Check out the crazy animal antics on stage as Hawaii Theatre Center Education and the Pacific Academy of Performing Arts presents “Madagascar: A Musical Adventure” is playing at 7 p.m. Feb. 3. Tickets are just $7, and $2 for kids ages 4-17. http://www.hawaiitheatre.com/events/madagascar-a-musical-adventure-2nd-show/
Month: January 2018
Return of Hōkūle’a
Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia will be at the Ko Olina Marina for public tours Jan. 22 to 26, Jan. 29 to Feb. 2, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Jan. 27 and 28, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Feb. 3, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Crewmembers will be on hand to talk about the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage, wayfinding and life on the canoe. Visit hokulea.com.
Boatload of fun
Play tourist and watch the humpback whales frolic from the three-deck Star of Honolulu. Through April 5, a kamaaina family of four can take an early whale-watching cruise for less than $60. The two-hour cruise leaves at 8:45 a.m. and costs just $27.79 for adults with a child, age 3-11, free with each paying adult. Visit www.StarofHonolulu.com/
Dog days
Celebrate the year of the dog with food, crafts, games and more at Hawaii’s Plantation Village’s New Year’s Festival 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 3. There’s no better way for kids to discover other cultures than experiencing them with all their senses. http://www.hawaiiplantationvillage.org/
Reef walking
Living Marine Art Center’s monthly reef walk offered surprises for both kids and adults in our group last month. We caught (and released) a pair of octopi, an eel, countless sea stars, a variety of fish and learned about creatures both dangerous and benign, all in the knee-deep water of Magic Island. Next dates are Jan. 27 (6 p.m.) and 28 (6:30 p.m.). So worth the $10 adult, $15 keiki. http://www.livingartmarinecenter.com/calendar.htm
Help for kids
I know my kids were strongly affected by the false missile warning. Here are some resources to help you talk to your kids and give them coping skills and resiliency.
https://www.childandfamilyservice.org/faq/managingtrauma/
Valentine’s Bean Bag Toss
Sign up now for Home Depot’s free kids’ workshop. On Feb. 3, the keiki can hammer, paint and decorate a Valentine’s-themed bean bag toss game. Register at https://www.homedepot.com/workshops
Tolerance in short supply
Watching the news some days makes me wonder if we’ve learned anything from our past. Take a moment for a study in tolerance as Mid-Pacific Institute hosts the touring exhibit “Anne Frank — A History for Today” in Bakken Auditorium from 3 to 5 p.m. Jan. 15. http://www.midpac.edu/news/2017/12/mid-pacific-to-host-anne-frank—a-history-for-today-international-exhibit.php
What a Kroc!
The Kroc Center is hosting an open house Jan. 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with an opportunity to tour and try out facilities. Sign up for membership that day and the $99 registration fee will be waived. http://www.kroccenterhawaii.org/calendar.html
Puppet masters
A Sea of Puppets
featuring the
See the intricate Taiwanese puppets of the Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company at Jan. 13 and 14 at 2 and 4 p.m. at UH’s Imin Center in Jefferson Hall. Patrons attending the “A Sea of Puppets” show are asked to “pay what they can” with a suggested donation of $10.