Oahu, Hawaii
Back To School
So You Think You Can Act?
JoinThe New Film Actors Studio Today!
Summer may be done, but the fun is just beginning at The New Film Actor’s Studio. Sherrie Robertson, a five-year veteran of coaching keiki and teens on O’ahu the fine techniques of acting, is starting her own company and is holding classes for your blossoming 4 - 17 year old. A member of the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG), Sherrie vows to replace the daily ho-hum with creative adventures that will have your keiki enhancing their Imagination, gaining Self- Confidence, improve their socialization and focus on memorization. Without your keiki knowing, they will learn to think quickly, improve their enunciation and diction, and shhhh, don’t tell them, but they may even develop better reading comprehension! Wow, making reading comprehension fun, makes one want to be young again.
Sherrie works with improvisation, as in “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”, film/TV, commercials and on-camera techniques. Her students have won roles in commercials and film, television and on Broadway.
So, what roles have her students won? The list is impressive, ready?: Lost, High School Musical, Beyond the Break, ER, North Shore series. Here are some commercials where you may have seen her students: Jack-In-The-Box, Hawaiian Electric, Windward Mall, Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park, Hawaiian Airlines, K-Swiss, VH1 and MTV spots. And for the big ticket, one of her students is cast in Broadway’s "Hairspray!" And more, currently being distributed nationally is, “All About Melissa”, a film shot solely on the island. This film features another of Sherrie’s students, as well as, Sherrie herself playing the Princess leader at a party.
Although Sherrie is unable to guarantee employment after taking her classes, she will provide you with solid tools for your keiki to continue their acting journey here in Hawaii, or even in the Los Angeles film industry. And the lessons your keiki will learn are priceless.
So how do you know if your keiki is ready for the stage? Sherrie suggests that if your child loves music, dance, make-believe, are involved in school or church plays, participates in talent shows and Loves Stories, they are ready. For older kids, they may already be creating their own skits and mini-movies (You Tube) with their friends. Sherrie also cautions that while acting will may help even the most introverted child, as with everything in life, it is important to encourage – do not push.
Film Actor’s Studio starts new classes this Saturday, July 26.
Keiki 4 – 12 years: Saturdays 9 – 10:30am
Teens 13 – 17 years: Mondays 6:30 – 8:30PM.
Location: Ward Rafter's in Kaimuki
Cost: Special! $150 for the first 6 weeks. Then regularly $120 monthly. Classes are on-going so join in at anytime.
If you're interested, or you would like more information, please contact Sherrie Robertson at 382-2835. Or email her at workshops@wildernessroadproductions.com.
water from various sites around the world and even his own streams in Japan. He taped various messages on the bottle of water and left it over night. These messages were, I Love You, Thank You, I Hate You, You Make Me Sick, Gratitude, Faith and much more. Some bottles received blessings and the before and after pictures are remarkable. Dr. Emoto then photographed the water crystals. The images are stunning, enlightening and speaks to your soul.
 | Water Crystal "Courtesy" |
EN GARDE! Salle Honolulu Invites You To DUEL!
Did you know that Fencing is one of the four original Olympic sports that are still being played in the modern Olympics? Yet the history of fencing could be dated back four centuries earlier to 1190 BC. A bas-relief found in High Egypt depicts a sporting event with the athletes holding bronze sticks, hands are protected and some of the fencers have their face protected by a mask. The face of fencing hasn't changed much in over 3000 years.
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Bas Relief dated 1190 BC. Probably the first recording of fencing. |
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Conny and Keith demonstrating modern fencing at Salle Honolulu. |
Yet, why isn't fencing more popular of a sport, especially here in Hawai'i?
According to Colin Chock, owner of Salle Honolulu, "Fencing is not a good spectator sport. The blades and fencers move so quickly, it is difficult to see unless you're in the front rows." Yet, the popularity of fencing is gaining. A mere 28 years ago, there were only 4,000 members of the US Fencing Association nationwide - now that number averages around 22,000.
The Olympics are at time when fencing is highlighted. "Watch for the American team," urges Colin, "every Olympics they get better and better." Colin is excited by the possibility of the Americans bringing home the gold this year, as fencing has always been dominated by the European and more experienced cultures.
Considered to be a Western Martial Art, fencing requires focus, discipline and teaches fair competition -- how to fight without getting hurt and not hurting your opponent.
Once dueling was an extremely popular sport in the 19th century, as spectators gathered to see the best swordsmen engage. Fencing was also mandatory for men attending elite schools. However after WWI and WWII, dueling declined due to social changes from the wars. Now, fencing is pure sport, romanticized by Hollywood movies - Zoro, Star Wars and Indiana Jones, keeping the intrigue, mystery and drama alive. For the skilled fencer, it becomes a very fun game as they utilize their mastered techiques to score points off an opponent.
There are three main disciplines of fencing, each with their own rules and techniques:
Foil - Considered to be the beauty and brains of fencing. In foil, the fencer is more artistic in movement, more strategic in thinking and has the best lunges. Only touches to the torso are considered valid points.
Epee - This is a slower paced duel. The sword is heavier than the foil and a fencer's whole body is a target. Therefore, Epee fencers have the best target accuracy and point control.
Sabre - This method is the fastest of the three. Touches are more aggressive just by the nature of the rules. The sword is a light thrusting and cutting sword. In sabre, all touches above the waist (excluding the back of the head) are valid points. Sabre fencers have the best footwork among the three disciplines.
Colin's passion for fencing has taken him around the world into international competitions. It was very unusual, at that time, for a boy from Hawai'i to compete against reknown great fencing clubs. Yet, this spurred his passion even more as Colin has brought back with him a wealth of knowledge that he aspires to pass on to future generations. It is Colin's passion to have children experience the thrill of fencing, of competing and of unlimited possibilites.
Keiki Fencers at Midsummer's Night Gleam
For more information, click on the website: Salle Honolulu, or email Colin Chock directly, or call 220-0536. Classes for children of all ages are starting now at Kahala Elementary, Wednesdays at 6:30PM and Saturdays at 4:30PM.
Keiki Sitters Are Here To Help You
Find A Sitter Safely and Sanely
I can not tell you how many requests I have received from parents inquiring about babysitter recommendations. Let's face it, finding a good sitter is the number one stress for parents when they are thinking of the day that both parents will have to return to work.
Meet Kathy Custer, the founder of Keikisitters. Kathy is 23 years old & has
8 years experience taking care of babies, pets, homes, elders and tutoring.
“I discovered the lack of resources for parents to find sitters when I posted an ad on Craigslist to do part time babysitting. Nine parents responded within three days! I had to tell eight families I didn’t have the time to watch their little ones. I felt horrible because they sounded so desperate. That is how I came up with the idea of KeikiSitters.com. It’s a place for parents to find sitters & sitters to find sitting jobs.”
From this eye-opening experience, Kathy had quickly identified a much needed service for O'ahu. The numbers tell it all, within the last four months of opening her website, Keikisitters has around 200 sitters signed up and ready to babysit your keiki!
But are the sitters reliable and safe? Keikisitters requires an approved background check on each sitter before they are placed on the website. So parents, you can be sure that they are safe. With that peace of mind, Keikisitters has designed this service for your convenience. When a parent is ready to find the sitter of their dreams they simply post a job then sit back & relax while the sitters come to them. To ensure they find a good match, in the job post, they get to choose a pay rate for the sitter they are comfortable with, location of care, any qualifications, skills, certifications they would like the sitter to have, etc. Basically, the parents call the shots. Sitters can log in to KeikiSitters & view the job post. If they fit the needs of the parents & the position works well for them too, they will send the parent a message.
The idea is to have parents relaxing while multiple sitters will respond.
Then they can choose their favorite.
If it's a last minute emergency thats when they can do a sitter search & call sitters on their cell phones or email them directly. Sitters contact information are listed on their profile. The second option is a bit more laborious that's why we recommend it only for last minute emergencies. Ingenious.
There is a membership fee and you may chose among the following, annual, monthly and 2 weeks for visitors to Oahu (for this membership, you must contact keikisitters to obtain a special code.) Right now, Keikisitters is guaranteeing that if you don't find a sitter within two weeks, they will gladly refund your money and allow you to keep your membership for free. No questions asked. This is a promotional offer, so sign up today!
Since starting the service, Keikisitters has donated thousands of dollars for school fundraisers and is working with Baby Loves Disco and most recently, Hawaiian Waters to provide sitting services so adults can enjoy the rides as well! Way to go Keikisitters!
Keikisitters is not only for keiki, they also offer petsitting, home sitting and elder sitting as well.
As you can see Kathy has a generous heart & is excited to help parents & sitters on Oahu & eventually all of the surrounding island. For more information, please click on their website, or email Kathy today!
Baby Walkers Delay Infants’ Motor Development
by Dr. Cynthia Chareunsouk - Chiropratic Kinesiologist
Many parents believe that baby walkers are a convenient form of baby "exercise” and entertainment. However, statistics show that they actually cause a lot of heartache and grief each year; along with impairment of natural childhood development.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended a ban on the manufacturing and distributing of baby walkers as they have deemed it unsafe for babies. In 1997, manufacturers created a new generation of baby walkers which were designed to be "safer" and more effective, but over 14,000 babies each year are still sent to the hospital due to baby walker accidents and injuries. Over 34 babies have passed away from 1973-1998 due to baby walker related accidents and injuries.
Each year, the statistics for baby walkers increase. Approximately 40% of infants in walkers suffer from skull fractures, neck injuries, lacerations, knocked out teeth, and/or burns. These injuries usually occur from the walkers tumbling down stairs or from tipping over with adult supervision. The walkers can move up to three feet in one second, disabling parents to react in time to prevent injury or death. Infants in baby walkers can tip over while rolling over rugs or even while attempting to pick up toys on the ground. Often times, a baby's finger can get stuck between a walker and piece of furniture; or worse yet – stuck in a collapsible walker.
Baby walkers also interfere with postural, biomechanical, and neurological development of babies. Research has shown that babies who utilize walkers establish faulty walking patterns due to neurological development deficiencies. With overuse of walkers, babies sometimes also experience sore leg muscles. A study in 1991 correlated early walkers to have lower grades in school – due to a lack of crawling in their developmental stages.
Crawling is a natural instinctive reflex provided to babies to prevent suffocation when lying on their stomach. Once their bones, joints, and ligaments are properly developed; infants immediately begin to crawl instinctively by 5-14 months of age.
Why is crawling so important?
Crawling enables infants to develop a cross-crawl pattern, which is simultaneous use of opposite extremities. For example, when the baby moves his/her right arm with his/her left leg, the following occurs on the opposite side. Motor nerve impulses to the extremities originate in each side of the brain cortex and cross in the brainstem to supply required motor activity to the opposite extremity; which basically means that the right brain controls the left arm and left leg, and vice versa. With crawling, the cross-crawl pattern repeats itself, and therefore uses both right and left brain for neurological coordination.
Crawling will enable an infant to learn about proper balance and
coordination – such as how to use one side of their body to balance the other; which becomes very useful when learning to sit and stand.
In addition, crawling builds mental strength, where a child begins to learn problem solving skills and starts understanding the cause/effect relationship. You can also help your child build mental strength by positively reinforcing them with toys. Try placing a toy within eyesight, to help the infant develop motivation as they are rewarded with their toy when they crawl toward it.
Please don’t rush your child’s development. Each child reaches their own milestones at their own pace. If your child does not begin walking when the other children their age do, don’t panic. A study conducted in 1991 by McEwan correlated that children who began walking earlier, showed lower performance scores on pre-school assessment tests - due to the lack or motor skill development.1
If your child has been using a baby walker, this article is not meant to alarm you. There are many studies that have been performed, but we could always use more research with larger amounts of subjects. This article is merely meant to educate and bring about awareness regarding baby walkers to help you make a more informed and educated decision regarding the use of them. Below, I will include some of my references and reading recommendations of which you may want to utilize to keep your child happy and safe.
For More Information, or questions regarding this article, please contact:
Dr. Cynthia Chareunsouk - Chiropractic Kinesiologist
438 Hobron Lane Suite 315 Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 692-2470
