I had the pleasure of hosting one of my all time favorite clubs this past month ~ Hawaiian Club. I lived in Hawaii for several years in my childhood and recently visited the island of Kauai for this first time and absolutely loved it. It rained every day and then the sun would come out that dame day. There were wild roosters walking around everywhere and the trade winds were wonderfully relaxing. I was in heaven! Upon my return, I was inspired to plan a Hawaiian Club ~ I was feeling so passionate I just had to share my experiences in Hawaii with the children in my program.
Week 1 – Hawaiian Name Art
This week was all about discovering Hawaii. The group consisted of children ages 6-12. I played some quiet Hawaiian music in the background, while I taught the children some facts about Hawaii as well as a few phrases. I taught them how to say thank you, “mahalo.” I also taught them that “Aloha” means hello and goodbye. I also found a resource online where you could find out what your name would be in Hawaiian. For instance, my name Marie would be “Malie.” After I unveiled each of the children’s Hawaiian Names we made Name Art using our newfound names. I provided the children with examples of Name Art and also challenged them to think of their own ideas. Their work was very imaginative and they enjoyed the project very much.
Hawaiian Name Art:
- 3×3 Construction Paper squares
- 5×12 strip of black construction (longer if needed)
- Pencils and Markers
- Name Art Samples
Week 2- Candy Sushi (Musubi)
This week we made candy sushi or musubi in this case. I was a bit pressed for time this week and while I had plans to make my rice krispie treat base from scratch I was not able to do so. Instead I used prepared rice krispie treat squares and wrapped fruit roll ups around them so it roughly resembled a spam musubi. In all actuality this worked out great because the rectangular shape of the bar was very suited for our project. The children were delighted with this activity. I also provided them with Hawaii’s Endangered Animals coloring sheets and talked to them about what it means when an animal is endangered and what can be done to protect them. This was a successful club session.
Candy Sushi “Musubi”
Rice Krispie Squares
Fruit roll-ups (preferably the kind with cutouts
Fruit by the Foot
Gushers
Week 3- Tropical Necklaces and Learning the Huki-lau
This week we made Tropical Necklaces ordered from Oriental Trading Company. I also taught the children how to dance the huki-lau dance and invited the children to perform the following week for the other children/parents at the program. Today I received my first parent response on providing this club opportunity for their child. I was overjoyed and flattered at their response.
Week 4- Huki-lau Dance Performace and Luau
I felt like a nervous stage mom today as it was our performance and luau. The children danced their huki-lau dance (with a little help from me with the hand motions) and then we had our luau. The kids got to taste some Hawaiian style foods that I found at the local grocery store. Our menu included: Hawaiian rolls, macaroni salad, chicken teriyaki, pot stickers and Pineapple Guava juice. I wasn’t sure how they would like the food; in fact I was expecting there would be a lot of leftovers. I was wrong! They loved it and ate everything. I was very happy that the club was so well received and would certainly not be opposed to leading it again some time. Aloha!
Have you had any awesome club experiences? I’d love to hear your comments!
Looking for more club ideas? Check the club themes page for some more exciting themed-units!
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