EPIC PLAYGROUNDS & PARKS

EPIC PLAYGROUNDS

Enjoy Kauai’s playgrounds with crazy cool climbing structures! These are epic parks to check out with your family this Fall!

Anaina Hou Playground

Anaina Hou Playground

5-2723 Kuhio Hwy, Kilauea www.Anainahou.org

Anaina Hou Community Park is located on the North Shore of Kauai in Kilauea. Created by visionaries Bill and Joan Porter, Anaina Hou Community Park serves as a multipurpose space for Kauai residents, include restrooms, and picnic tables. With engaging structures that illustrate Hawaiian history, the Anaina Hou Playground will inspire your keiki to tell their own stories as they play. They’ll climb, move, and run on replicas of a volcano, sailing canoe, and a sugarcane train.

DELIVER FALL

Kamalani Playground

Kamalani Playground

Lydgate Park, 4470 Nalu Rd, Kapaa (past Wailua Golf Course) www.Kauai.Gov

Considered an amazing marvel, Kamalani Playground entertains kids for hours. Conceived and built by the community and Kauai County Parks Department, this exceptionally large playground is made up of inter-connecting wood structures, filled with nooks and crannies and imaginative places to go. Surrounded by extensive lawn, shade trees and close to a restroom, Kamalani Playground is found at Lydgate Beach Park directly across from the swimming beach. Further west, off of Nehe Road is Kamalani Kai, another delightful area for kids with a wonderful wood structure as well that leads down to the beach. It’s adjacent to the Lydgate public campground.

The Lihue Loop

By Kane Casillas

Motivating the community to stay Active, Healthy, and Involved in the heart of Kaua’i.

The Lihue Loop, created by Get Fit Kauai, begins and ends at Kalena Park and takes place along Rice, Hardy, and ‘Eiwa streets in Lihue. It is a 1.3-mile selfguided walking audio tour where you’ll find 19 points of interest (indicated by QR codes) which open educational audio about the town of Lihue. You will learn some things about Kauai’s most popular and significant landmarks while enjoying fun, relaxing physical activity! The tour works best via a mobile device.

Closed captioning (CC) is also available for each point of interest and is accessible through the QR code.

A participant looking at the Lihue Loop map near the Kalena Park wayfinding signage.

The audio you hear on the walk is provided by the Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School Advanced Media class, led by CKMS teacher Kevin Matsunaga. Matsunaga saw the Lihue Loop as a way to help the community while teaching his students. The students searched for little-known facts about wellknown places in town such as the street art mural fronting the historic Kress Building (which is now being rehabilitated), the Kauai Museum and Lihue Library to name a few. The students then interviewed subject matter experts for each location.

A participant scanning a QR code with their camera app.

Kauai High School teacher Leah Aiwohi also saw the Lihue Loop as a project for students that could help the community and put the Kauai High STEMworks Program to use. The STEMworks (science, technology, engineering, and math) students used 3D printers to create 19 distinct QR codes. These QR codes can be found on all 19 stops of the Lihue Loop. When scanned, each QR code plays an audio file of a CKMS student teaching you more about the town of Lihue.

The Lihue Loop is a community-

Participants walking to Point 4: Hardy St. Homes on the Lihue Loop.

driven project involving so many people, organizations, and institutions. Get Fit Kauai, Kauai Cares, Kauai Path, County of Kauai, Lihue Business Association, Rice Street Business Association, Jackson Communications, The Garden Island Newspaper, For Kauai Magazine, KONG Radio, Na Lei Wili AHEC, and countless volunteers! Funding for the Lihue Loop project provided by Kaiser Permanente and the Hawaii State Department of Health. The Lihue Loop is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning you can “do the loop” any time! Take part in the Lihue Loop Scavenger Hunt for a chance to win prizes! The scavenger hunt is fun for the whole family, and the best part? You can play it as many times as you want! While you play, you may learn something new. Fact or Fiction? The world’s first ice cream cone was invented right here in Lihue...

Don’t know? Want to know? Check out the Lihue Loop! It’s fun! It’s free! It’s for the whole family! To download the map and instructions, go to lihueloop.com. See you on the loop!

Back to Nature

By Kane Casillas

Kaluapuhi Trail

With restrictions easing up, you now have the chance to immerse yourself in the beauty of Kaua’i for the first time in months. A great place to go is Koke’e! Located on the west side of Kaua’i, this mountain is great for hikers, campers and hunters alike. There’s no such thing as too much time when visiting the landmarks on this majestic mountain.

Camping

Koke’e has plenty of campsites, including the campground at the Koke’e State Park! Once there, you can set up tents, start campfires, roast s’mores and play games! The night sky accompanies you as you sleep.

Kalalau Lookout and Trail

The Kalalau Lookout is one of the most popular lookouts on the mountain, with views of mountains, the sky and the ocean. As you continue down the small trail to the left of the lookout, you can begin to see the island of Ni’ihau in the distance and various types of plant life. It may be short, but it’s a very scenic hike.

Kaluapuhi Trail

One of the nicest hikes because of the different ways to have fun. About a mile in, you’ll find yourself surrounded by redwood trees. Earlier in the hike, you can find plum trees, which are especially ripe this summer! When going on this hike, be ready for a nice breeze and some delicious snacks!

Photos by: Kane Casillas

Improve Your Home’s Value This Fall

By Leah Ragsac, Kauai Realty, Inc.

Taking care of your home is a sure way to maintain or increase value. If you are thinking of selling or want to increase the value of your home for financial purposes such as a refi or home equity line, first impressions will count with buyers and appraisers. Here are a few adjustments that can be made to your home to produce a favorable response.

MAKE IT MORE ATTRACTIVE

Putting some effort into making your home look better will increase it’s value. Cleaning, painting, power washing and decluttering will make a difference. A little sweat equity will go a long way.

MAKE IT LOW-MAINTENANCE

Low maintenance can be very attractive to buyers. Many home buyers worry about buying a home that will need constant maintenance. Changing a few things like removing plants to improve landscape maintenance or removing stained carpet and replacing it with durable flooring will make things easy to clean and maintain.

MAKE SIMPLE REPAIRS

Look around the exterior and interior of your home and make a list of minor repairs that can be done such as a broken screen, missing cabinet handle, leaky faucet, or a broken door knob. Put procrastination on the side and get it done.

These easy home improvements show that you don’t have to spend a fortune in order to make your home more desirable, and significantly increase its value. Get the family involved and teach the importance of taking care of your home!

By Dr. Grace Galiza, Pediatrician, Kauai Medical Clinic

Many students are returning to the classroom this school year for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. After more than a year of remote learning, going back to school in person may not be as simple as it seems. Making sure your back-to-school list of to-dos includes a check-in with your child on both their mental and physical health is important.

“COVID-19 has had significant impacts on the mental health of children and adolescents,” says Dr. Grace Galiza, a pediatrician at Kaua‘i Medical Clinic. “They have been apart from friends and may have missed many milestone events of their youth, such as birthdays, proms and graduations, which can have them feeling a loss of security or safety.” According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents should look out for the following signs that could indicate your child may need more support:

1Unusual changes in mood; ongoing irritability, feelings of hopelessness or rage, or frequent conflicts with friends and family.

2Behavioral changes, such as stepping back from personal relationships or losing interest in activities.

3Difficulty falling or staying asleep, or sleeping all the time. 4 Changes in weight or eating patterns.

5Memory, thinking, or concentration problems.

6Increase in risky or reckless behaviors.

7Suicidal thoughts.

There are also steps you can take to prepare kids physically for returning to school. Vaccinations have proven to be an effective way to protect children from a number of illnesses, including COVID-19. In Hawaii, everyone aged 12 and older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, which is free regardless of health insurance status. Last year, the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) also updated immunization requirements for enrollment in childcare facilities, preschools, and public or private schools in the state. For the full list of immunization requirements, visit the DOH website.

“Talk to your child’s pediatrician if you have any questions or concerns about immunizations or your child’s mental or emotional health,” says Galiza. “Your pediatrician is your partner in caring for your child’s health and well-being, and can also be a helpful resource in easing the transition back to school for the whole family.”

For more health and wellness tips, visit HealthierHawaii.org.

MESSAGE FROM PAUL ZINA

Kauai Complex Area Superintendent

After 24 years, I still love my job… Where else can a person say that they have the opportunity to mold and shape so many lives. In every encounter with every person I face in a single day, I have the opportunity to become part of the solution that satisfies a great need. While not everyone shares the same amount of opportunities as I may (serving over 9,100 students along with their families), each of us in our school community does have an opportunity every day to affect at least one child in the best way possible. As we move again into a new school year with a return to full in person learning for all students, I ask everyone to make the most out of each opportunity we have to build the character of a child while keeping everyone healthy and safe. The time you take to show a kindness, teach a lesson, or express a moral value will not be wasted. That will allow us to focus on our primary objective of public schools - providing the best education possible for all students. I will continue leading Kaua’i schools to ensure that we make the most out of educating our children. We have learned quite a lot this past year with all the challenges. Our school leaders are finding a renewed focus on improving the systems of public school on our island. Please remember it is the simple things that assist schools the most… Feed your child well both their body and their mind, let them rest, let them play, and most of all enjoy your time with them caring for them deeply and building them up as a strong human being and productive member of our community. I am reminded every day how important it is to remain engaged with my own children’s education for life. Take the time to know what your child’s homework is and communicate with your child’s teacher, so you are not surprised when the time comes to learn about their performance.

Through all of this, we are here to help. Enjoy your school year!

Paul Zina Kaua’i Complex Area Superintendent