FREE Workshops in Hilo

329 Kamehameha Avenue, Hilo HI 96720

(808) 935-8850 hiloimprovementprogram@gmail.com

The Hilo Improvement Program (HIP), an AmeriCorps program of The Downtown Improvement association,

is offering FREE workshops and gatherings every Tuesday Downtown Hilo through June 2013.

Tuesday, May 7

9am – 11am            Tsunami Preparedness Information with Bea Larson at Pacific Tsunami Museum, 130 Kamehameha Ave.

10am – 11am            Walking Stick Carving with Uncle Mac Balucan at Mo’oheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave.

11am – 1pm            Hilo Hula Days Show at Mo’oheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave.

11am – 2pm            Silk and Pastel Painting Demo with Patti Pease Johnson at High Fire Hawaii, 114 Kamehameha Ave.

2:30 – 3:30pm            Soup Making 101 with Tim Vezina at Hilo Bay Soup Co., 160 Kilauea Ave.  
CANCELED          

Tuesday, May 14

10am – 11am            Walking Stick Carving with Uncle Mac Balucan at Mo’oheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave.

11am – 1pm            Hilo Hula Days Show at Mo’oheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave.

11am – 2pm            Silk and Pastel Painting Demo with Patti Pease Johnson at High Fire Hawaii, 114 Kamehameha Ave.

1pm- 2pm       Beaded Bracelet Stringing with Sharon Turner at Island Edges Beads, 265 Keawe st.

2pm-3pm        Seed Prep. and Propagation with Mikey Perron behind the East Hawai’i Cultural Center, 141 Kalakaua St.

3:45-4:30pm   Everyday Stretching with Lani Thur-Fine at Mo’oheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave.

Tuesday, May 21

10am – 11am            Walking Stick Carving with Uncle Mac Balucan at Mo’oheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave.

11am – 1pm            Hilo Hula Days Show at Mo’oheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave.

11am – 2pm            Silk and Pastel Painting Demo with Patti Pease Johnson at High Fire Hawaii, 114 Kamehameha Ave.

2:30 – 3:30pm            Bread Making 101 with Tim Vezina at Hilo Bay Soup Co., 160 Kilauea Ave.
CANCELED

3:45-4:30pm        Everyday Stretching with Lani Thur-Fine at Mo’oheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave.

 Sunday, May 26

2pm-4pm  Downtown Edible Gardens Community Workday with Let’s Grow Hilo

                        meet behind the East Hawai’i Cultural Center, 141 Kalakaua St.

 Tuesday, May 28

10am – 11am            Walking Stick Carving with Uncle Mac Balucan at Mo’oheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave.

11am – 1pm            Hilo Hula Days Show at Mo’oheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave.

11am – 2pm            Silk and Pastel Painting Demo with Patti Pease Johnson at High Fire Hawaii, 114 Kamehameha Ave.

2:30-3:30pm   Recycled Paper Making with Lani Thur-Fine at Mo’oheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave.

3:45-4:15pm   Everyday Stretching with Lani Thur-Fine at Mo’oheau Bandstand, 329 Kamehameha Ave.

Visit www.downtownhilo.com for more info on community events in Hilo.

This material is based upon work supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service under AmeriCorps Grant No.

06AFHHI0010017. Opinions or points of view expressed in this are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of,

or a position that is endorsed by, the Corporation of the AmeriCorps program.

Kickball April 30th and a Healthy Dose of Laughter

Come one and all for homeschool kickball tomorrow at Kea'au Shipman Park! We'll be meeting as usual at 10am for the kickball game, then of course  feel free to hang out afterwards for free play and socialization!

Kickball Rules are here.

One happy homeschool parent mentioned to me several weeks ago how refreshing it is to come to kickball and laugh! It's true- there is a lot of laughter and smiles at kickball. The feeling among the kids and among the parents that participate is joyful, lighthearted, and positive. There isn't any pressure for the kids to perform or compete on the field. The older kids are patient and understanding with the littler ones. The ones who have played 50 times are patient and helpful to the ones who are just starting out. The kids get along. The parents cheer them on and lend a hand where needed. This is a good group of people that I feel blessed to associate with.
 I am looking forward to kickball tomorrow so I  laugh and feel the positive energy from all of you.

See you tomorrow friends!

The Hawai'iana Project

The North Hawaii Homeschool Group, which meets each week for a newspaper writing class taught by Susan Kilbride, has also been working on a Hawaiian culture book! They're now finished with it and it's ready to read!  It's full of fun activities and great information on the Hawaiian culture, written by students ages 10-14. 

If you remember Molly, our first featured blogger, she has written 3 chapters in the book, on feather work, kukui nut oil and ni'ihau shells. Go Molly! We're so proud!

You can read more about it plus order a copy on Amazon, here: The Hawai'iana Project

Kickball is on-April 23rd

Reminder to those interested in meeting for kickball: We will be meeting tomorrow, Tuesday April 23rd,  at 10am at Kea'au Shipman Park.

All are welcome to come participate! This is a great way to meet other homeschoolers in the area, come socialize, share ideas, and let the kids connect!
*Kickball Rules are here: http://easthawaiihomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/03/kickball-march-19-rules-for-kickball.html
*Also, please take a moment to answer the poll in the upper right-hand side of this blog, about continuing kickball through the Summer. Thanks for your input!
*We had a great time last week! Thanks the the Aughe ohana for including us in Keo's birthday celebrations! Those cupcakes were AMAZING!!

Lastly, If you have any homeschooling books or supplies (or anything, really) that you are no longer using, bring them to the FREE Table at kickball tomorrow, to pass on. We came home with some great books last week that my kids have read over and over!

See you tomorrow friends!

Meet-up for Kickball, April 16th

Come one, come all! We'll be meeting again for homeschool kickball tomorrow at Kea'au Shipman Park at 10am. Game starts about 10:15am and goes for roughly 45 mins to an hour! (depending on how hot it is or how burnt out we get)

Red team chasing an outfielder while Osha takes it home.

Most families enjoy staying afterwards for free play and socializing time! This week we'll be setting apart a space inside the pavilion for FREE stuff. So if you have anything you'd like to pawn off, like used books, magazines, curriculum, toys, clothing, or any miscellaneous stuff, feel free to bring it! Homeschoolers are a thrifty bunch, and used stuff is really handy! Mahalo!

The pavilion after-party in full swing.

2013 Earth Day Fair, April 19th

The Hawaiʻi Community College 25th Annual Earth Day Fair is coming home to the Manono Campus on Friday April 19, 2013 Visit http://hawaii.hawaii.edu/eday/ for more details This is an event you don't want to miss!

A Day in the Life of the Bader Boys

Welcome to the new "A Day in the Life" series! This weekly string of blog posts feature individuals or families here on the Big Island, describing what "a day in the life" (or a week!) of a homeschooler is like. This weeks post is by Hannah Bader of Mountain View. 

A Day in the Life of the Bader's

So, I’m a home school mama of three boys, ages 4, 6, and 8, that moonlights as a concert promoter. I’m actually super private (normally) but when people from either of my polar opposite worlds do find out about the other co-existing life that I live the common response is, “How do you do all that?!?!?”

It’s tempting to share a perfect day in our homeschool life but really since they’re few and far between I’ll just attempt to give a glimpse into the juggling act that fills our daily lives here in the Bader home.

I’m the first one out of bed and most school days steel cut oats get cooked in the rice cooker for breakfast. The quiet early morning is either time for me to work, if I’ve got a show going, or it’s my sweet time of fellowship with God.

The boys rule KP duty. Moose, as Ace (4) is affectionately known, rocks unloading the dishwasher. This chore usually has him in the kitchen alone before we sit down for meals and accomplishes the main goal of freeing him up to sit down at the table with me while Zane and Sage clean up the kitchen after breakfast.

Ace and I get a good 15-20 minutes alone together to go over his phonics / reading (My Father’s World Kindergarten), Math (Math In Focus – a Singapore Math program), and some really fun books from Critical Thinking Co.

When Zane (3^rd grade) and Sage (1^st grade) come in we do our spiritual reading all together. Then we go back and forth with balancing things they can do on their own with things that need personal attention for each boy. At this point Moose keeps himself busy with a variety of different things.

We love My Father’s World (MFW) as the core curriculum. It is designed to be able to teach children grades 2-8 together in the core subjects. This year our focus is “Exploring Countries and Cultures” and it’s been really fun!

We do geography, science, art, history and handwriting practice - even though it’s dated – a couple of times a week. Math (Math in Focus), spelling (Spelling Power) and language arts (Primary Language Lessons – this is really a great program!) happen every day. 

We’re good at the table for about an hour and a half to two hours then we break to get “yaw-yaws” out. (Whatever did we do before the trampoline!?!?!?) And, of course, the boys are starving already so there’s snack too. After our break we get back together to do hands on things like learning games, read aloud books on our weekly theme, or art. If I was a really brave I would throw in some science experiments at this time but after so many failed attempts I’ve lost my nerve and the experiments lay there as merely good ideas in my teacher’s manual.

If I’ve got a show I’m working on I go to work for a bit during our break. If I’m really busy I work through breakfast then break for school. Afterwards I’ll work for a couple of hours and the boys make lunch for us all. This grew from necessity and at first I felt really bad, but now I’ve changed my mind and think it’s good that they can help in a meaningful way like preparing meals.

MFW has everything scheduled out with daily lesson plans. I can sit down grab my teacher’s manual and go each morning. My main prep has to do with ordering a TON of books from the library to go along with the topics that we’re studying. MFW is a unit studies / Charlotte Mason-based program so we do LOTS of reading. Friday is our library day.

In addition to our “table time” the boys have a couple of other things that they do daily and are at the liberty to do whenever it fits in their day. 1) 20 minutes of reading – they actually set a timer and sit together to do this 2) Spanish on the computer (Rosetta Stone) 3) 1/2 hour of working on their business. This was a mutual goal that they set. If you’re interested you can check out what they’re working on here:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/BaderBoysAtoZ

We homeschool year round and I don’t keep any type of schedule for holiday breaks or even when I think we’ll wrap up a “school year”. We have to keep this kind of on-going schedule because, I have to be honest, there are days when I get really busy with work -  I go to make a couple of calls before starting school, end up at my desk all day, and cooking dinner in my PJs.

Slight digression for a funny story, also involving PJs… There was one time, shortly after Sage, our second son, was born that I showed up for an important business meeting 15 minutes late. I didn’t realize until I was walking in the building that I was still in my jammies. That never would have happened to me before I had kids, no way, not the 15 minutes late part and certainly not the PJ factor. But you know what, we signed the contract anyway and no one said anything to me about being “under dressed” for the occasion. 

It is a lot to juggle but it’s a tremendous blessing that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. The messy real-life that fills our home is teaching them too. We never strive to create “school-at-home.” The three “R’s” are really basic and all of our kids are bound to master these skills. The far reaching blessing that is homeschooling lies beyond the basics – it unfolds as we encourage our children to fill their minds with exploration, to ask questions, and to dig deeper for themselves - because they care, because they want to, and because they can.

This sweet, special time with our keiki is priceless. I continually remind myself not to get hung up on the specific “hows”, on finding the right programs, or measuring “results.” We homeschool for the big picture for the vision of launching our children into their lives with a joy-filled youth under their belts and a true hunger for lifelong learning.

If I find myself overwhelmed by either juggling too much or the monotony of running our home and school I remind myself that the true big picture is that this precious season in our lives together is but a blink in time.

 Thank you Hannah for blessing us with an slice of your family life! It looks like you have some busy and happy boys, with a caring and dedicated mother! 

ASTRONAUT at Imiloa

A new 3D planetarium show has come to Imiloa Astronomy Center, called ASTRONAUT. Description is as follows: 

"The exploration of space is the greatest endeavor that humankind has ever undertaken. What does it take to be part of this incredible journey? Experience a rocket launch from inside the body of an astronaut. Explore the amazing worlds of inner & outer space, from floating around the International Space Station to maneuvering through microscopic regions of the human body. Narrated by Ewan McGregor."

Imiloa Astronomy Center is located right here in Hilo. It is an excellent resource for homschooling families looking to expand their knowledge of the universe! 

You can purchase a family membership for 2 adults and up to 5 keiki for 85 dollars per year. Many families testify that it has been well worth the money, as they are able to frequently attend the many planetarium shows, workshops, exhibits and special events all year long.

Check the Planetarium schedule for viewing times for ASTRONAUT 3D

Kickball/Socialize/Talk Story/Free Play! *April 9th*

We'll be meeting again at Keaau Shipman Park at 10am for kickball! Please come and join us for a fun morning of non-competitive sport for the keiki. Focus is on learning new skills, teamwork,  and having fun!

Furthermore, our Tuesday kickball games have become much more than kickball, as many families have come to socialize and talk story, too! Weather the kids choose to play on the kickball field or on the jungle gym, families have fun playing, talking and getting to know one another.

It also might be helpful to know that since we don't have a kickball diamond reserved, and all the others are usually taken, we've been making our own diamond right next to the playground! That way kids can choose to either play kickball or climb on the gym.
There is a big shelter, bathrooms, and plenty of places to sit and eat- Bring a lunch and join us for the morning/afternoon.
Hope to see you there!

Our Experience with MBTA

Welcome to the new "A Day in the Life" series! This weekly string of blog posts will feature individuals or families here on the Big Island, describing what "a day in the life" (or a week!) of a homeschooler is like. This weeks post is by Jamee Adams of Hilo. She and her husband have 3 children, and are generously sharing their experience with using Myron B. Thompson Academy.

Our Experience with MBTA:

(Myron B. Thompson Academy - www.ethompson.org)

 Our family has been using MBTA for only one year, so I may not be the best reference, but I'm happy to share some of the things that work well for us.  My experience is only based on the elementary school, as I do not yet have intermediate-aged children. I chose to use MBTA for the allotment, and because I have full control over the curriculum I use in my home-school.

MBTA is a public charter school located on Oahu. For Oahu families, MBTA offers face-to-face and online classes, but for outer island residents, web-cam classes are the only option.  Each child enrolled in the program (K-6) is granted a $1500 allotment that can be used for books, curriculum, art supplies, private or team lessons, and a large variety of other resources. Each child is required to complete 2 web-cam classes each month, submit homework for those classes, and submit a portfolio of home-school projects each quarter.

In a nutshell:

        $1500 per child allotment. Some of the things I have purchased / utilized from our allotment:

• Wide variety of curriculum, science kits and experiments, wood-working kits, plant and gardening kits, math manipulatives, fine art supplies (paints, brushes, art papers…), craft supplies (googly eyes, feathers, pipe cleaners…) construction paper, cardstock, stickers, glue, educational coloring books, Rosetta Stone language CDs, Mavis Beacon typing programs, timelines, maps, art study cards, logic workbooks, flash cards, cartooning kits and much more.
• §  Note: Anything you purchase through MBTA that is NOT consumable must be returned to MBTA at the end of the year. It is cataloged and put in their library, and you can check it out again, but you can’t own it.

• Private and team lessons: (music, dance, swimming, soccer…), tutoring, classes.
• Memberships:  ‘Imiloa, Lyman Museum, Botanical gardens.  All national parks: Volcano, Puuhonua o Honaunau.
•   iPad and apps. Students can check out an iPad and can use allotment funds to buy apps.
•  Library at MBTA where we can check out materials:  I use this for things that I know I will have to return anyway. If they have it in the library, then it’s less money from my MBTA account to check it out and have it sent to me than it is to order it new, and still have to turn it into the library at the end of the school year.       

       The online classes are generally good. I like all the teachers my children have had, and I find the subject matter to be level-appropriate and interesting. I don't love having online classes, but only two classes a month is worth the allotment that we have access to. You will need to have a computer (obviously) and a good headset with a microphone.

MBTA’s web portal is decent. I think it could be more user-friendly but it seems that they are making improvements. Any time that we have missed a class due to technical problems, the teachers have been flexible and the phone technical support has been very helpful. Once your child is enrolled, you will get information from the school on how to login to classes. We found over time that getting online for the class itself works best with Chrome because the web-conferencing software they use seems more compatible with Chrome (as opposed to Firefox and Explorer.) Otherwise, regular access to the school site is fine on any browser.

Some things to keep in mind: 


*You have to use all of your allotment by Halloween (Oct 31st), so you need to have your plan in place for the resources you will need all year. If you don't use all of your allotment on physical resources by Oct 31st, you can still use that money throughout the year for lessons and classes. Just be aware that you can't purchase any more supplies once the Halloween due date is past.

       *Homework is due after every class, which may be an adjustment for families used to managing their own due dates. 

·      *Portfolios are due every quarter.  Each child has to turn in 2 samples from each of the 4 core subjects (math, science, language arts, social studies), totaling 8 samples. If you have several children, you’ll need to plan ahead to get it all in. Take lots of photos since they can be used to show science experiments, activities and progress for younger children.

       *If you live off-island, you will need to have access to a good scanner, since you will need to scan your child's homework and portfolios and then send them via e-mail or upload to their portal. I suppose you could snail mail everything directly to the teacher - I never tried it - but you'd have to set that up with the teacher ahead of time.

·       *Like any other publicly-funded institution, there seems to be a fair amount of paperwork to get your child enrolled, to prove your child is actually doing something at home, and to make certain that your child is passing all the HSA required testing. Just be prepared to make time in your schedule for the necessary secretarial duties.

Overall, we have been satisfied with our choice to use MBTA. It has required some flexibility and adjustment, but we’ve enjoyed our experience this year.

Thank you so much Jamee for your insights and experience in using MBTA for your family. This information is invaluable for those of us trying it out for the first time, or looking for more resources. So grateful for your contribution!