The Bishop Museum

April 6, 2012 by Kailani
Filed under columns, daily life, family activities, hawaii, Life in Hawaii, my family

I’m not sure why but I never really think to take my kids to the Bishop Museum. As a kid, I’ve visited the museum on numerous occasions while on field trips and enjoyed the various exhibits. So I thought it was time to finally take the girls so they could learn a little more about Hawaiian culture.

Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in honor of his late wife, Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, the last descendant of the royal Kamehameha family. The Museum was established to house the extensive collection of Hawaiian artifacts and royal family heirlooms of the Princess, and has expanded to include millions of artifacts, documents and photographs about Hawai‘i and other Pacific island cultures.

Today, Bishop Museum is the largest museum in the state and the premier natural and cultural history institution in the Pacific, recognized throughout the world for its cultural collections, research projects, consulting services and public educational programs. It also has one of the largest natural history specimen collections in the world. Serving and representing the interests of Native Hawaiians is a primary purpose of the Museum.

courtesy of Bishop Museum

Our first stop was the Hawaiian Hall where we went on a journey through Hawaiian history.

This building is 3 stories tall with life-sized ocean creatures suspended from the ceiling. The first floor shares the life of Hawaiians before they had any contact with the outside world. They have a life-sized hale (shack) which the girls found very interesting. They couldn’t imagine the entire family living in just one room!

The second floor showed artifacts and educated us on the lifestyle of the native people. There was also a very cool hands-on area where the girls could pound tapa cloth (used to make clothing), play musical instruments (pu ili, uli uli, ipu), learn to wrap a lau lau, pound (make believe) poi, and even see some colorful feathers up close through magnifying glass.

The third floor is dedicated to Hawaiian royalty and important events in Hawaiian history. You can also see the insides of a full sized whale up close and personal.

My favorite room was the Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike K?hili Room. It’s a small display room but it has such an amazing presence that you can’t help but feel in awe. Here you’ll find the precious K?hili (feather standards) of the Hawaiian Monarchy.

Of course, the girls favorite exhibit was the Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center.

This huge exhibit is the perfect place for kids to get a little hands-on experience with sound & motion, lava flows, and wind power.

The kids were also able to walk through a lava tube filled with neon images, walk under a water tube, and slide down the side of a volcano.

Science on a Sphere provided us with a look at science, math, and geography in a way that’s easy to understand. In the middle of the room is a sphere that is 6 feet in diameter and shows an amazing look at planet Earth.

We didn’t get a chance to visit The Watumull Planetarium but it’s definitely on our list for our next visit. In fact, I think we’ll probably try to make it back when the museum is hosting the evening “The Sky Tonight” event where we’ll be able to learn more about the stars and constellations in the current sky.

Finally, The Bishop Museum is currently showcasing Sesame Street Presents: The Body where kids can learn about the human body and the way it works. There are tons of hands-on exhibits and familiar faces all housed in the world of Sesame Street. This exhibit runs from April 7 – July 30, 2012.

What a wonderful way to get the kids out of the house and expose them to some rich Hawaiian history.

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Energizer Light Up A Life Champion for Kids: The Shop #EnergizerCFK #CBias

February 26, 2012 by Kailani
Filed under charities, daily life, Life in Hawaii

19 Comments

For the second part of our Energizer Light Up A Life Champion for Kids Campaign we headed to our local WalMart store in Pearl City in search of items for our Survival Kit. Since the older girls were at school it was just Kaila and I on this mission.

Some of the things that we were looking for were health items like toothbrushes, OTC medicines, hand wipes, and band-aids. We also added in some bottled water and snacks which we know that kids would love. Socks were a good choice for those colder nights (right, Mom?) as well as sunscreen for sunny days.

And of course, Energizer flashlights and rechargeable batteries to help the kids find their way during those dark nights.

Thanks to WalMart we were able to find everything on our list. And since the prices were very reasonable we were able to get a lot of items for our money.

The downside to our shopping experience is that the Pearl City WalMart is currently reorganizing their layout so things were not where they usually are. This means it took us a little longer than anticipated to complete our mission. However, I’m sure that once we get used to the new floor plan we’ll be going through the store in no time at all.

As previously mentioned, our recipient is Child & Family Service located about 5 minutes from my home. We chose this charitable organization because (1) they help families in my community, (2) is Hawaii’s most comprehensive, private human service organization with programs on all islands, and (3) helps individuals from the tiniest babies to our treasured kupuna (elders).

Since they do not accept email correspondences regarding donations we contacted them via a phone call to arrange a time to drop off our Survival Kit. I explained to them about our charitable mission and they were very surprised to hear that bloggers are given opportunities like these. They were grateful for any donation they could get and we planned to drop everything off the next day.

Due to security concerns, we thought it would be better not to photograph any part of the shelter or their residents but I can say that they were very happy to receive our care package. It really wasn’t much on our part but it made us feel so wonderful to know that these items made a child’s day. I think we got more out of this mission than the recipients and we’re so grateful for the opportunity.

Check out the rest of our shopping experience on Google+!

Connect with Energizer Light Up A Life Champion For Kids Campaign:

Champions4Kids on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/search/champions4kids
Energizer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/EnergizerBunny
Champions for Kids on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChampionsForKids
Energizer on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/EnergizerBunny

“This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias”
#EnergizerCFK, #CBias, #ChampionsForKids.

Tags: Care Kit, Champions for Kids, Charity, children, Energizer, Light Up a Life, Service Project, Walmart, Winter Survival Kit

Ohana Music Together

February 24, 2012 by Kailani
Filed under columns, daily life, family activities, hawaii, Life in Hawaii, my family

14 Comments

My girls have always had a love for music. Whether it be on television, on the radio, or a CD in the car. Once they hear the music they can’t help but sing and dance along. That’s why we were very interested when we learned about a company called Music Together which has a local location right in Pearl City – Ohana Music Together.

Music Together is an internationally recognized early childhood music program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, and the adults who love them. First offered to the public in 1987, it pioneered the concept of a research-based, developmentally appropriate early childhood music curriculum that strongly emphasizes and facilitates adult involvement. – courtesy of Music Together

Ohana Music Together recently invited Kaila and I to participate in their music class with the school’s owner Becky Andrew. From the moment Becky contacted me I was very impressed with her warmness. When you walk into her class she is all smiles and very inviting which I really appreciated since Kaila and I were sitting in with a group that had already been together for 5 weeks. We were kind of like the new kids in school. And the fact that I had to wake Kaila up from her nap when we got there didn’t make things any easier on me.

The Music & Movement Class lasts for 45 minutes which I thought was the perfect amount of time since it takes Kaila a little while to warm up to people she doesn’t know. The classroom itself is a square carpeted room which allows for intimacy and security knowing that if your child got restless he/she can’t get very far. There’s also a “potty” room conveniently located.

During the class we were introduced to various types of music including one in Spanish. Each song was accompanied by body movements or props like scarves, balls, toy instruments, and stretchy bands. Kiana’s favorite activity was playing with the musical instruments. When Becky dumped out the box Kiana made a beeline for her favorite – the drums.

I was impressed by how many instruments there were to choose from with duplicates of most of them. I thought this was great since we all know how children this age can sometimes be very selective about which toy they’d like to play with. Having multiples of the same instrument ensures that there are no conflicts.

What I also noticed was that every single minute was used to it’s full advantage whether it was humming musical tones while cleaning up the toys or “blowing” the lights on and off during the wind-down time. In this class you pay for a full 45-minute class. Not a moment is wasted.

However, what I liked best about Ohana Music Together is their flexibility. They understand that not every child will engage with the songs in the same way and they are very open to letting kids play and learn at their own pace. The only thing that they ask is that the parent participate to show their children how much fun music and learning can be.

In the end, Kaila & I had a great time! Ohana Music Together gave us a new appreciation of music, tones, and melodies as well as an opportunity to get out of the house and participate in a playgroup like environment. It’s just what we needed to spend some quality time together!

Kaila & Becky Andrew

Ohana Music Together
941 Kamehameha Highway, Pearl City
2051 Young Street, Honolulu
$225 for (10) 45-minute classes
FREE trial class available

This post was written for Ohana Music Together who provided the complimentary class.

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Energizer Light Up A Life Champions for Kids Campaign

February 21, 2012 by Kailani
Filed under charities, daily life, Life in Hawaii

2 Comments

In the back of our minds we all know that there are many children right in our own communities that need help – whether they’re homeless, victims of abuse, or just need a helping hand. And yes, we feel bad for their unfortunate circumstances and wish they had a better life but how many of us actually do something about it? I know I’m guilty of getting caught up in my every day responsibilities which end up putting my good intentions on the back burner. That’s why I’m so thankful for companies like Energizer and their Light Up a Life Champions for Kids Campaign which reminds us that we need to do something to help. And if we all join together and do just a little on our own individual parts maybe we can make a huge combined difference for kids everywhere!

Here’s how it works:

Just stop by your local store (we’re going to WalMart) and purchase small items that will make a difference in a child’s every day life. It doesn’t have to be anything big or lavish but the little things that we sometimes take for granted. Remember, some of these kids don’t have anything to call their own. Even if you look around your home you could probably find things that your kids are not using anymore and donate them to a local children’s charity organization.

Living in Hawaii, we don’t experience the kind of Winter weather that the majority of the other states get but for local homeless children even temperatures in the upper 60′s is pretty cold. That’s why we’ve decided to fill our Survival Kits with useful items like – toothbrushes, bandages, hand wipes, flashlight, batteries, bottled water, socks, and small snacks. We even decided to include coloring books and crayons since all kids need to have a little fun, t00, right?

The recipient of our Survival Kit is Child & Family Service located about 5 minutes from my home. We chose this charitable organization because (1) they help families in my community, (2) is Hawaii’s most comprehensive, private human service organization with programs on all islands, and (3) helps individuals from the tiniest babies to our treasured k?puna (elders).

Photo courtesy of Child & Family Service

So what do you think? Want to help make a difference in the lives of needy children in your community? Stop by Champions for Kids for more information and do something about all those good intentions you’ve been meaning to do!

Stay tuned for The Shopportunity: Putting Together Our Survival Kit

Connect with Energizer and Champions for Kids: