns staffing the front desk to keep costs down. They hope as more people in the community know and understand what the museum is trying to accomplish, more people and organizations will come alongside to help.

Yet already the founders are planning for the Hawai‘i Keiki Museum’s expansion.

While the completed front two-thirds of the museum was designed generally for kids up to age 10, the remaining space is being prepared for coming attractions for older kids. Van Brunt said the founders are envisioning such offerings as a rocket club, an electronics lab, a “makerspace,” 3D printers and classes in coding.

The ultimate long vision is to one day move into a custom building designed to hold even bigger and more engaging STEAM activities for young people.

McLaughlin hopes the community will see the museum’s potential for contributing to the island and state, helping to cultivate a workforce that can grow the local economy in such fields as technology-assisted farming, alternative energy and more.

“There are a lot of people that want to invest in this island and industries that want to come here and explore,” McLaughlin said. “So when they say, ‘Where am I going to get my talent pool? Am I going to have to bring it here?’ … what we really want to be able to say is, ‘No, these kids are here.’”

HAWAI‘I KEIKI MUSEUM

>> Address: 74-5533 Luhia St., Building D, Kailua-Kona

>> Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Thursdays

>> Admission: $12 for adults, $7 for children, $5 for kamaaina of all ages with ID; free for infants 6 months and under

>> Phone: 808-731-6311

>> Website: hawaiikeikimuseum.com