Ulu A'e Learning Center

The Kapuuola Hula Festival celebrates Hawaiian storytelling through hula and new mele (compositions) at Puuokapolei. The festival features performances by several hlau hula (hula schools) and live Hawaiian music entertainment. If your ohana wants to kui ai for L Kokoa, but you dont have a papa kui ai, phaku or kalo, we can help. We have 2 papa kui... ai with phaku to loan out to 2 ohana. Every year on Ke Ala Polohiwa A Kane (Summer Solstice), the sun will set directly into Puu Palailai. From Puuokapolei the direct descent of the sun into the mahinaona of Puu Palailai can be seen. The Nenee program is designed for keiki ages 5 14 and held during the DOE intersession breaks. Participants explore their community through daily site visits and by engaging in moolelo (stories), hana noeau (native Hawaiian skills and practices) and kuleana (stewardship). Daily lessons emphasize establishing life long habits that support our planet like using refillable water bottles, eliminating single use plastics and removing invasives from our natural environments. The Noeau Learning Box Delivery program was launched in mid-March in response to COVID and to address the needs of our families who are sheltering in place. Boxes are filled with educational handcrafted Hawaiian games and activities and then loaned to families. These boxes are now available to teachers and community organizations. Hana hei (Hawaiian string figures) is a form of Hawaiian storytelling and mnemonic device. Keiki learn hei in each of Ulu Aes programs. Hana hei engages the young minds of our keiki in a way that encourages the use of our native language and the practice of a traditional conginitive form of memorization.Read More