For more information about HVO, the open house and other centennial and Volcano Awareness Month events, visit hvo.wr.usgs.gov or call 967-8844.
Lauhala weaving workshop is Monday
Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park presents “Become Inspired by the Authentic,” with 93 park events slated for 2012.
On Monday, a workshop based around ulana lauhala (weaving of the pandanus leaf) will be offered from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kumu will start participants at the tree; learning to choose the lau (leaf) from the puhala, or pandanus, tree; how to clean the lau and dethorn it; and how to condition and strip the lau to make an item they can take home.
Ancient Hawaiians considered the puhala the most useful of all the trees growing on their islands. They used every part of the plant: the roots, root fibers, bark, trunk, aerial roots and their buds, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. The products of the tree had many other uses beyond the weaving of the leaves and the making of lei.
The workshop is limited to 10 participants on a first-come, first-participate basis; others can watch and learn as was done in the olden days. Participants will be sitting on the ground on lauhala mats for this workshop. They should bring their own lunch and water. There will be a lunch break from noon to 1 p.m.
Entrance fees are $5 per vehicle or $3 per person for walk-ins.
For more information, leave a message at 328-2326, ext. 1702.
Library boosters plan annual meeting
The Friends of the Library, Kona will hold its annual meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday on the Kailua-Kona Public Library lanai. A short reception with refreshments follows. Current members are encouraged to attend, as well as those interested in becoming members.
Following the reception, the Kona Library Book Club will meet at approximately 11:30 a.m. This meeting date is a change from the usual third Tuesday of the month because of the library closure for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The book for this month is “Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin, an account of the year she spent test-driving studies and theories about how to be happier. She shares her insights to help create a happiness project. New members are welcome.
February’s selection will be “What the Dog Saw” by Malcolm Gladwell.
Soroptimists meeting Tuesday morning
Soroptimist International of Kona’s monthly meeting begins at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday at the Royal Kona Resort. Reservations are required for lunch, which is $24. Call Suzanne at 329-1351 for a reservation. Guests and prospective members are welcome.
For information on membership and other Soroptimist information, call Sally at 325-5196.
‘Stand for Life’ scheduled for Sunday
Kona’s annual “Stand for Life” will be from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. During the event, Kona-area Christians of many denominations gather on the Queen Kaahumanu Highway just south of Palani Road to pray and stand in silent witness for life. Participants may choose to bring their own signs with pro-life messages or pick from signs that will be provided.
The gathering is held each year on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.
For more information, call Debbie at 430-8251.
Workshop for teachers slated in Waimea
Hawaii Learning Resource is partnering with Assets School and Hawaii Preparatory Academy to offer two teacher training workshops in Waimea. The workshops target students with learning differences; however, all students in the classroom can benefit.
The first workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 25, and will present ways to strategically approach vocabulary development. Studies and research related to vocabulary growth will be shared, as well as teaching vocabulary through morphemes, how to select relevant vocabulary words and strategies across the content areas.
The second workshop, Demystifying Spelling for Dyslexics, will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 17. This workshop examines the three processes involved in spelling: mapping sounds onto symbols, chunking letters into syllable patterns and combining morphemes to form words. This workshop moves rapidly through different skill levels and is best for experienced educators with background knowledge in this area.
Darlene Robertson, director of professional program development for Assets School, will teach both workshops. Assets School, located in Honolulu, is a leader in effective education of both gifted and dyslexic students and is known for innovative teaching practices.
Workshops will take place in Waimea at Hawaii Preparatory Academy’s village campus dining hall. Participation is limited to 20 teachers. To register, visit hawaiilearningresource.org or email info@hawaiilearningresource.org.
Hawaii Learning Resource is able to offer the workshops free to local educators with grants provided by the Hawaii Hotel Industry Foundation and the Rotary Club of North Hawaii. For more information about the workshops, call 885-9318.
Hawaii Learning Resource is the dba of North Hawaii Women and Children’s Services, a Waimea based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1998 whose mission is to help and empower diverse learners in school and in life.
Observatory open house is Saturday
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory celebrates 100 years of cutting-edge volcano monitoring with a free public open house from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The observatory, located on the rim of Kilauea Volcano’s summit caldera next to Jaggar Museum in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, is usually closed to the public. On Saturday, the observatory will open for public tours, exhibits and demonstrations. The National Park Service has granted free admission to the park on Saturday in honor of HVO’s centennial.
Island residents and visitors will be able to learn about the eruptive history and current status of Hawaii’s active volcanoes and how HVO scientists monitor them. Among the many activities:
c See evidence of Kilauea’s explosive eruptions in 200- to 300-year-old ash layers exposed near the observatory. An HVO scientist will tell the story of these deposits on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
c Learn how thermal and time-lapse images can “see” heat and are used to study and document volcanic activity.
c Look through a microscope at aa and pahoehoe lava, Pele’s hair and tears, and more.
c Test the acidity of drinking water. Bring a small, clean plastic container filled with the water to have tested.
c See a gas chromatograph in action, “taste” (learn to recognize) volcanic gases and watch a sulfur gas experiment.
c Learn how and why HVO scientists measure changes in a volcano’s shape.
c See examples of the instruments that are used to monitor Hawaii’s volcanoes.
c See how data from more than 100 field stations that record volcanic and earthquake activity 24/7 are analyzed and made public.
c Sketch a Hawaiian volcano or a person’s vision of an eruption.
c View the winning entries in HVO’s poster contest for Hawaii Island fourth-grade students. Awards will be presented to the winners at 10 a.m.
c Learn how and why earthquakes occur in Hawaii and how to prepare a home for the next “big one.”
Parking is available at nearby Kilauea Military Camp. A free shuttle will run between the camp and HVO.
Since 1912, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has led efforts not only to understand the workings of Hawaii’s volcanoes but also to advance volcano science worldwide. Kilauea has erupted 48 times on HVO’s watch, with an ongoing summit eruption since 2008. Mauna Loa, the largest volcano on Earth, has erupted 12 times in that period, most recently in 1984, when lava flowed to within four miles of Hilo. HVO scientists monitor this seismic and volcanic activity, and provide emergency managers with timely and effective warnings to help reduce the risk of volcanic hazards.
For more information about HVO, the open house and other centennial and Volcano Awareness Month events, visit hvo.wr.usgs.gov or call 967-8844.