SATURDAY SCOOPS
Uncle Wayne offers 5 tips for baby sitter success

Advertiser Staff and News Services

When you've never had kids, and only marginally paid attention to what your friends did with their young ones in their early years, it's a whole new experience to entertain a child — an inquisitive one with decidedly set tastes on what he likes and what he doesn't — without stumbling.

After more than a year of trial-and-error outings, I can share with you some tips on how to keep a toddler occupied, interested and satisfied, without his yelling for Mommy. Of course, these suggestions are for occasional godparents, uncles and daredevils — not you seasoned moms and pops — who may be pressed into becoming part-time baby sitters.

Five proven ways to keep a kid happy:

Amusement emporiums: A carnival works best, but it's a seasonal thing. Punahou's is pau, but the 50th State Fair arrived this weekend at Aloha Stadium and the Farm Fair is a summer arrival. Other possibilities include such places as Jungle Fun at Ala Moana Center; Fun Factory at Market City, Outrigger East and Pearlridge; and Chuck E. Cheese's in 'Aina Haina and Pearl City.

About $10 in tokens is ample to while away the hour. The best kinds of activities are the dexterity testers, like the squirt-the-water game or the scoop-the-ping-pong one. John loves the video-driven boat, race car and assaultive games that are clearly for older kids (he can't reach the foot pedals), so we negotiate alternatives, including the bouncing cycle ride.

Feed the birds (or ducks): Visit a park with a loaf of bread, then scatter pieces for the birds to nibble. In Hawai'i Kai, you can feed the ducks at Kuapa Pond with bread or crackers. It's a fun outing for the sitter, too.

Animal instincts: Of course, the Waikiki Aquarium and its denizens of the sea (the shark tank is a surefire hit) and the Honolulu Zoo (with elephants and apes and everything else) are leisurely ways to learn a bit about different species — at sea and on land. Bring a camera, too, to document the fun.

Book 'em: It's never too early to start exposing a child to literature, so read a fun story before an afternoon nap. John, who has slept over a number of times, loves a story before bedtime.

Surprise, surprise: Maybe it's spoiling a youngster, but when he's on good behavior (even when he's a tad naughty, actually), a little giftie will go a long way. John calls it a "prize," perhaps because he can't say "surprise," and he adores the robotic toys, the windup cars, a yo-yo or whatever toy you may find appropriate.

Of course, DVDs and video, a film outing, an afternoon at the beach, or simple horsing around with a garden hose in the back yard also work.

The best thing about baby-sitting is that just when you're becoming a bit tattered, the child goes home to Mommy. Till next time.

It's mango season, and that means it's smoothie time, too

Banana-Mango Smoothie

• 4-6 ripe bananas
• 2 ripe mangoes
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 3 ice cubes
• 1/4 cup apple juice or coconut milk (whichever you prefer).

Dump it all together in a blender and mix until it's smooth, then pour into a tall glass and toast the holiday weekend.

Enjoy.

Pet place mats — Is this just too Martha or what?

Your animals should have their own place mats and bowls — right? You can personalize them using directions from "501 Fun-to-Make Family Crafts" by Better Homes and Gardens and packs of foam sheets, letters and shapes.

Supplies you will need for the place mat:

• 1 extra-thick (3 mm) 12-by-18-inch foam sheet.
• foam letters and shapes.
• white craft glue.
• scissors.

Cut the corners off the sheet to make an oval. Arrange the letters of your pet's name in the center of the place mat and glue. Decorate the rest of the sheet with precut shapes like dogs, cats, bones, paws or hearts and glue on. Let dry.

Supplies you will need to personalize a bowl:

• dog or cat food bowl.
• pencil.
• fabric pens.

Write your pet's name on the bowl and draw biscuits or other shapes with a pencil. Cover the pencil lines, using fabric paint pens, and let dry.

Get up, get moving, it's time to remove aliens from He'eia

Even paradise needs a helping hand every now and again. Today is the final of four community work days to help beautify He'eia State Park.

Grab some sunscreen, a hat and maybe a towel (a promise has been made that you will get dirty) and join the Friends of He'eia in planting native Hawaiian plants and removing invasive alien mangrove along the stream.

It's from 8:30 a.m.-noon, so better get moving. Call 247-3156 for more information.

Dozens of events mark 100th birthday of patriotic comedian

Bob Hope, who is 100 next week, visited Hickam Air Force Base in 1951. Advertiser file photo

The boy grew up to become the most American of comedians: Bob Hope.

He entertained troops in far-off lands, often near combat zones, in every major 20th-century American conflict except World War I. He was a tireless performer for charitable causes. He appeared before 11 presidents, even playing golf with several of them.

On Sunday, curl up by the TV and tune in for Hope's 100th birthday celebration, a two-hour NBC special at 6 p.m. (a rerun from Easter Sunday).

In his honor, there's a Hollywood Walk of Fame event proclaiming him Citizen of the Century; release of 17 Hope movies on DVD by Universal Studios; a traveling exhibit at the Reagan Library; Hollywood and Vine renamed Bob Hope Square; a BBC special; an A&E biography; film festivals in Los Angeles, New York, London and Chicago; and renaming the street where he lives Bob Hope Way.

Hope's family moved to Cleveland when he was 4. "I left England when I found out that I couldn't be king," he later quipped. Like many immigrants, he became strongly patriotic.

In his prime, he received more than 1,500 awards — from Queen Elizabeth, a pope, the Motion Picture Academy (four honorary Oscars), the White House, Congress and dozens of universities (54 honorary degrees).

As a young man, Hope boxed briefly under the name Packy East. In the 1950s, he was part-owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team.

"He was Everyman," said Mort Lachman, director and producer for Hope from 1947 to 1975. "He wasn't better than anybody else. When we were in Vietnam, he was as big a coward as anybody. He was the guy who never got the girl, who always said the wrong thing, who couldn't quite dance or sing," Lachman said. "That's why he represented all those servicemen out there who were doing the same things."

Chill this summer, make sure screens, air conditioners do their fair share, too

Before you head to the beach or for a hike, think about repairing the torn screen on the window or cleaning your window air conditioner.

Kenny Boyce, the do-it-yourself teacher at Home Depot, says this is the time of year air conditioner sales heat up.

Boyce offers these few tips to help keep cool, with or without the help of AC.

• Replace or repair the screen window. You'll be more apt to keep it open if bugs can't get in.
• Cross-ventilate. Keep a window open on each side of the house so air can flow through.
• Keep curtains drawn in sunny rooms.
• Don't bake or run the dishwasher during daylight hours.
• Don't use lamps that give off heat.
• Keep your AC filter clean. Clean it once a week. Lint builds quickly and restricts flow, reducing cooling efficiency and raising electrical costs.

If you haven't used your AC lately, get it checked, and have the coils cleaned and filters replaced.

Step right up, folks, for thrills and spills at 50th State Fair

No doubt there is a lot of entertainment at the 50th State Fair, but let's be honest: Fairs are the place where kids are kings and queens, and grown-ups step back in time.

Ride the Giant Wheel, hop on the Tilt A Whirl or win your son, daughter, girlfriend or boyfriend a teddy bear at the ball toss.

Weekend fair hours are noon to midnight, including Memorial Day.

Admission is $3 for 12 and older, $2 for ages 4-11, toddlers are free.

Last one to Aloha Stadium buys the cotton candy.