Curious George at the Children's Discovery Center

I finally made it to the Children's Discovery Center to see the visiting Curious George exhibit.  If you haven't seen it yet, hurry over for a visit before Valentine's Day when the exhibit will travel to another museum.

My kids are fans of the original Curious George books and I enjoyed seeing many of the scenes from the books portrayed in the exhibit.  Curious George and a rocket, Curious George washing windows, the market where he shopped with his friend, etc.  

As would be expected in a children's museum exhibit there are lots of hands-on opportunities for kids.  They can play mini golf, use fans to blow various windmills, "shop" and "work" at the market and use pulleys to help George get up the side of a building.  A big hit with our school field trip group was the conveyor belt.  It was fun to see the kids working together as a team to load the belt, crank the wheel to get the blocks up, and catch them as they came down the other side.

There are also educational aspects to the exhibit including a number of hands-on experiments with light, shadows and color.  

I almost missed the part of the exhibit that is in the museum's lobby.  It's a section that tells more about the creators of Curious George and their personal and literary history and I learned a few things.

All in all, a fun little exhibit.  Too bad it won't be around forever but go see it while you can!

Do it yourself on Oahu

Location:  Hawaii Children's Discovery Center, 111 Ohe Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

Hours:  The museum is open Tues.-Fri. from 9am to 1pm and Sat.-Sun. 10am to 3pm; Closed Mondays

Cost:  General Admission $10, Kama'aina & Military with valid ID $8, Senior Citizens (62+ with ID) $6, Children under 1 are free.

Parking:  Free parking in the adjacent Kaka'ako Waterfront Park parking lot.

Facilities:  Restrooms and drinking fountain available in the lobby.  Elevators available.

Other:  Strollers are not allowed.  

More info:  For more information on the rest of the museum, check out my post on the Children's Discovery Center.  

Contact the Discovery Center:  808-524-5437

Scenic Sunday: Sunset on the North Shore

Scenic Sunday...because I never get over the beauty of these islands.

January 28 & 29, 2012: Weekend Events

In addition to the Pro Bowl, there is a lot going on this weekend.  You can get free admission to the USS Missouri, watch a puppet show, attend a giant bounce house event, tour a traditional fish pond, listen to a concert or two and have another chance to watch a lion dance.  These details for all of these events are listed on the Weekend Events Page which I just updated.  

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

2012 Great Aloha Run & Keiki Run

My husband and son just decided to do the Great Aloha Run this year, the annual event that begins at the Aloha Tower and ends at Aloha Stadium.  Some readers may remember they did the Great Aloha Run a couple years ago and our son only walked about .5 miles of the 8 mile course and my husband carried him the other 7.5 miles.  At first my husband was excited to make it a yearly tradition but then changed his mind and decided to wait.  This is the year to try it again.  Our son just ran/walked 8.25 miles for his school's two hour jog-a-thon so we know that if he's motivated he can do it.  Here's hoping for motivation on race day!

Me?  I'll be home when the race begins.  Our girl is not a happy camper early in the morning, not a happy camper when she has to be in a stroller against her will and not a happy camper when she has to walk against her will.  Eight miles with an unhappy camper just doesn't sound fun so I'm going to sacrifice and sleep in, I mean stay home, with her.

This is a very family friendly race and you'll be in good company if you are there with a stroller.  If you want to give it a try this year, January 27 (that's this coming Friday) is the last day for regular entries to the Great Aloha Run to be postmarked.  After that you must register in person and the price increases significantly.

In addition to the race on President's Day there will also be a special 1.5 mile Keiki Run on Saturday, February 18.  Registration for that is online through January 31.

Here are some links for more information and to register:
Kaiser Permanente's Great Aloha Run
Hawaii 5210, Let's Go Keiki Run