Gingerbread housemaking hard, sticky, but 'real important' to kids
By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer
WAIAU — Children have few rules when it comes to making gingerbread houses at Christmas.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
Have fun, don't get caught eating the decorations, and let your parents do the heavy lifting.
First-grader Zaven Stephens, 6, looks over his special creation, a "gingerbread house" — albeit made of graham crackers — complete with a path leading up to the house and pretzel Christmas trees in the yard, made during a student/parent activity at Waiau Elementary School.
Oh, and one more thing: Don't worry if you have to use graham crackers instead of gingerbread.
This was the case yesterday morning at Waiau Elementary School, where 85 first-graders and about 30 parents created a fanciful, frosting-coated, peppermint-spotted, Cocoa Puff-lined community of gingerbread houses.
"It's actually harder than it looks," said Mahina Yurong, who was helping her 6-year-old son, Kamakanamaikalani. Her Christmas tree-green fingernails were covered with white frosting.
"It's sticky," she said.
Keith Kaleo sat with his 6-year-old son, Kainalu, while painting their house with frosting. He was pleasantly surprised to see the large turnout of parents.
"It's real important to the kids," he said. "They enjoy the interaction with their parents. And I think it brings everybody closer together."
Yesterday was the last day of school before the holiday break. The children will be out until Jan. 14.
With Christmas just days away, the first-graders have barely been able to contain themselves, said Aulia Austin, who brought the 23 students in her Hawaiian-language immersion class to the cafeteria to make "hale palaoa kinika," Hawaiian for gingerbread house.
"They've been excited for the last week," she said. "Anything to do with Christmas, they just love it, but especially when their parents come. They've been talking about it a lot."
Nani Lovett said it was "a family thing," but that wasn't the highlight.
"I think the best thing," she said, nodding at her 6-year-old son, Kaleikaumaka, "is that he likes to eat it."
Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8012.
