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In case you did not know, Children's Season 2016 is already more than halfway through its run... but the good news is there is still ample time for kids to enjoy most of the activities!
Presented by the National Heritage Board, Children’s Season is an action-packed festival during the June school holidays and is held across various museums island-wide. Expect a range of kid-centric programmes and engaging family activities that will inspire, engage and educate. In fact, there are a total of more than 70 programmes specially designed for the kiddos spread across 27 locations in Singapore!
I had previously picked out some of the more notable programmes for parents to bring their kids to in an earlier post. So while there are the usual faves in the form of National Museum of Singapore, Asian Civilisations Museum and Science Centre Singapore, there are actually plenty more lesser known locations which offer Children's Season activities as well.
So over one weekend, I gathered the monkies and visited 4 of such locations. Here was what we got up to:
Infocomm Experience Centre IExperience
Located at the heart of the city in Esplanade Xchange along the underground linkway between Raffles City and Suntec City, the Information & Communications Technology Experience Centre (IExperience) reopened in June 2015 after renovation works. The centre showcases a wide range of services and applications enabled through the innovative use of infocomm for businesses, consumers, Government and overseas visitors.
The interactive and engaging exhibits are designed to provide visitors with hands-on experience and demonstrate the possibilities of Smart Nation services to enterprises for business adoption, and to consumers for use in their daily lives.
Continuing with the IT theme, the centre organised a series of 'Children Tech Play' workshops as part of the Children's Season 2016 programme line-up.
The workshop allowed children aged from 6 to 12 years old, to develop creative thinking and collaborative skills through the use of programming. Kids from 6 to 8 years old could join the RoboPlay workshop where they would gain a deeper insight into robotics and basic programming skills. 9 to 12 year-olds would be in the CodePlay workshop where they will develop problem-solving skills through game programming.
Sounds fun? You betcha. Especially since it involves the use of iPads and LEGO blocks - always a welcome combination to get all the kids excited.
Ash and Ayd participated in the RoboPlay workshop as the other workshop was full. But that did not mean that they found it boring. On the contrary, they had so much fun programming their LEGO robot together with their group members!
The boys were tasked to navigate a maze using a set of commands programmed on the iPad. Along the way, they had to perform certain tasks too.
I think it is safe to say that they thoroughly enjoyed it... in fact, they did not want to leave even after the workshop ended!
Singapore Discovery Centre
An ‘edutainment’ centre that examines Singapore’s past, present and future, Singapore Discovery Centre is a hands-on experience ideal for kids. Whether it is testing your knowledge of Singapore food, culture and customs in a quiz show, learning traditional dance moves at the Digital Dance Studio, or challenging yourself to think smart and act fast at the Crisis Timescope exhibit to save Singapore from a bomb blast at an MRT station, there are plenty of activities to keep families busy.
And with programmes and installations added in tuned with Children's Season 2016, families can even go on a single passport adventure, which allows everyone to ‘travel’ to 10 countries around the ASEAN region!
Armed with the 'Passport to Discovery: My ASEAN Adventure' (Pick up your FREE copy at the ticketing counter), kids will be able to explore the ASEAN Pulse bazaar with 10 ASEAN Country Pavilions and discover the diverse range of goods that each country produces for the region and the global market.
Walking through the exhibition, kids will be able to learn more about the many interesting things about ASEAN’s cultural diversity and richness, and understand the importance of cooperation and friendships with our neighbours.
I have to admit that initially, I thought that the ASEAN topic might be too boring or too complicated for kids to understand. But kudos to the team who set up the exhibition, they managed to simplify most of the facts and information through the use of colourful and easy-to-understand info-graphics.
And the result? The monkies actually spent a fair amount of time at each country pavilion.
Well, having the chance to earn a stamp with every destination certainly helped too!
At the end of the little adventure and after collecting 10 stamps, they were able to a redeem a little gift - a paper 3D model - for their efforts.
If your child wish to get all crafty with their hands (like mine), then be sure to head to Singapore Discovery Centre's main lobby for the FREE ASEAN Drop-in Craft sessions!
Kids will be able to create their own uniquely designed craft, one that they will be able to bring home. The type of craft changes on a weekly basis and while we were there, the monkies got to make their own Krathongs.
Children's Season 2016 sees the return of the ever-popular Cadets, Fall In! programme where kids will learn about Army life through an outdoor 'Survival!' field camp, a laser tag game mission, and a Special Exhibition. Kids can also don one of the many child-sized uniforms, complete with accessories! For more information on other programmes, visit HERE.
Singapore Maritime Gallery
If your kids are ship fans, then the Singapore Maritime Gallery is a must-visit! Learn how Singapore transformed into one of the world’s leading International Maritime Centres and enter the fascinating world of port operations.
One highlight is the Ship Bridge Simulator where kids can sit in a realistic mockup of a ship bridge, be captain for the day and choose to steer a variety of ships. Walk through an actual 20-foot cargo container and see a large ship model known as the Big Ship.
As part of Children's Season 2016, kids will be able to go on a guided tour to unearth past milestones of Singapore’s transformation from a trading post to a global hub port. Specially tailored for kids, the AHOY! tour will shed light on the importance of Maritime Singapore and the role it plays in our daily lives.
Got kids who love story-telling? Be sure to attend the Stories and Art of the Deep Blue Sea session where kids will get acquainted with the magical story of Swimmy by Leo Lionni. Narrated by Playeum Pte Ltd, Swimmy will let the young ones discover the different fauna and flora of the marine life, and learn the importance of keeping the oceanic environment clean. Kids will also get to make their own sea creature puppet for role-play and drama after the workshop!
Or they can always choose leave their mark on an upcoming installation project at the Singapore Maritime Gallery!
The Gallery will be closing its doors in July 2016 to undergo a revamp. When it reopens in November 2016, there are plans to incorporate an art installation into its design and that is when all the colourful hand prints will come in erm... handy.
Using paint, kids can create an artwork using their hands and other sponge moulds. And unsurprisingly, the monkies had loads of fun getting their hands all dirty (and colourful)!
Singapore Sports Museum
As the first sports-related Museum in Singapore, the Singapore Sports Museum boasts a fully immersive exhibition as visitors are taken through an educational experience that transports them into a world of Singapore's sporting history through exciting, engaging and interactive elements.
For Children's Season at Singapore Sports Museum, kids can learn what it takes to be a coach, design their own stadium, medal, mascot and trophy.
With doodling and colouring on offer, you can be sure that the Children's Season programme here will definitely appeal to younger kids. Even then, the boys still gamely participated in the activity!
For older kids, I reckon the interesting exhibits at the Sports Museum will appeal to them... like the bits and pieces from the old National Stadium such as the stadium’s lights, Lee Kuan Yew’s official opening speech in 1973 and foundation stones that dot all around the museum, including these old stadium seats!
The boys had a great time eyeballing the memorabilia on display, including Tan Howe Liang's Olympics silver medal, as well as reading up on the history of Singapore's most decorated sportsmen and sportswomen.
Two weekends are all that is left of Children's Season 2016 so you have to be quick if you wish to bring your kids down for its kid-friendly activities! To make it easier, National Heritage Board has specially curated a series of three-hour museum itineraries that will bring families to museums around the island that feature many different aspects of Singapore’s arts, heritage and culture.
For the remaining two weekends, you may wish to use the following as a reference:
Be sure to check I Love Museums' Facebook page for updates!
CONGRATULATIONS to the following 5 winners! You have each won a set of Children's Season 2016 merchandise!
1. Lisa Tan
2. Xu Jinfeng
3. Mei Che
4. Zoey Chan
5. Ng Lay Kuen
Please email me at kelvin@cheekiemonkie.net by 26 June 2016 for prize collection details. Thanks!
1. LIKE I Love Museums' Facebook page HERE.
2. Tell me which museum's Children's Season 2016 programme your child love best!
NOTE: You have to complete both steps in order to qualify for the giveaway.
Useful Information
Singapore Discovery Centre
Free Admission for Singapore Citizens & PRs; Admission charges apply for others.
Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
28 May to 26 Jun | 10am to 5pm | 3 to 16 years old
ASEAN Pulse
28 May to 26 Jun | All Ages
Passport to Discovery: ‘My ASEAN Adventure’
28 May to 29 May, 03 Jun to 05 Jun, 10 Jun to 12 Jun, 17 Jun to 19 Jun, 24 Jun to 26 Jun
10am to 5pm | 3 to 16 years old
Singapore Maritime Gallery
Free Admission
AHOY!
28 May to 29 May, 04 Jun to 05 Jun, 11 Jun to 12 Jun, 18 Jun to 19 Jun, 25 Jun to 26 Jun
10:30am and 3:30pm | 3 to 12 years old
Stories and Art of the Deep Blue Sea
28 May to 29 May, 04 Jun to 05 Jun, 11 Jun to 12 Jun, 18 Jun to 19 Jun, 25 Jun to 26 Jun
2pm - 3.15pm | 3 to 8 years old
Hand Print Art
28 May to 29 May, 04 Jun to 05 Jun, 18 Jun to 19 Jun, 25 Jun to 26 Jun
11.30am to 12.30pm & 4.30 to 5.30pm | All Ages
Singapore Sports Museum
FREE Admission for Singapore Citizens & PRs
Standard: Adult $10 | Student & Senior Citizen (above 60) $5 | FREE for kids below 6
28 May to 26 Jun | Weekdays: 10am to 8pm; Weekends, Eve of Public Holidays and Public Holidays: 10am to 9pm | 6 to 12 years old
Website: www.museums.com.sg/cs16
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3 comments :
Singapore maritime museum
My son would love the finger painting he is my little artist.thanks for sharing.
Army Museum of Singapore
Wenqi
Casperian05@gmail.com
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