For my class, we had to do a final group event that included everything we had learned in class:
- Pre-opener: a game that people can participate in as they arrive
- Entertainment: song, skit, jokes, riddles, etc.
- Magic Trick
- Jokes and trivia
- Relay
- Song/Dance
- Refreshments
The party was a blast and not too hard to put together! You do not have to use every element that we did. The party with everything included lasted about 45 minutes. You can easily make it last longer or shorter as you desire.
Here are the things you will need:
- Enough chairs for each person attending (for the pre-opener)
- Ukelele (for the entertainment)
- Deck of cards or homemade cards (for the magic trick)
- For the relay:
- Long rope
- Sunglasses (1 pair per group)
- Lei (1 pair per group)
- Flower hair clip (1 pair per group)
- Face paint (1 pair per group)
- Grass skirt (1 pair per group)
- Camera (1 per group, optional)
Here is what we did!
Pre-opener
Before the party, set up chairs in rows for however many participants you have (30 people = 5 rows of
6 chairs). As people come in, show them to their row (once one row fills up, fill up the next row). Once everyone is seated, start playing music and have everyone stand up and walk around the chairs in their row. While the music is going, take away one chair from each row. When the music stops, everyone has to sit down. The people without a chair have departed to Hawaii. Have them step over to the side of the plane. Once one person is left, welcome everyone to Hawaii, and give the winner a prize (some sort of candy bar or something).
Entertainment
One of the girls in the group knew how to play the ukelele. She picked a few of her favorite songs and played them for the group. Everyone sat in front of her, sang along, clapped, etc. The songs she played were:
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow by IZ
- If I Could Take Your Love With Me by Anonymous
- Dream Girl by Ekolu
This activity was very helpful in order to bring down all the energy and get everyone's attention for the next fun activity!
Hawaiian Magic Trick
This is an adaptation of an extremely easy magic trick. Normally cards are used, but in this case, we "created" our own cards (16) with Hawaiian images like palm trees, pineapples, flip flops, flowers, etc. This is how you perform the magic trick:
- Group cards in 4 columns with 4 cards in each column
- Ask one person to pick a card. You look away so he/she can show all participants which card was picked
- Ask the person to point to the column where his/her card was
- Pick that column first and put it in your hand. Then pick up the rest of the column, it doesn't matter in what order they go - make sure to pick them up in column though
- Using that column first you start 4 different columns (making sure that each of the 4 cards are on 4 different columns)
- Then ask the person to point to the column where their card is
- By this point you already know which card they picked because it is the only one in the original column his/she pick and the new column. The important part is that you act mysterious and confident throughout the magic trick
Hawaiian Themed Jokes and Trivia
These can be used throughout the party to allow time for set-up for the next activity or you can share these just at random times or all together. It truly is up to you!
An old Hawaiian man lived alone in the country. He wanted to dig a taro patch (taro is used to make poi which has a paste-like texture and is eaten in Hawaii), but it was very hard work because the group was hard like a rock. His only son, Kimo, who used to help him, was in Halawa prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and explained his predicament:
Dear Kimo,
I feel pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my taro patch this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up this hard soil. I know if you were here you would be happy to dig the patch for me, and it wouldn't be a problem.
Love, Dad
A few days later, he received a letter from his son:
Dear Dad,
Do not dig up the taro patch. That's where I buried the bodies.
Love, Kimo
At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived, and an army of men dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. Later that same day, the old man received another letter from his son:
Go plant your taro patch now dad. This is the best I could do.
Love, Kimo
Why don't oysters give to charity? Because they are shellfish
Why did the lobster blush? Because the sea weed
What did the Pacific Ocean say to the Atlantic Ocean? Nothing, it just waved
What did one tide pool say to the other tide pool? Show me your mussels
Where do crabs and lobsters catch their trains? Kings Crustacean
Where does seaweed look for a job? In the 'Kelp-wanted' ads
What do you find on a small beach? Micro-waves!
What did the fish use as a cell phone? A Shell Phone
Hawaii Fun Facts:
- Hawaii is the only state that grows coffee
- More than one-third of the world's commercial supply of pineapples comes from Hawaii
- From east to west Hawaii is the widest state in the United States
- The Hawaiian Islands are the projecting tops of the biggest mountain range in the world
- Hawaii was the 50th state admitted into the union on August 20, 1959
- Hawaii has the fewest overweight people in the United States. About 19.7% of Hawaii residents are overweight, compared to 30% on the mainland
- The Hawaiian alphabet consists of only 12 letters. The five vowels are: A, E, I, O, U and the seven consonants are: H, K, L, M, N, P, W
Relay-Dress up the Tourist
It's time to dress up for your vacation to get you into the Hawaiian spirit of adventure! Items needed:
- Long rope
- Sunglasses (1 pair per group)
- Lei (1 pair per group)
- Flower hair clip (1 pair per group)
- Face paint (1 pair per group)
- Grass skirt (1 pair per group)
- Camera (optional)
Have everyone line up in their groups (from the plane ride) on one side of the room (5 groups = 6 separate lines). On the other end, have a table set up with the items listed above on it (you can separate them out for the groups beforehand or jumble them up - your choice!). Have one person from each group go stand on the other side of the room (if you want it to be super funny, choose a male). Then have two of the leaders stand on either end of the room and hold the rope tight to create limbo! The first member of each group will have to limbo under the rope to get to the 'tourist' on the other side, choose one object, put it on the 'tourist', limbo back to the group, and tag the next person who then repeats the sequence.
If you have enough people, add the following step: when the tourist is all dressed, the last person takes their picture. If there are not enough people in the group, the first person goes again. The first group to finish gets a prize! (Bag of candy, a toy, etc.)
Song/Dance - Hukilau (huki: pull, lau: leaves)
A ukilau is a fishing celebration invented by the ancient Hawaiians. The town would throw huge nets into the ocean with coconut leaves tied onto them to lure in the fish. Everyone would join together to pull in the nets. Jack Owens wrote the Hukilau song in 1948 after visiting Hawaii. The Hukilau is now a popular song and dance. We chose to teach our group the first verse, but there is more than one so you can decide how many you want to teach!
Oh we're goin' to a hukilau (pulling "ropes" 2x to the right, 2x to the left)
A huki huki huki huki huki hukilau (pulling "ropes" 2x to the right, 2x to the left)
Everybody loves a hukilau (arms outstretched in welcoming)
Where the laulau is the kaukau at the hukilau (left hand cupped like a bowl, right hand scoops and brings "food" to the mouth)
We'll throw our nets out into the sea (hands overhead and "thrown" forward)
And all the ama-ama come a-swimmin' to me (one hand on top of the other moving up and down like fish)
Oh we're goin' to a hukilau (pulling "ropes" 2x to the right, 2x to the left)
A huki huki huki huki hukilau (pulling "ropes" 2x to the right, 2x to the left)
Definitions:
- Laulau: leaves
- Kaukau: pork/food
- Ama-ama: popular Hawaiian Fish
Here is a video that can teach you the lyrics and dance: (go to 1 minute 22 seconds for the dance)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qAk3I7gLT0
Refreshments
Hawaiian punch and fruit skewers (pineapple, grapes, strawberries on a toothpick - any fruit will work as long as you have at least 1 kind of tropical fruit).
Please comment below on how you would use it with your population,
thoughts on how it has worked for you, advice for others on how to
implement it, what you would process and so on! We'd love to hear about it!
Here are a few links to ideas on how to lead activities better:
