Spend the morning connecting with nature at Mānoa Heritage Center, learning about the plants through mindful observation. Learn how to reawaken your creative spirit with fun and simple drawing and writing activities. Join artist Kate Righter for an introduction to Nature Journaling! 🌱 What is Nature Journaling? . Nature Journaling is the creative practice of recording thoughts and observations of the ‘āina using words, pictures, and numbers. It all begins with stepping outside with paper, a pen or a pencil, and an open mind. You don’t need to be an artist, writer, naturalist or scientist, you just need to be curious! . The morning will include a mix of lessons designed to inspire deeper observation and awareness of the natural world. Participants will be encouraged to apply a variety of creative techniques and scientific methods of inquiry to their conversations and projects. We will learn the Hawaiian names for native plants animals and places, and Kate will share mo’olelo appropriate to the time and place. Join us! Register at link in bio. 🌱 #ManoaHeritageCenter #ManoaValley #MaKaHanaKaIke #LearnbyDoing #getcreative #getoutside #artworkshop #oahuworkshop

Please join us on Thursday, July 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. for a special public program, “Endangered Endemics: A Peek into the Fascinating World of Hawai‘i Kāhuli.” This presentation will include a talk led by David Sischo, a wildlife biologist with the Division of Forestry and Wildlife who also coordinates the DLNR’s Snail Extinction Prevention Program (SEPP). A short-film by filmmaker Daniel A. Kelin II about Hawaiʻi’s endemic kāhuli will follow, and a discussion will cap off the program. A big mahalo to the Hawai’i Council for Humanities who helped make this event possible. Sign up for the event by hitting the link in our bio, or by visiting us at manoaheritagecenter.org.

It was the last day of class for our 2024 Summer Hula Camp students on Wednesday, however theyʻll be taking home memories theyʻll never forget from the experience—just like this. Performing for friends and families, the class of over 25 students took their audience from the sea to the land, performing three different hula representing what they learned over the seven-day workshop. This yearʻs class had a great mix of keiki (kids) and kūpuna (seniors), all working, learning and playing together. A big mahalo to Kumu Kilohana Silve of Hālau Hula o Mānoa for leading the class, sharing moʻolelo (stories) and integrating ma ka hana ka ‘ike hands-on activities.

Have you ever made paper before? Well you can on June 15, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Mānoa Heritage Center. Using various fibers pulped in a Hollander beater, our talented paper making teacher Allison Roscoe will take you step by step through the paper making process. Open to beginners and advanced paper makers, be prepared to get wet, have fun and make sheets of paper that can be used for drawing, painting, printmaking and 3-D constructions. Register for the class with the link in our bio!

Our MHC staffers had some fun in the mud at @uhlyonarboretum today. The morning was spent pulling weeds from the arboretum’s mala kalo to give thanks for the beautiful floral arrangements Lyon Arboretum had given us for our Dancing in the Moonlight evening gala. If you’re around Mānoa—maybe visiting MHC for a tour or a workshop—be sure to check out Lyon Arboretum. Established in 1918, the arboretum and botanical garden is home to an extensive collection of native Hawaiian and Polynesian plants—and great people. Mahalo nui Lyon Arboretum!

Munroidendron (Polyscias racemosa) is an endemic tree that was once thought to be the sole member of the genus Munroidendron. Now reclassified as a member of the genus Polyscias, this beautiful flowering plant is easy enough to grow in cultivation, but remains critically endangered in its natural habitat on Kauaʻi’s coastal and mesic forests. You can gaze upon their rich purple berries and fuzzy green leaves at the corner of Mānoa Heritage Center’s White Garden, the section closest to Kūkaʻōʻō. Here, four different generations of Munroidendron are growing in the same spot their seeds sprouted years ago!

Through rain and, well, more rain, we had 46 dedicated volunteers come to MHC last Saturday to assist local scout Kyle’s Eagle Scout project of clearing an unused and overgrown hill on the side of Kūkaʻōʻō Heiau—right below the White Garden. “It was an implantable area and an overgrown slope,” says MHC Facilities Manager Kevin Prior. “But Kyle and his volunteers came and conquered, and we were able to make four more garden beds.” Working hard—and together—the effort put in by Kyle and those who volunteered their time truly shows what can be done with enough teamwork and dedication. And there will be more to come on what will be planted in these garden beds, so stay tuned!

Open to all ages and running from June 3rd to June 12th (King Kamehameha Day, June 11, will be observed), Mānoa Heritage Center’s Summer Hula Camp returns this summer and looks to build on our previous hula camps. Kumu Kilohana Silve of Hālau Hula o Mānoa will integrate ma ka hana ka ‘ike hands-on activities while sharing mo‘olelo (stories) and teaching a new hula noho (“Auhea O Ka Lani”) to participants at this 7-day hula workshop. Running from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily, those interested in a week of learning, dancing and chanting can sign up for our annual Summer Hula Camp by hitting the link in our profile bio. All ages are welcome—last year our class age range spanned from 5 to 92!—and no previous hula experience is needed to attend.

Working to refurbish and restore a water catchment and plant nursery that Hanahauʻoli School students built five years ago, this year’s class of 4th and 5th graders were kept busy working with Uncle Kevin on a variety of tasks. From stabilizing support pillars to building a compost deck, making water catchment gutters, crafting cabinets and more, these wonderful keiki accomplished so much in the months they spent working on property. Mahalo nui loa keiki of Hanahauʻoli School for the hard work and a big thank you to @malama.manoa for funding the project with a generous contribution.