Tūtū and Me Celebrate the Hard Work of our Community Helpers November 19, 2013

The month of October was an especially busy month for the Hale‘iwa and Pauoa sites of Tūtū and Me, but with the help of our two newest additions to the teaching team Cami Watanabe (Assessment Specialist) and Leeana Kalawe (Teaching Assistant) we were able to provide our families with many activities and opportunities to learn and grow. Our October theme highlighted various Community Helpers who–through their hard work and dedication to their professions—provide us with food, shelter, safety, and other invaluable services that help our communities thrive. It’s safe to say that our October month and all the awesome activities we do in it are always favorites of our families.

Our field trip for the month was to the Aloun Farms for our Hale‘iwa site and to the Waimānalo Country Farms for our Pauoa site where we highlighted our communities’ farmers and the role they play in growing our food. Each keiki and caregiver was able to pick their own pumpkin, as well as participate in such farmyard activities as hay rides, a sunflower maze, and a petting zoo. All in all it was a great opportunity for our children and families here on Oʻahu to be reconnected to our ʻāina and to appreciate the vital role that the mahi ʻai of our communities play in a society where this connection is being increasingly forgotten.

Both of our sites were also fortunate to be visited by members of the Honolulu Police Department who demonstrated for our keiki the jobs that police officers do, explained the uniforms they wear as community helpers, shared some Halloween safety tips with the children, and provided Keiki I.D. cards for the families to serve as a vital tool to help find our keiki in the event that they go lost or missing. Our families all agreed that being able to make their children’s I.D. cards on the spot with the help of our local police officers was a great opportunity to talk to their keiki about the importance of being safe and of sticking near their caregivers during this holiday season. We were also able to complement our monthly theme and Police Department visit by having a Community Helper themed dress up day as a substitute for Halloween celebrations. Our keiki had a blast pretending to be different community helpers while in the presence of our real-life community police officers.