Open Normal Hours Today

Good morning all. We hope your evening was as quiet & dry as it was for us in mokuleia. Since the concerning part of the storm has passed Ka Hana Pono will be open today normal hours from 730-5. Thank you all xoxoxoxo

Oahu To Begin Feeling Impact of Storm @ 6pm

We understand that at this hour and depending on which side of the island you're on, it's challenging trying to understand the threat of the wind rain high surf and storm surges when people are looking out the window and not being able to square what they're seeing with what the National Weather Service and Civil Defense is expecting.

Our decision to be closing at 4pm today and to remain closed Tuesday 7/31 is based on the best available information we have.  Our intent is to keep families together and people safe.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell today at 8:15am said that Oahu can anticipate to begin feeling the real impacts of Flossie around 6pm and by then we want everyone to be settled in at home and prepared and not travelling about unless its essential.  By 9pm the storm will be directly overhead of Oahu

With the heavy rains flash flooding and mudslides are of primary concern.  Sustained winds of the storm are now at 40mph.

Center Closure Due To Hazardous Weather Brought by TS Flossie

Aloha Parents,

Due to the hazardous weather conditions being brought to the islands by Tropical Storm Flossie, we will be following official recommendations to take precautions and proactive safety measures. 

Ka Hana Pono will be closing at 4pm on Monday 7/29/13 with the expectation to reopen on Wednesday 7/31/13 after the storm has passed.

This means:

Ka Hana Pono Daycare will be closing early on Monday 7/29 at 4:00pm. 

At last update from the National Weather Service at 8pm tonight, Oahu is expected to begin feeling the effects of the storm between 4-6pm Monday. 

*If you will be unable to pickup your child by 4:00pm arrangements can be made with us for your child to be picked up from our home in Mokuleia.

Ka Hana Pono will be closed on Tuesday 7/30 the day that Oahu is expected to be experiencing 35-45mph winds with gusts up to 55mph, torrential rain, lightning and thunderstorms.

Ka Hana Pono will resume its regular hours on Wednesday, July 31, 2013, unless otherwise noted. 

The main difference between a hurricane and a tropical storm is the wind speeds, and boarding up windows is unwarranted in the case of a tropical storm.  However, there is the chance for power outages and damage from falling trees, debris or poles.  There is also potential for thunderstorms, waterspouts, tornadoes, heavy rains, flash flooding, storm surge & gusty winds.  (6 inches of rushing floodwater can knock down an adult; 24 inches can move vehicles)

Residents are advised to prepare by having alternative ways to cook, flashlights and battery-operated radios.

News Links:

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=22952955

http://www.khon2.com/2013/07/28/tropical-storm-warning-for-hawaii-maui-counties/

Current information will be posted on Ka Hana Pono's blog.

Thank You.

Papaya Power!!!! ;)

Fresh locally grown breakfast :)

GIANT papayas and mountain apples ... YUM!!

• To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak. ~Indian Proverb
  
  

  

  
  

2013 Calendar Reminders

 Below are some general updates for the remainder of this year; please let us know if you have any questions; this information will also be posted on-line on Ka Hana Pono's blog.

JULY

• We are currently interviewing for Fall 2013 enrollment and that finishes upon Sunday July 28th.  Most of these families have been on Ka Hana Pono's waitlist since March-June of 2012.
  

• Anyone with friends with young children, you may want to give them the heads up that options for childcare / preschool / daycare programs are so limited that now really is the time to start planning and applying for next year (not just speaking for Ka Hana Pono, this is in general).
  

AUGUST 1st

• Niko, Laken, Avea & Naia will be graduating from Ka Hana Pono*;August 1st will be their last day.
  
• *We will not be filling their places in our program until October of 2013
• KHP is open on August 16thStatehood Day (Friday)

SEPTEMBER

• KHP is open on September 2nd Labor Day (Monday)
  

• KHP is closed from Thursday September 12th thru Friday September 20th.

• Please plan ahead keeping in mind that the monthly fee is not discounted / pro-rated nor will makeup days be available for the time that Ka Hana Pono is closed during the month of September.  Note that we pay a set rent and utility bill at the WCAregardless of days closed and we pay a set rate for the organic & locally grownfoods consumed at Ka Hana Pono as we are part of a co-op of childcare providers buying in bulk together to encourage vendors like Lanakila Kitchen to work with us to create amindful menu. Also the curriculum we use from Fun Steps & from Bright Start Learning have to be purchased for each full month.  While we always try to offer makeup days and pro-rate fees when we can, this closure in September is not a time when that's possible.  Thank you for understanding.
  

OCTOBER

• We will be staggering in the new keikis, starting them off a week at a time.
• KHP is open on October 14thColumbus Day (Monday)
• KHP will be closing on October 31st at 1:00PM for Halloween
  

NOVEMBER

• KHP is open on Nov 5 Election Day (Tues) and on Nov 11 Veterans Day (Monday)
  
• KHP is closed on Nov 28 (Thurs) & Nov 29th (Fri) for Thanksgiving

DECEMBER

• KHP is closed on Tues Dec 24, Wed Dec 25 & Thurs Dec 26 for Christmas 
  
• KHP is closed on Dec 31st (Tues) & on Jan 1st (Wed) for New Years

Here's to an awesome remainder of 2013 at Ka Hana Pono!!  Thank you!!

Book Recommendation for Parents, Childcare Providers & Teachers

Excerpt:

The following scenario illustrates the essence of a Spirit Whisperer. The day it occurred was not among my favorites. It involved attending the funeral and reception for Bill, a former colleague and friend who had died unexpectedly in what seemed like the prime of his life. I wanted to be there, and I didn't want to be there. My desire was to say goodbye to Bill one final time and be supportive of his family and other colleagues, but my attendance felt more like an obligation than an uplifting way to spend an afternoon.

I dressed slowly, thinking of this fifteen-year teaching veteran. He had taught math in the high school and coached the boy's basketball team. He had served on the negotiating committee and took his professional practice seriously.

As I drove from the funeral to the reception, I noticed I was in a slight depression. My head was down as I walked up the sidewalk to the hall the family had rented for the event. That decision turned out to be a wise one. An inordinate number of people showed up -- more than would normally be expected at an event of this nature. Friends, relatives, colleagues, and students attended to pay their last respects. Many of Bill's current students were present. So were former students, representing this man's entire teaching career.

As I moved into the crowd, I acknowledge acquaintances politely, but I didn't feel like talking. Food was in abundance, but I didn't feel like eating. I found a chair in the corner and slumped into it. From that perch I watched and listened, and I confirmed what I already suspected. Bill had been a Spirit Whisperer.

From my spot in the corner I began to eavesdrop. I sat and listened as many of Bill's current and former students discussed the impact he had and was still having on their lives. The comments I was hearing moved me emotionally. They also moved me physically, and I began to walk around the room to gain a wider perspective and to grasp more clearly the flavor of the conversations. Not trusting my memory, and knowing I was hearing something important, I recorded what I overheard on the only recording material I could find -- napkins.

What I heard was indeed impressive. What I didn't hear was equally impressive. I heard no one say, "He was a good math teacher. He taught me a lot of math." I did hear, "He was a good man. He taught me to believe in myself."

Not one former student who came to honor my friend that day said, "He helped me learn about ratio and isosceles triangles." Some did say, "He taught me I could do anything I set my mind on."

A nineteen-year-old college student remarked, "He saw in me something I didn't see in myself at the time. He helped me look at that and acknowledge it."

No one said, "Boy, I sure learned a lot of chapter terms from that guy." No one said, "Man, could he ever cover content!" But I heard a recent college graduate remark, "He helped me learn to look within for my own answers. Remember how he used to say, 'The important answers aren't in the book. They are within you.'" One young woman, a few years out of school, remarked, "What I learned from him was that all conditions are temporary. How they change depends on me."

Nobody said, "He taught me how to sink free throws and play defense." What I did hear was, "He taught me that ethics are more important than rules. What I learned from him is that integrity is a choice I make. He was a wonderful coach."

Not one athlete commented on the number of games they had won. And most of them had won a lot of games. But one former basketball player remarked, "He taught me to take pride in wearing the uniform. I think he'd like to know I still show that same pride today with my business suit."

My friend was truly a Spirit Whisperer. The evidence is in the legacy he left in the hearts and minds of his former students. He touched their spirit and helped them to reach in and touch it as well.

Don't misinterpret what I'm saying here. It's not that Spirit Whisperers don't care about math, history, art, technology, music, language arts, literature, spelling, and music. They do! And they do a good job of teaching the subjects of their choice. It's just that they don't see the delivery of content as their main objective.

Spirit Whisperers do not lose sight of the fact that they are really teaching students to swim. They see math, history, and science as merely the water they are splashing around in. Science teachers let students splash around in science. Literature teacher structure their lessons so their students splash around in literature. Music teachers allow students to get wet with music. It is during the splashing around in the waters of science, math, and music that Spirit Whisperers teach their students to swim.

Environments for Discovering Nature

"Natural Learning: Creating Environments for Discovering Nature’s Children live an imaginary life, and creating a place where they can have fun in a very free way can motivate them and expand their horizons." Robin Moore and Herbert H. Wong

Creating A Dialogue With Nature

"When we understand that man is the only animal who must create meaning, who must open a wedge into neutral nature, we already understand the essence of love. Love is the problem of an animal who must find life, create a dialogue with nature in order to experience his own being." Ernest Becker

What is Conscious or Positive Parenting

Conscious, positive parenting is parenting with a plan for a positive outcome.

The positive outcome for each child within a family may be different, however there is an underlying fact that parents wish a child to be happy and content in whatever path the child eventually takes, and that, is the most positive outcome of all.

To achieve this goal, as in all other goals in life, be it career or otherwise, we parents need to identify a plan of action, a template for enabling our children to ultimately achieve true happiness in life.

Let us pause for a minute and identify what true contentment and happiness means – not what society says it means, but what it really means.

Pleasure is not true Happiness. Pleasure is only derived by the senses (external); True happiness, like joy, peace and contentment comes from within (internal). We need to clearly make this differentiation before we establish our plan.

The world around tells us ‘If It feels Good; Do It’ – that means that Pleasure is the ultimate goal; which lasts for only a moment as one seeks another superficial experience to satiate the senses.

The true happiness that conscious parenting seeks to achieve, is that inner satisfaction that is derived from a job well done, or when we celebrate with a successful athlete who has overcome all odds to reach the pinnacle of success, or even seeing the genuine smile on someone else’s face when you have done something thoughtful for them.

Parenting for our children to grow to become adults who make choices with these goals and objectives in mind, is what conscious or positive parenting is all about.

Some possible long-term consequences for our children can be a happy, permanent, stable marriage (vocation), respect earned by their peers and their children, respect for the freedom of others.

Now let us look at how we achieve this:

Parenting requires provision for the needs of a child: current physical and emotional needs and also longer term needs: the habitual behaviors and values that will bring happiness in adult life.

Parents need to be conscious of what is required to satisfy these needs at all stages of a child’s development.

In the early years this current generation pays great attention to the physical needs (and wants) of a child sometimes to the detriment of the other, and some may argue, more important needs - emotional and character development .

These positive habits that contribute towards character development are also called virtues, and it is important that these are cultivated in the formative years of early childhood.

The development of character requires, and always has required, conscious focus.

Parents who do not actively engage in helping a child make the consistent efforts needed to develop their full range of qualities will let that child down.

What sad and avoidable mistakes children fall into in adult years because their parents did not help them to think calmly or to make decisions unskewed by emotion.

What mistakes because parents did not teach habits of self-control and of humbling themselves to apologize, or accept an apology, when a relationship is in the balance.

The reality is that no parent knows it all. Every parent has a lot to learn.

The important thing is that each parent struggles to be a better parent for his or her particular children. Complacency is the enemy of effective, positive parenting.

Some key points to be conscious of in parenting are: to remember that actions are only worth the intention with which they are carried out, behaviors must be underpinned by a loving intention.

‘a bank robber may have the perfect plan, but the intention is all wrong’.

Secondly, children need positive example, model the behavior you wish to see, if we give example of kind words, of self control, of hard work, of courage in the face of tiredness and difficulties, of patience with difficult children, our words are more likely to stick.

Thirdly, Parents need to manage all the inputs coming into the life of an impressionable child, children will imitate whoever or whatever they spend time with or pay attention to: human, electronic, or fictional, we must not let the consumer society be a challenge for our children’s hearts and minds.

Once we parents reset our compasses, and re-establish our priorities then we can set parenting goals with conviction and confidence and truly become Conscious, Positive Parents.

4 Ways to Start Kids Meditating

In a world of sensory overload and school, family and internal pressures, kids need meditation as much as adults.

Meditation can help kids develop focus, regulate their own emotions and learn how to pay attention inside and out. It gives them a sense of center and, therefore, resilience.  

While adult meditation is all about turning the senses inward, with kids, often the first step in meditation practice is consciously, and with focus, exploring the senses before they can be turned inside.

You can try the following kid meditation exercises to help little yogis create calm, focus and build self-awareness:

1. Listen! Bell Meditation -  Invite kids to sit up tall in “criss-cross applesauce” and let their eyes close. Ring a bell or singing bowl, and ask kids to use their sense of hearing to explore the sound. Ask them to listen very carefully, and as soon as they hear it stop, raise their hand. They can then practice attentive listening without the bell. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds in your space.  Which are closest to you? Which are far away? Which to the left, or right? You can also try this meditation while walking down the street or lying in bed before falling asleep.   

2. Sing! Relaxation Song - This meditation combines song with touch and brings even the youngest of kids to a place of peace. Invite kids to sit up tall. Sometimes we sing the syllables of an affirmation like “I Am Strong.” With each syllable, touch a different finger to your thumb, starting with the pointer finger and moving to the pinky. We practice singing, whispering, and singing quietly to ourselves in our minds. This is a self-soothing exercise and can be done discretely anywhere kids want to calm down, from home to the classroom desk to the dinner table.  

3. Breathe! Take Five Breath - Your breath is always with you. Learning to check in to it from an early age is a major tool. Try "take 5 breath" where you inhale for five, and exhale for five. Use your fingers to count as you breathe. Slowing your breath will slow down your mind. Can you feel your heart rise and fall as you breathe? Can you feel the breath enter and leave your nose?

4. Watch! Cloud Gazing -  Sitting quietly, pay attention to your inhale and exhale. When thoughts or feelings come up, think of them like clouds passing through your mind, which is like the sky. You can watch the clouds come and go just like you can watch clouds in the sky move and shift in their shapes. Kids may not sit too long, but just introducing this concept is a great preparation for adult meditation. And the awareness that things are always changing and things do pass is important to share and practice observing with kids.  

You’d be amazed how many little yogis love sitting in meditation and how fun it is to explore one sense at a time!

Shapes & Colors, Glue & Glitter = FUN

Mondays Early Birds ;)

Bug, Spider and Insect Jokes and Riddles

Two flies are on the porch. Which one is an actor?
(The one on the screen!)

What is the biggest ant in the world?
(An eleph-ant!)

Why was the baby ant confused?
(Because all of his uncles were ants!)

What do you get when you cross a sheep and a honey bee?
(Bah-humbug!)

How do bees get to school?
(By school buzz!)

Why do bees have sticky hair?
(Because they have honeycombs!)

What do you get when you cross a walrus with a bee?
(A wallaby!)

Why did the bee go to the doctor?
(Because she had hives!)

What do you get if you cross a centipede and a parrot?
(A walkie-talkie!)

How do fleas travel from place to place?
(By itch-hiking!)

What are caterpillars afraid of?
(Doger-pillars!)


Why didn't the butterfly go to the dance?
(Because it was a moth ball!)

Two silk worms were in a race. Who won?
(It was a tie!)

What do you get if you cross a tarantula and a rose?
(I'm not sure, but I wouldn't try smelling it!)

Why are spiders good swimmers?
(They have webbed feet!)

What did the spider say when he broke his new web?
(Darn it!)

Why are frogs so happy?
(Because they eat what bugs them!)

What did one frog say to the other?
(Time's sure fun when you're having flies!)

Why was the mother firefly unhappy?
(Because her children weren't that bright!)

Raising Chickens Teaches Kids So Much

Learning how to care for and rear chickens is a great way for children to learn responsibility and to see how things really work- watch the animals grow and learn how many eggs a chicken can actually produce in a day or a week.

From setting up heat lamps for baby chicks to the feeding to cleaning out the coop, your child will learn the value of labor and get so reap rewards for their work.  

Besides the fun of caring for them, you will can have your own fresh, free- range, organic eggs- a healthy addition to your diet!  

Another bonus is that chickens will keep the bug population in your yard down naturally!

Raising chickens is educational for kids, lets you know that your eggs are actually fresh and organic, and can offer you some food in an emergency situations.

Sensory Integration And Swinging

Swinging helps with sensory integration. Two sensing systems we have (and no I am not just talking about taste, touch, smell, hearing, sight) are our vestibular system and proprioception. All of our systems intertwine so we can move with ease and experience our environment. These two senses are vital to be able to do this.

1. Vestibular System

Our vestibular system is in our inner ear and helps us know if we are moving and which direction we are going. It is essential to balance. It is the reason we get motion sickness or feel like the room is spinning if you are every diagnosed with vertigo.   We actually have three loops in our inner ear and the direction of the fluid inside tells our brain how we are moving. If you apply this to swinging, you are moving in multiple directions and having to balance on the seat, all integrating our vestibular system to figure out what in the world is going on.

2. Proprioception

Proprioception is our sense of knowing our body and where our different parts are located in relation to each other and how they are moving. It can be described as body awareness. There are constant messages being sent from our peripheral body (through proprioceptors and nerves) to our brain and ears telling them where these parts are located and what they are doing. Again apply this to swinging, and the body has to figure out where you are in space and how to control a moving object. 

Movement involves so many different messages from our body and swinging is just one tool used to help our little guys figure out how to interpret those messages and use their bodies to the best of their ability.

What could be better than being honored for work you wish you could do for free?

Thank you all for the nomination and for your votes in Hawaii's Favorite Childcare Provider.

We didn't take home the grand prize this year; however it's hard not to feel like a winner.  As I stood being recognized as 1 of 3 Finalists from 287 nominees I cried tears of joy and gratitude.

When I left Haleiwa for the PATCH ceremony there were huge dark clouds of smoke, fire trucks coming in from all over the island & I could see the fire close to homes in a neighborhood I have friends in.  I was so stunned....in that moment I was filled with love for Haleiwa and the north shore.  

I am so proud to be a member of this community.  I am honored to have the opportunity to be a part of Ka Hana Pono's keikis and their families lives.

I want to thank each of you. When you support an ohana-family small business like Ka Hana Pono you are not helping a corporate CEO buy his third vacation home.  You are helping a little girl take piano lessons, a boy get his team uniform, a mom and dad put food on the table, a student pay college tuition.

Ka Hana Pono Daycare thanks you, Mahalo nui loa for all of your support.

XOXOXOXO, 

Aunty Gel

Visitors Policy

Visits to Ka Hana Pono are welcomed. All visitors must enter at the front entrance to our cottage and speak with a staff member before entering the classroom. 

We hold an open door policy, meaning prospective Ka Hana Pono parents, residents of the community, and interested educators are welcomed. 

We want to extend an open door policy; however, it is important to consider the disturbance of children during their visit. Many of our children are very distractible and some children do not exhibit typical behaviors when guests are present.

In order to protect the children and our program from undue disturbance, the childcare center requires that people wishing to visit during business hours (outside of normal dropoff and pickup times) make appointments. 

Parents are responsible for informing their visitors/guests about this policy. 

We cannot accommodate several parents at the same time and making appointments in advance can help avoid this.

Thank you so much for your understanding!!