Or if you're bound today for the Waikiki Aquarium, give a child a notebook and a pen or pencil. OK, a digital camera works, too, but the old-fashioned scribble-as-you-ogle element encourages creativity of a different sort.

We tried it with an energetic 6-year-old. He adored both outings — and talked up the experience for days.

Curiosity is part of the lure; a child relishes the outdoors, is fascinated by animals and sea life, is eager to explore.

And the denizens of the jungle are magnets as you meander through the zoo: the elephants, the tigers, the lions, the monkeys are hugely popular. But it's tough for a child to capture detailed images because of distance. (See tips box).

Similarly, it's a challenge to draw a moving shark, a gliding manta ray, a tiny seahorse, or dancing octopus in the darkened surroundings of the aquarium. But an inventive child will find a way.

The bonus of fun and anticipation, of course, continue after you develop the film and sort the pictures to include in an inexpensive photo album.

With sketches, you can assemble them in a folder to create a quickie book.

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honolululadvertiser.com or 525-8067.

Look for Angels in the skies today at Marine base, Windward O'ahu

Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

Gates at the Marine base open at 10 a.m. today and tomorrow; the show begins at 11:45 a.m. each day. Do try to carpool. If you park at Bellows Air Force Base, buses will take you to and from the Marine base. It's free. The Honolulu Advertiser is a sponsor.

All bags are subject to search — no backpacks, coolers or large bags.

Join others who plan to make a difference Oct. 23

Coordinators are registering their projects for Make a Difference Day, so now's the time for the scores of helpers to circle the date on the calendar — Oct. 23 — and join up.

Log onto the Make a Difference Day Web site,www.make adifferenceday.com, click on "find a project," then search the site by state. You'll see the Hawai'i groups that already have registered their good deeds for that day. As of press time, 12 projects were listed, from school beautification work to cleanups to feed-the-hungry community service and even an ecology fair.

It's easy to get involved: Each project notes if it is accepting volunteers, and the coordinator's contact information. (Some need just a few volunteers, so it's best to call the coordinator early.)

Information: (800) 416-3824.

If vintage is your thing, don't miss this bazaar at UHM tomorrow

If that shopping bug bites, and it has a vintage-clothing or maybe a Halloween-costume feel to it, head for the "Vintage Bazaar," from 4 to 6 p.m. tomorrow at Miller Hall Gallery, Room 112, University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

It's actually a pre-sale to the longer-running event, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Oct. 29, that aims to clean out the closets of the university's costume collection and raise money for museum-quality display cases. Look for vintage ethnic, Island and Mainland clothing and accessories and — just maybe — inspiration for Halloween costumes.

Collectibles from the past at Hawaiiana show

Speaking of vintage, don't forget the Wiki Wiki One Day Vintage Collectibles & Hawaiiana Show, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow at the Blaisdell Hawai'i Suites. Items must be at least 20 years old to qualify for this show and sale, which will feature 91 tables of vendors from O'ahu, the Neighbor Islands and the Mainland.

Admission is $3.50 general, $2 kids 7 to 11. For $15, you can enter at 10 a.m. www.ukulele.com.

Fete Hawai'i, the Pacific at Bishop Museum's Family Sunday

It's another Family Sunday tomorrow at the Bishop Museum, and that means a bargain entry fee ($3 for kama'aina and military, free for museum members and children) to the grounds, where there'll be entertainment and make-and-take crafts — all to celebrate Hawai'i and the Pacific. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There are exhibits, too, including the new interactive "If These Walls Could Talk," right, about engineering feats and buildings; and prints by illustrator Dietrich Varez, from the book "The O'ahu Exploits of Kamapua'a — The Hawaiian Pig-God." Author Collette Leimomi Akana will be there from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to sign her book.

Head for KCC for free concert under the stars

Let's see. It's a free concert, in the great outdoors, featuring Na 'Oiwi, Da Braddahs and Hapa, and oh, did we mention it's free? Yow, get that picnic dinner ready and head for Kapi'olani Community College tonight, near the slopes of Diamond Head, for the Fall 2004 Outdoor Concert.

Here's the lineup:

• 6 p.m.: Na 'Oiwi, contemporary Hawaiian music, featuring Dennis and David Kamakahi, Jon Yamasato and Michael Kaawa.

• 7:15 p.m.: Da Braddahs, comedy.

• 8:30 p.m.: Hapa, contemporary Hawaiian, with Barry Flanagan and Nathan Aweau.

Bring lawn chairs, mats, coolers (but no alcohol, please). Food and soft drinks will be available for purchase, too.

Watch 'Mean Girls' at Waikiki Sunset