Your child can say aloha by dressing in homemade leis and grass skirts. And because these outfits are made of paper, they'll hold up longer than the real things.

PAPER AND PASTA LEI
Have your child color 16 pieces of uncooked ziti using tempera paints and let them dry. Next, cut out bunches of three-petaled flowers from colored crepe paper sheets. Loosely tie a knot in one end of a 3-foot piece of string and thread the other end through the eye of a large sewing needle. Sew through the centers of a dozen or so flowers. String on a piece of painted ziti. Continue sewing on flowers and pasta, stopping 3 inches from the end of the string. Undo the knot and tie together the string ends with an overhand knot.

A LITTLE GRASS SKIRT
You'll need a roll of brown wrapping paper, glue and a self-adhesive Velcro fastener (available at craft stores). Cut off two sheets of paper that measure 6 inches longer than your child's waist size and lay one on top of the other. Staple them together along the short side (to form the waist) about 1/2 inch from the edge.

For a waistband, use a 4-inch-wide paper strip with the same circumference as the skirt waist. Glue the lower half of the waistband to the stapled edge of the skirt front. Fold over the waistband top and glue it to the inside of the skirt. For a more decorative waistband, twist together two long paper strips and glue them on. Use scissors to fringe the skirt from the hemline to just below the waistband. Finally, stick one part of the Velcro fastener to the front of one waistband end and the matching part to the back of the band's opposite end. Wrap the skirt around your child's waist and fasten.

HINTS ON HULA DANCING
The hula is more than just a dance. It's an old-time storytelling technique used to teach Hawaiian kids about their ancestors. Like traditional hula dancers, your child can use facial expressions and hand motions to act out a story for family members and friends.

First, help your child think of a short and simple story line--planting flowers, for example. Next, ask her to imagine how she can use her hands to depict the parts of the story. She might pretend to hoe the soil and sprinkle seeds. She could wiggle her fingers overhead for rain or make a circle with her index fingers and thumbs to form a sun. By cupping her hands, she can make believe she's holding a delicate blossom.

Remind her to use facial expressions, like closing her eyes and tilting her face toward the sun or smiling when the flowers bloom. Suggest that she recite her story as she dances to clue in her audience. Or she could invite them to guess the meaning.