E Ola Ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi!
The Hawaiian Language shall live!
Hawaiian Language Month may be over for 2023 but I wanted to share a brief list of incredible resources to keep the learning going all year long. Whether you live here in the Rainbow State or you love to visit, it’s so important that we all do our part to keep the Hawaiian Language alive and well.
Hawaiian Toys & Books
From number cards to color blocks, lacing cards to puzzles–Itsy Bitsy Keiki makes beautiful toys to introduce basic ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i to your keiki. We’ve used their products as stocking stuffers as well as birthday gifts for friends. Bonus: Their website includes some incredible free printables too!
Our favorite little bookshop in Honolulu has curated the sweetest collection of keiki books that integrate ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i. There are board books, alphabet books, Hawaiian legends, and more. Sure you could pick up a handful of these on Amazon, but you may as well support an amazing local bookshop like da Shop.
If you followed along with our latest adventure on the Island of Hawai’i, then you know we fell in love with a handful of local boutiques in Hilo. Island Nation has a truly unique assortment of games and learning materials for keiki and adults. If you are lucky enough to visit in person, be sure to stop by and check out their inspiring collection of ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i books for purchase.
Hale Kuamo’o, an outreach branch of UH Hilo, is the largest producer of curriculum, books and support materials printed in ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i. I’m sharing photos of our three favorite products of theirs above to encourage you to reach out via email to purchase directly from them (and thus support their efforts of serving the Hawaiian-immersion schools in Hawai’i). They are still working on a platform for online sales but can be reached at hkuamoo@hawaii.edu to place an order. I cannot recommend these three products more–the first two are essentially picture word books and the third are flash cards that can be used in a variety of ways!
Hawaiian Prints & Printables
Similar to how we have maps hanging throughout the house, we also love hanging prints by local creatives–especially ones that integrate ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i. Melibea picked out this one from Kauai-based artist Holly Ka’iakapu. She loves refreshing her colors in ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i via this Ānuenue print!
‘Ōlelo Aku ‘Ōlelo Mai is a great place to start if you want fun and simple practice activities for your keiki in ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i. From visual references, to card games and dry erase sheets, our keiki love these practical learning materials that are easily portable too!
Hawaiian Accounts to Follow on Instagram
Pop over to the following Instagram accounts for inspiration and education. @ola_and_olelo offers easy bite-sized lessons that you can apply in everyday life with keiki. @kahalehoaka and @kanaeokana can help you with online lessons/resources. I personally prefer face-to-face learning, but with our active travel schedule I am definitely looking into online course options starting this fall.
In the meanwhile, I’m going to try to set a timer for daily ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i practice with the keiki–it could just be 10-15 minutes of reading books together or playing games together to start. If you find something that works great for you and your ‘ohana please share!
Last but not least, we’ve also been integrating music in ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i into our daily flow. Our favorite albums include Hawaiian Lullaby by Kimie Miner and Facing Future by IZ. Happy listening!
