HONOLULU -- Many students off Friday because of the public school closures hit the beaches, parks and malls.

With no school and work for some families, those locales lured people out with the high-fun factor.

Lifeguards said they noticed a lot more teens out early in the day instead of the usual 3 p.m. crowds when school normally lets out. A group of Leilehua High School seniors had planned to split their time at Sandy Beach and Makapuu Beach.

"Just to go to the beach and hang out with friends because it's a day off. It's a good thing," Leilehua senior Schenese Estada said.

KITV asked if teachers added homework or projects.

"No they just extended our Wednesdays because we usually get out at 12:20 p.m. Now, we go till 2:20 p.m." Leilehua senior Qiana Quinn said.

The students said they fully expect to be loaded up with more schoolwork later to make up for lost time.

Down the road, two Hawaii Kai brothers opted to hit the skate park to practice for a skate competition on Saturday. They said they plan to tackle the books later.

"I am probably just going to do it this weekend since we are going to get more work with less days," Kaiser High School freshman Zach Edwards said.

The brothers seemed resigned to paying a price for more fun time.

"It's OK, but we are not going to get as much done," Kamiloiki Elementary School student Micka Edwards said.

Across town, hundreds of youngsters packed the malls. Pearlridge Center's management offered free enrichment activities from music to science and more.

"We have families with a lot of children and that can add up real quickly. So, we wanted to provide something that says, 'Come down. Have a good time. Maybe it will help you sort out what you will do in the future,'" Pearlridge Center Marketing Director Scott Creel said.

The mall's food courts, arcades and theaters saw increased activity, mall officials said.