The Hawai‘i Keiki Museum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Kailua-Kona focused on providing children with hands-on exploration of island science, celebrated its one year anniversary on Friday, Oct. 13 with a party that was free for anyone in the community to enjoy.
In October 2022, Hawai‘i Keiki Museum rolled open its doors to the public. On that first day of the museum welcomed over 1,000 guests into its space, a clear indicator that a museum of this kind was a much-needed resource for the families within the Kona community. The opening celebration was generously sponsored by local businesses, and allowed for free admission on that date.
One year and over 25,000 guests later, Hawai‘i Keiki Museum continued the open-doors party tradition thanks to this year’s sponsor, Aina Ola LLC, a premier general contractor based on Hawaii Island since 1990. Mr. Martin Schneider at Aina Ola LLC said, “It is very cool that Kona has a keiki museum as there really isn’t anything like it on this side of the island”. The one-year anniversary event drew in a crowd of 800 over the course of the day, rivaling the crowds from the year prior.
“In a word, today’s crowd was bustling!” said co-founder Jyness Jones.
The party included a morning “Meet-A-Machine” event, where keiki boarded vehicles that included construction equipment, four wheelers, an ice cream truck, a fire truck, ambulances and police vehicles. Artist George Tamihana Nuku, a world-renowned Maori artist working in plastics, unveiled his newest sea-themed installation, which was completed in cooperation with local families and in collaboration with Volcano Art Center. Keiki of all ages played with the science exhibits on the museum floor and were entertained by Alexander the Amazing, who performed magic in the afternoon with the Cirq du Latte performance group.
Executive Director and museum co-founder Dana McLaughlin says, “We continue to be inspired by how the island community and our global ohana have joined hands with us to cultivate young minds, helping them grow into the leaders of tomorrow.”
In addition to exhibits on its floor, which are built to engage keiki aged 0-10, the Hawai‘i Keiki Museum has been working diligently on ways to engage with older keiki to inspire future careers and hobbies, through camps focused on computer coding, robotics, engineering and design. This year the museum has begun to engage with middle- and high-school students through mentorships and internships to capture the imaginations of bright minds in local schools. In addition, the Hawai‘i Keiki Museum is working with students enrolled at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif., on a logic-themed volcano exhibit, which is under development and will soon be built with the collaboration of local keiki on Hawaii Island.
“I am so happy that Kona has a fun and educational place for our keiki to gather. As a teacher, I love working with a Hawaii Keiki Museum, to do collaborative service learning projects, and as a mom, my boys love the endless opportunities to have imaginative play with their friends,” said Melissa Burr, teacher at Hawaii Technology Academy in Kailua-Kona. Burr’s fourth and fifth grade classes put up their nature-inspired projects for the public, helped by the instruction of Maui artist Beth Marcil, funded by an Arts-in-the-School (AITS) grant.
The museum welcomes visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Thursdays. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for keiki and for out-of-state visitors, and $7 per person for kama‘aina.
For more information about the Hawai‘i Keiki Museum, including volunteer inquiries, please visit www.hawaiikeikimuseum.org or call (808) 731-6311. The museum is located at 74-5533 Luhia Street, Unit D, in Kailua-Kona.
