The whole ‘ohana can enjoy these free activities! Drop by to see what’s offered this year.
Keiki Activities
Crafts
Making Lei
Stringing a lei of paper flowers is traditional in Hawaii’s elementary schools to celebrate ‘Lei Day’ on the first of May.
Pacific Islanders create traditional lei consisting of entire or parts of flowers, buds, seeds, nuts, plant fibers, leaves, ferns, seashells, bone or teeth, and more. Modern lei can be made with money, candy, or other gift objects.
Lei are traditional for graduations or other special occasions. Most lei are made as a gift for another.
Enjoy wearing YOUR lei as you visit the Festival. It’s an easy way to get into the island spirit.
Tapa: Designs of the South Pacific
Tapa is a cloth made from pounding the bark of a tree until the material is soft and pliable. It has different names in different island groups.
Tapa is often painted or stamped with designs reflecting the islands of the people making it. Today, the art of creating and decorating tapa is almost a lost art.
We have created rubber stamps with designs typical of this art form. Take a moment to create a card with your own tapa designs.
Activities
Poi Balls: Learn to swing them in rhythm
Poi ‘balls’ are used by Maori women performers as a rhythm instrument or accompaniment for group dances. There are two styles, the short cord and the long cord.
The short-corded poi balls accompany rapid, stylized hand movements to illustrate part of the dance and often the tapping against hand or body creates the rhythm.
The long-corded poi balls are swung around the body in intricate patterns. It takes a very skilled dancer to keep these in air, often with two sets at once.
