Mad Scientists

I am sure all of you must be pretty familiar with the Science Centre Singapore. I know both Daddy and Mummy had spent countless school excursions there in the past and guess what, it is now the turn of di-di's and mine to experience all the wondrous exhibits there.

I call them wondrous because I am starting to be fascinated by science nowadays. Di-di included. In fact, the both of us have been clamouring our parents to bring us down to the Science Centre for the umpteenth time... and they finally relented. 

Actually, I have to thank Daddy's friend who is working in the Science Centre. Thanks to him, we had complimentary access to the Science Centre... come to think of it, no wonder Daddy agreed to bring us there so readily! Chey.

No matter, the important thing was we got to enjoy all the quirky and fun exhibits!

One of the main attraction of the Science Centre that I have heard so much from my friends from school is the Earth: Our Untamed Planet exhibition.

The permanent exhibition shows how earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and climate change affect the world we live in and also, seeks to explore the significant impact on our Earth as a result of the activities by Man. It starts with a huge quadrant of the globe which allowed to journey to the centre of the Earth and learn about the different layers that the Earth is made up of.

But the most fun exhibit of the lot was the next one - the Typhoon Chamber.

This wind simulator allowed us to experience gale-force wind speeds of up to 36km!

I know we shouldn't be smiling while smack in the middle of a Typhoon, but we can hardly help it. Heh.

Oh, did I say the Typhoon Chamber was the most fun of the lot? I take that back, because that accolade should be given to the Earthquake simulator instead.

There was a mock-up room and there were three scenarios for us to choose from. Based on the different ground surfaces (either soft or hard ground), we could feel the difference in the intensity of shaking during an earthquake. Again, I shouldn't say this while in the midst of an earthquake... but it was actually quite fun!

Besides typhoons and earthquakes, there were exhibits on volcanic eruptions and tsunamis too which I think should be rather self-explanatory. Likewise for the rest of the exhibitions at the Science Centre. What we do want to share is the list of Shows and Demonstrations that are conducted throughout the day at the Science Centre.

I don't know about you, but we always paid more attention to the exhibits during our past visits and hardly attended any of the shows. Thanks to Daddy's friend's recommendations, we caught most of the shows this time round and we enjoyed every single one of them.

The first show we caught was the Sound Show. Using a variety of props and musical instruments, this show explores the basic nature of sound.

There were plenty of lively demonstrations which showed how different sounds are created and how sound energy can be transmitted through different materials, including fire!

Did we enjoy the show? You bet!

But if you only have time for one show, then the Tesla Coil Demonstration is a must-see. Get to watch a live demonstration of high voltage electricity where a 3.5 million volt coil will generate electrical arcs of up to three metres.

Got time for one more show? Then you wouldn't want to miss the Fire Tornado Demonstration as well, where a long strip of fire tornado was created right in the middle of the Science Centre! This was di-di's & my fave show of the lot.

The final show of the day that we watched was the Science Show at the Auditorium, and the theme of the show was Balloons. We learnt a fair bit about some quirky facts about balloons, including the one where a balloon which is filled with water would not burst when place in contact with a naked flame.

Obviously, the petrified girl in the above photo didn't know that beforehand. Haha.

We ended our day at the Science Centre with a short tour around the Ecogarden, an outdoor living laboratory with a diverse variety of plants and animals.

The interesting thing about this Ecogarden is that the plants here receive no special care - no attempt is made to control pests. Hence, there are many habitats where animals can find suitable niches for themselves, much like this one.

Initially, I thought it was nothing special but a pile of dead leaves. But then, Daddy couldn't resist and used to stick to overturn some of the dead leaves. Lo and behold, we saw loads of wood louses, millipedes, ants and other tiny insects scurrying about! And soon we followed suit too.

A less hair-raising experience would come in the form of a Tree House, which we gladly scrambled up without invitation.

And the most amazing part of our Science Centre trip? No, it wasn't Daddy managing to climb up the steps of the Tree House without panting. Rather, it was the fact that we spent a total of close to SIX hours at the Science Centre!

And to think we didn't even manage to cover every single exhibition. So yes, we will be back again soon!

In case you need a summary of the timings of the Shows and Demonstrations, here it is:

	Weekdays	Weekends / Public Holidays
11:00	Sound Show (Sound Box, Hall C)	Sound Show (Sound Box, Hall C)
12:00	Tesla Coil Demonstration (The Atrium)	Tesla Coil Demonstration (The Atrium)
14:00		Insectmania!  (only on Sundays & PH) (Mendel Auditorium)
15:00	Fire Tornado Demonstration (Courtyard)	Fire Tornado Demonstration (Courtyard)
16:00	Sound Show (Sound Box, Hall C)	Science Show (Sound Box, Hall C)
17:00		Tesla Coil Demonstration (The Atrium)

Have fun! :)


Useful Details

Science Centre Singapore
15 Science Centre Road
Singapore 609081
Opening Hours: 10am - 6pm daily
Admission Charges: Click HERE. Passion card holders enjoy 10% off Science Centre admission.