Posted on: Monday, January 24, 2005
Keiki Fair offers ideas for parents
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer
What a difference a year has made for 10-year-old Jeanette Feldman of Salt Lake.
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser With her mom, Amalyn Feldman, 7-year-old brother, Marc, and sister, Sandra, 6, Jeanette was at the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall yesterday for the third annual Keiki Resources Fair, spending an hour checking out most of the 110 exhibition booths. "We signed up for Susan Page Modeling and Japan International Karate Center classes," Jeanette said.
The Feldmans like to come to the fair for the games and to check out programs. "And we won shirts," said Marc, showing off his black "Got Summer?" YMCA T-shirt.
Beth-Ann Kozlovich, host of Hawai'i Public Radio's "Town Square" and a mother of three boys, is managing director of Keiki Resources. With help from her fiance, Jim Levine, author of "The Privilege of Parenting, How to Raise Great Kids in the 21st Century," Kozlovich is the fair's organizer.
"It's tough for parents, many of whom are working two jobs each, to devote time to finding right things for their children. So we focus on putting resources of all types in one place for them," Kozlovich said of the fair. "This is not meant to be a money-maker; it's meant for parents to find things out."
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser The Web site includes listings of academic, cultural, art enrichment, nonprofit organizations, businesses, schools and retailers of children's services.
Vendors Becky Ances and her husband, Ryan Wilson, of Peterborough, N.H., which is about 90 minutes from Boston, came the farthest to showcase a product at the fair, which closed a two-day run yesterday.
The "Moo-Cow Fan Club," is a children's magazine they started two years ago. It has a circulation of 3,000.
"New Hampshire got 24 inches of snow (yesterday) so we're happy to be here," said Ances, who accepted an invitation to show the magazine after one of Kozlovich's sons bought one at a children's fair in Los Angeles.
"Moo-Cow" is the name of a stuffed cow Ances got in college. The magazine is free of advertisements and is dedicated to topics such as ancient Greece, forests, space, Japan and the Aztecs.
It is published quarterly.
"It's a kids' magazine that is both funny and smart," Ances said.
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Last year, the Moanalua Elementary School student found something to brighten her life at the Keiki Resources Fair. "They had this place that did your hair," Jeanette said. "So I colored mine blue, gold and yellow."
Kiarra Carrasco, 7, of Ford Island, and Dawn Nozawa, of Ka'a'awa, pet Garth the llama, at the Nozawa Ark booth at the Keiki Resources Fair. The event at the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall had information booths, hands-on activities, games and entertainment.
To further assist families, Kozlovich has set up the Childhood Resources World of Child Directory at www.childhoodresources.org.
Kaycee Beardeaux, 5, of Makiki rides the Lil' Swing at the Keiki Resources Fair. Vendors Becky Ances and Ryan Wilson came all the way from New Hampshire to showcase their product at the fair.
