One by one, the keiki gathered around the relief map Tuesday morning at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Kilauea Visitor Center introduced themselves and told park education specialist Lanakila Anderson what they hoped to be when they grow up.
One by one, the keiki gathered around the relief map Tuesday morning at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Kilauea Visitor Center introduced themselves and told park education specialist Lanakila Anderson what they hoped to be when they grow up.
There were three veterinarians, two doctors, one possible surgeon, two National Football League players, one professional volleyball player, an astronaut, a middle school math teacher, a viola player and a Marine.
For the next three days, though, they were all Junior Rangers.
The annual summer program takes place in June and offers kids ages 7-13 a chance to explore just about everything the park has to offer, fostering a connection to the ‘aina from the twin lenses of science and culture.
That approach drew Rachel Iga of Keaau to sign her daughter up for the program.
“It’s educational,” she said. “And it’s outside.”
“I’ve done a lot of things on the Big Island, but this, being a ranger, sounded really cool,” Chance Soranaka of Oahu said during introductions.
Although some keiki, such as Soranaka, come from other islands or out of state, nearly all Junior Ranger participants live on Hawaii Island.
Because the program is free, it offers keiki from poorer districts such as Puna and Ka‘u — the districts that contain the park itself — an opportunity to explore parts of their own backyard that aren’t otherwise accessible because of the cost.
Sessions take place throughout two weeks, with the first week for younger keiki (7-10 years old) and the second for pre-teens (one 10-year-old also joined the ranks this year). The activities are the same for both groups, but each has its own personality.
The younger group has “so much energy,” said park volunteer Terri Kroesing, who, with husband Larry, works with Anderson and ranger Noah Gomes during Junior Ranger weeks.
“They’re a little more wild,” said Gomes, who has worked with Junior Rangers for three summers.
At the start of Tuesday’s session, the group of older keiki (more calm but more sassy, Gomes said) took a short walk to an overlook showcasing Halema‘uma‘u Crater, where they practiced a mele oli asking to enter the park.
“It’s like coming into someone’s home,” Gomes said.
The Junior Rangers then helped clean the home, lopping and uprooting invasive ginger from the grounds of the Environmental Education Center before filing inside to try their hand at two ukulele songs, one in English and another in Hawaiian.
“You really want to learn it because we’ll be performing for your parents on Thursday,” Anderson told the kids, to yelps of excitement and dismay.
Afternoon began with a visit to the Volcano Art Center gallery for a chance to work with original block prints carved by Big Island artist Dieterich Varez.
Last week’s printing session was a hit with the kids and the artist, said VAC manager Emily C. Weiss. Varez and his wife, upon seeing photos of the younger keiki making prints, provided more than a dozen additional blocks for the older group to use.
“They loved it,” Weiss said.
Junior Ranger offerings vary annually, in part to keep things interesting for returning junior rangers (and full-time rangers), and in part to accommodate changes in funding.
Funding comes from Friends of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the Hawaii Pacific Parks Association. This year, the program also received a grant from the federal Every Kid in a Park program that covered some transportation expenses.
Previous years included trips to other parks on the west side of the island. This year, the final day was set to feature a visit to the park’s horse corral and the Jagger Museum — along with the awaited ukulele performance.
“Who knows what we’re doing next year,” Gomes said.
Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com.