8 Free Playgrounds for Kids along Alexandra Canal Linear Park

 

Eight years ago, I wrote about Alexandra Canal Linear Park and the five playgrounds that kids can find along the way. Fast forward to present day, new housing estates with the likes of Dawson have sprouted around the park and some things have changed - there are now EIGHT outdoor playgrounds to be found there and they are all FREE!

Built on top of a covered canal, Alexandra Canal Linear Park is a unique park connector linking Commonwealth Ave to Tanglin Road. It starts from Queenstown MRT Station and runs along Strathmore Estate before ending at Tanglin Road, where it leads to Alexandra Park Connector.

If that sounds like an awfully long distance to bring your kids, it actually isn't - it is only a 1.4km stretch, which is easily doable for a nice walk.

You can enter the park from either Queenstown MRT Station or Tanglin Road but for this post, I will begin the playground hunting from Queenstown MRT Station.

PLAYGROUND #1: Block 81 Strathmore Avenue

This playground is your typical playground with its rock-shaped climbing wall and slides.

The playground structure is in the  form of a ship, which should please kids who are fans of everything nautical!

PLAYGROUND #2: Alice in Wonderland-themed Playground @ Dawson Vista

Now this is one of the star attractions along the linear park!

Located beside Block 78 Dawson Road, this playground is inspired by the famed children's classic 'Alice in Wonderland' and lets kids immerse themselves in a magical wonderland, just like in the story! From swinging under the magical tree to embarking on a Mushroom Adventure, the playground has play equipment for both younger and older kids.

There are two masive play stuctures on each side of the playground. Named 'Mushroom Adventure', the larger one on the left allows kids to climb upwards via a multi-coloured and tiered structure. Once up, they have to traverse across a rope bridge to reach the other side of the structure and enjoy a quick descent down the orange tube slide!

The other structure on the right is where kids can truly pick out familiar characters and objects from the Alice in Wonderland tale. But more than that, it hides another climbing structure!

Read my review HERE.

PLAYGROUND #3: Block 87 & 88 Dawson Road

Located at on the ground level of Skyville @ Dawson, in front of Blocks 87 and 88, lies a modest playground which consists of a rope-climbing structure and three spring-bouncers. Nothing too elaborate but it adds some fun into the playground hunting activity nonetheless!

PLAYGROUND #4: Eco-Jungle Adventure Playground @ Dawson Community Eco-Corridor

Cross Dawson Road and you will hit the entrance of the Dawson Community Eco-Corridor at SkyParc @ Dawson HDB Estate.

This 200m eco-walkway runs parallel to the Alexandra Canal Linear Park and is home to 18 majestic mature trees which were retained from the expunged Magaret Drive as part of tree conservation efforts.

Along the way, there are information panels that kids can pick useful knowledge as well as spot these insect hotels!

These insect hotels were built to provide temporary homes to resident solitary bee species, so as to strengthen biodiversity in the area. There are also Nest Boxes too, which are designed to recreate the natural habitats of birds.

But the main highlight of the Eco-Corridor has got to be this.

Located at Blocks 96A and 96B Dawson Road, the Eco-Jungle Adventure Playground mimics a jungle adventure for kids with its timber elements, carvings of native wildlife and an undulating terrain.

This playground offers a contrasting play theme compared to the Alice in Wonderland-themed one. There are more play elements that involve climbing, jumping and traversing across rope bridges.

Definitely a must-stop spot if you are visiting the linear park with the kids!

PLAYGROUND #5: Block 61A Strathmore Avenue

Head back to the Alexandra Canal Linear Park and towards Block 61A Strathmore Ave, you will a pretty huge playground structure.

When we first visited 8 years ago, the playground structure was tiny. It has since been upgraded with enough play elements to keep the young ones occupied for more than just a few minutes!

PLAYGROUND #6: Block 61C Strathmore Avenue

This playground is located just beside the Alexandra Canal Park (in front of Block 61C Strathmore Ave) so you can't miss it.

This playground comprises of a few separate playstructures; a ninja-warrior-like obstacle play structure and a trampoline.

But the most interesting bit of the playground has to do with playing with sound - through these eye-catching squiggly blue and red ‘Telephone Tubes’ where kids can communicate through them.

There are also two concave discs where kids can shout or scream between them and bear the full brunt of the echoes!

PLAYGROUND #7: Playground at Block 90 Dawson Road

This playground is situated directly opposite of the above playground, and is beside Block 90 Dawson Road at the SkyTerrace @ Dawson HDB cluster.

Everything about this playground is low-level which is great if you have younger kids or toddlers.

PLAYGROUND #8: Block 129 Clarence Lane

This playground is located in the older HDB estate cluster beside Tanglin Road and is the final playground along the linear park (or first if you enter from Tanglin Road).

Nothing too special about this playground, but worth a play if your kids still can't get enough of playgrounds.

For easier navigation, you can use this map to locate the 8 playgrounds.

If you are still up for more fun, why not try out the following as well? 😁

BONUS #1: Alexandra Canal Water Play Area

Cross Tanglin Road and you will join the Alexandra Park Connector which will link all the way to Clarke Quay. Situated just at the start of the Park Connector is a huge Water Play area that kids can splash around in.

Unfortunately, due to the current COVID-19 situation, the water play area is temporarily closed until further notice. But you can make a mental note to head back once it re-opens!

BONUS #2: Kay Siang Bunkers

If you wish to up the adventure factor after hunting down the playgrounds, you can consider some jungle-bashing to locate the 3 Kay Siang WWII Bunkers!

Situated along Kay Siang Road in Queenstown are the remnants of three storage bunkers in the forested area. They were presumably built in the 1940's and were used for goods and ammunition storage by the British Military, and are located alongside the now-demolished Buller Camp that housed Australian and Indian POWs during the Japanese Occupation.

The bunkers are located just beside the Dawson HDB estate and I have the instructions to locating them HERE.

My Reflections after surviving a Home Quarantine for nearly 2 weeks with my Family

The notification was swift. It came via Ale’s class chat on Microsoft Teams, that her entire class was put on Leave of Absence (LOA) immediately due to a confirmed COVID-19 case in the class. She was to stay at home until further updates from MOH but we didn’t have to wait long. By afternoon, we received official notice that she was on LOA and by the next day, it was upgraded to a 12-day Quarantine Order (QO).

When reality finally sank in, my first thought was, “Wah, like that also can kena.”

I guess it’s one of those things that you see it happen around you, but never thought that it would actually happen to you. But it did. 

A subsequent call informed us that someone would be dropping by to do an ART and PCR test for Ale, which happened the next day. This was the weekend when there was a sudden surge of Quarantine cases and there were media reports that there were multiple delays when it came to swab tests, ferrying of people to quarantine facilities and even getting through the MOH hotline.

I admit at that point in time, I was frustrated with the lack of clarity, delays and the inability to get through to the hotline (we finally got through after 8 attempts!). Looking back, there probably wasn’t any point in getting all flustered since we were all stuck at home anyway because it sure didn’t make the situation at home any better.

The day after the PCR test was done, we got a ‘Negative’ notification for Ale and another officer dropped by our place to serve the QO papers. The QO can be served at home or at a dedicated Government Quarantine Facility (GQF), also known as a ‘staycation’ which will be assessed by MOH.

To be eligible for Home Quarantine Order (HQO), MOH will look at the following factors:

- The Person under Quarantine (PUQ) is fully vaccinated, and able to self-isolate at home.

- PUQ is under 19 years old or needs some form of caregiving.

- No medically vulnerable family members staying with PUQ (medically vulnerable persons refer to those aged 60 years and above and who are unvaccinated; immunocompromised; have chronic heart, lung or  kidney disease, hypercoagulable states; have cancer; or are patients on immunosuppressants).

- PUQ is able to self-isolate at home, alone in a bedroom with his/her own attached toilet and shower.

- Household members have to undergo an antigen rapid test (ART) self-test on days 3, 5, 7 and 14 of the quarantine period. PUQs will undergo the same, with the addition of an entry and exit PCR swab.

We were cleared for the HQO but this meant that all household members will not be able to leave the house too for the entire duration of the quarantine period. It is legally enforceable as all of us have to sign a Letter of Undertaking.

But this would also mean that the 2 boys would not be able to go to school. In the end, Ayd applied for a LOA from school since he is able to do his school work mostly online while Ash shifted to his grandparent's house for the time being so that he can continue to attend school (but not before he submits a self-administered negative ART result to the school).

*Quarantine Order Allowance (QOA)

If you are self-employed like myself, you are able to claim $100 PER DAY for the duration of the QO. This applies if you are a self-employed Singapore Citizen and Permanent Resident who is served a QO. Approved caregivers who are self-employed of a person under quarantine can also apply for QOA. So if you are self-employed, be sure to put your name as the Approved Caregiver of your child if he/she has to be quarantined. Applications must be received within 90 days from the last day of the QO. You can visit HERE for more information and to download the application form.

The first few days felt pretty normal - like during the Circuit Breaker period where we had to stay home and the kids had their HBL. But there was a difference of course, I was not able to step out of the house to exercise or to buy food and groceries. And that really hit home after Day 4 when cabin fever struck.

Ale's daily HBL

There were days when I felt frustrated, helpless, downcast that I can’t help but be in an irritable and snarky mood towards the wifey and kids. Does that make me a bad husband and parent? No, it only makes me human. But the key is to realise it so that I can snap out of it once I am done with wallowing in self-pity.

One of the main concerns when serving a HQO is probably food. While there are ample food delivery options, I prefer home cooked food (because it makes the time pass faster!). But therein lies the issue of fresh groceries since we can’t head to the markets or supermarkets. Thankfully, the wifey found TADA Fresh Market, an online portal where you can buy fresh produce from Tekka Wet Market, Tiong Bahru Wet Market and 216 Bedok Wet Market. And I have to say the selection is extremely comprehensive from fresh chicken, yong tau foo to even spices. I just have to place my order before 1.30pm and it will be delivered the next day between 2pm and 6pm (free delivery for orders above $50). Frankly, this was a life-saver for us. (#notsponsored btw)

Baking coffee buns (Rotiboy-style) for the first time

As days passed, we would receive calls two to three times a day to check on Ale’s temperature. We would also have to turn on the video to show that we are at home. During one of these calls, the caller remarked, “Wah, your window view very nice!” I was amused by that but after the call, it struck me how he was working long hours for a seemingly mundane task of calling strangers and recording temperatures.

And it made me realise the humongous efforts that go behind the scenes to make all these work - the contact tracing, the calling, the swabbing, the ferrying of PUQ to hotels, everything. Imagine the colossal logistics involved and all I felt was a sense of frustration when I could not get through the hotline… all from the comfort of my home. I felt ashamed. And for all of the personnel involved, a lot of these work are ‘boring’ but they are important nonetheless, all in a bid to keep Singapore as safe as possible.

3 days before our HQO was to end, we received a call to notify us that an officer will be down to perform an exit PCR swab on Ale. From then on, everything moved like clockwork. The person came as planned, Ale did her PCR test, and the rest of us were given exit ARTs. Thankfully, all of the tests were negative which meant our HQO was on track to end.

I think credit should be given to everyone involved. In slightly less than 2 weeks after we exprienced delays and confusion due a surge in the number of quarantine cases where the involved personnel were overwhelmed and overworked, the contacting and exit processes were completely opposite. Everything was fuss-free. That's Singapore efficiency for you and it makes me beam with pride.

How does the QO end? It ends on the final day of the QO at 12PM OR upon the receipt of the PUQ’s negative swab test result, WHICHEVER IS LATER on the last day of the QO.

And with that, we were free.

If there is anything to take away from this experience, it is the realisation of having taken all the little things for granted - going for a run or a hike, heading out to buy food or groceries, going cycling with the wifey, or even just buying prata for supper on a whim.

But I am grateful that we didn’t experience the QO in utter isolation. Well, except for Ash but I think my mother-in-law was tremendously happy with his company and he also enjoyed her cooking lots! So all in all, I would say things weren’t as dire as I thought they would be. For one, this experience will go into the memory bank!

To all those who are currently serving your QO/LOA/SHN, know that this too shall pass! Yes, there will be inconveniences but it is also a meaningful pause in time to reconnect with yourself, family, friends and other things that you were too busy to do previously. Be kinder to yourself, and everyone around us.

Stay safe! 😊

Hugo - the Wealthcare® Buddy I Never Knew I Needed

 Advertorial

One month ago, I wrote about Hugo, a financial app and digital account that is designed to help us spend in smarter ways, save up for our goals sooner and grow our money faster through physical gold investment (for now).

In the process of that, Hugo wants to help us build long-term healthy financial habits.You can read more about Hugo in my previous blog post HERE, including how to sign up for an account and receive $20 referral signup bonus too!

Read it? Good.

Because now I am going to share my experience with Hugo after using it for one month. And the TL;DR version? Hugo is the Wealthcare® Buddy that I never knew I needed!

Envelope Savings with Money Pots for my Family

The envelope savings system is a way to track exactly how much money one has in each budget category for the month by keeping cash tucked away in envelopes. At the end of the month, one can see how much cash is left by taking a quick peek in the respective envelopes. For example, one will be for a staycation, one would be for a big-ticket item while another would be for emergencies.

But there isn't any need for physical envelopes or piggy banks with Hugo. It does this virtually by having Money Pots that you can set for specific purposes. But better than that, Money Pots allows you to set up a monthly savings schedule which you can easily monitor your progress easily with a simple tap in the Hugo app.

Like the monthly savings schedule I had set up for myself.

Using Hugo Money Pots to Teach My Kids About Finance

Aside from saving for a Playstation 5 console, I had also set up individual Money Pots for my 3 monkies.

The kids each started off with a $5 goodwill donation from me but to grow their own Money Pot, I have told them that is entirely up to them.

And after one month, this is how much their pots have grown.

What did they do to earn the money? Two words. Household chores. 😁

Every time they complete a household chore like washing the dishes, hanging the laundry, mopping the floor, I top up their Money Pots. At least this made the entire Phase 2 HA more bearable.

And yes, washing the toilet earns more money in case you are wondering. LOL.

But earning money is one thing. The more important lesson here, I feel, is educating my kids the concept of saving. And that money doesn't come easily and saving up for something actually takes a lot of discipline.

I previously also shared that back in 2019, we had set aside a piggy bank to save up for a year-end trip to Europe. This piggy bank was placed near our door and we had to empty our loose change from our pockets every time we returned home.

The good thing was it taught the monkies the concept of saving and the value of delayed gratification too... but the troublesome thing about it?  We had NO idea how much we had saved every month unless we emptied the piggy bank and counted the coins... so the kids couldn't keep track of the amount saved every month. So the process of saving was not as tangible because they could not see how much their savings has grown.

It's a different story with Hugo's Money Pots. With them, my kids are able to monitor their saving progress religiously and I dare say it even acts as a motivation for them to try to increase their 'earnings' because they want to see their savings grow. 😆

And that explains why Ale's Money Pot far surpasses her 2 brothers - she eagerly volunteered her services when I needed to edit a few videos for a brand that I work with. (Yes, her self-taught video editing skills are far better than mine) And because I don't want to be accused of taking advantage of free labour, I had to pay her a decent fee, no?

Budgeting for Household Expenses with Hugo's Money Pots

In fact, I also see Money Pots being something extremely useful for parents too. Parents can apply the envelope savings system by creating Money Pots for various purposes, like kid's tuition fees, enrichment fees, and even utilities' bills.

And the wifey did just that. In her Hugo account, she had set up different Money Pots meant for different expenditures, from paying for the kids' tuition to our Netflix and Spotify subscriptions to even our grocery shopping. Every month on a fixed date, she schedules deductions from her Spend Account to the respective Money Pots. And we have definitely found this to be very useful as it helps us to set up a proper monthly budgeting system so that it is easier to manage our monthly cashflow. And you know what? We share our monthly budget with our kids so it is yet another teaching moment for them too! 😁

Roundups as an Enforced Saving Habit (& Teaching Tool for kids)

One of my fave features of Hugo (and the wifey's) is Roundups.

To put it simply, Hugo rounds UP our spending to the nearest dollar. Every time you spend on your Hugo Platinum Visa Debit Card, Hugo rounds up your purchase to the nearest dollar and puts the excess into savings.

For example, a $2.52 purchase will result in having $3 (rounded up to the nearest dollar) debited from your Hugo account with the excess $0.48 going into your accumulated Roundups.

So all of the accumulated Roundups goes into your savings pool which will then be used to buy physical gold via Hugo’s Gold Vault. Yes, that is also a form of investment right there, but more on Gold Vault later!😉

And after using Hugo for one month, I have noticed my spending pattern.

While I used my credit card for big and less frequent purchases like a new printer, and my folding bicycles, I find myself reaching for my Hugo debit card for everyday purchases like groceries, coffee, takeaways.

Why?

Because these everyday purchases allow me to generate Roundups more quickly, which is super great to grow my Gold Vault with. Much like this purchase I made at Cold Storage.

A $0.99 roundup! That's the pinnacle of rounding up when it comes to Hugo. 😁

And if you have younger kids, teaching them roundups will be useful for their Math too. My kids are probably too old for this roundup 'game' (unless I throw in differentiation) but younger kids will take great interest in rounding up your purchases before checking the Hugo app to see if they have the correct answer.

Teaching the Concept of Investing & Dollar Cost Averaging to Kids

As I had mentioned above and also in my previous post, the roundups accumulated are converted into physical GOLD and invested into your Gold Vault automatically on a weekly basis.

And over the period of one month, I had seen my gold investment grow.

Well, it may seem insignificant for now but I love how I can keep my gold investment active without much effort. As a famous Malay proverb goes, "Sedikit-sedikit lama-lama jadi bukit" which means "Bit by bit, over time, it will accumulate into a mountain". Similarly, the little steps one takes to invest in gold week after week can lead to results over time.

This is perfect for those who find it difficult to set aside a sum of money as savings every month. Because Hugo's Roundups automatically invests the difference in gold, you are practically saving without the uncomfortable feeling of tightening your belt.

Personally, I also love how the Gold Vault feature allows me to teach my kids about the concept of investing as opposed to leaving our money in the bank to earn a paltry monthly interest. I shared with them how Gold is often lauded as a stable investment and explained why it is important that we try our best to make our money work harder for us - after taking calculated risks, of course.

I think I must have piqued their interest in investing in gold because for the past few weeks, they have been monitoring the price of Gold on a nearly daily basis. They will then compare with my investment amount on my Hugo app and see if I had made a profit or loss. 😅

And that was when I also introduced the concept of Dollar Cost Averaging to them.

Dollar-cost averaging is a technique that entails investing a fixed amount of money in the same fund, stock or commodity at regular intervals over a long period of time. Because nobody can really time the market, I am investing a sum of money into the Gold Vault on a fixed basis whether the price of Gold is up or down. Over time, the average cost per gram of gold I invest will probably compare quite favourably with the price I would have paid if you had tried to time my purchase of Gold.

So to walk the talk, I have also set up a recurring monthly investment of $30 where the amount will be debited automatically from my Spend Account to purchase gold.

It's a simple investing technique but it's also a safe and steady way to build up investments. Something that I told the monkies, especially the boys if they wish to do some investing of their own in the not-too-distant future.

So will I still continue to use Hugo? OF COURSE!

Because for me, the Hugo Card is not just another debit card in my wallet that I use for purchases. It has become an awesome addition to my daily routine because it has gone beyond what a usual card is.

Hugo Has An Easy User Interface and Great User Experience

And what really complements the card is how easy and fuss-free the Hugo app is. All the information presented in the app is extremely clean which makes it convenient to view all of my transactions at a glance. In addition, the ease of navigation from feature to feature - whether I wish to take stock of my Money Pots or view my Gold transactions - is a huge plus for me.

In fact, it has been such a breeze adapting Hugo into my everyday life that it is now a part of my lifestyle where not only does it form saving and investing habits, my Hugo Wealthcare® Buddy imparts teaching moments to my kids too!

Want to welcome Hugo Wealthcare® Buddy into your life too?

Try it for yourself FOR FREE!

Head over HERE to sign up and get a $20 Goldback® referral signup bonus when you sign up for Hugo's referral scheme and spend $100 on your Hugo Card within 45 days of signing up!

On top of that, you can earn $10 Goldback® for every new referral that signs up via your unique share link and spends $100 on their Hugo card within 45 days of signing up too. And they get the referral signup bonus too!

*Goldback® rewards get deposited into your Gold Vault 60 days after signing up.

Visit HERE for more details.