Winter comes to Singapore! 2Degree Ice Art

Who says winter does not come to Singapore?

Two weeks ago, over the weekend, we brought the kids to the 2Degree Ice Art Exhibition. Held inside a thermal-insulated hall kept at -15°C, it was the best way to beat the sweltering heat in Singapore!

The kids (especially C) were really excited about being able to experience winter for the first time. Ok, it’s not really winter, but it’s close enough. There were thick coats for rent ($5 each, including gloves), and C was really pleased to get one with pink flower buttons. We brought G’s fleece jacket, and he was relatively warmly bundled up with the fleece inside his rented winter coat.

Tip: If possible, bring ear muffs or hooded jackets for the little ones. It really does get very cold inside.

All wrapped up and ready to go!

I was amused to see that the entrance to the hall was literally a door into a freezer container. Once they ascertained that we were appropriately bundled up, they opened the door to let us enter. As we stepped into the hall, we were hit by a blast of cold air. The kids were thrilled to see their breath in puffs of steam (“Just like they described in books!” according to C).

Coloured ice-carvings were scattered around the hall, and the first to greet us was Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore.

Sir Stamford Raffles

My favourite was the ‘icicle forest’ (I’m not sure if there was an actual name for this exhibit). Pretty!!!

My favourite exhibit

There were also ice-sculptures depicting various landmarks from around the world, lit by coloured LED lights.

Famous landmarks – in ice!

Recognise any of these ice sculptures?

If you asked C, the best part of the entire exhibition were the ice-slides located at the children play area. There was a big slide where we slid down sitting on a tube (which we had to lug up from the bottom of the slide) and a little one on the right. C didn’t need any encouragement – she literally ran up the steps to take the smaller slide down before we could give any instructions.

Note: It can be slippery at the top of the slide. I slipped and landed on my butt while attempting to sit down. It’s been ages since I last sat on a slide, and I think this fact was glaringly apparent, as evidenced by my clumsy descent down (video has been censored). 

Whee!

Getting ready to slide down on a tube

There was a small area on the left of the slides, where there was real snow (instead of the usual foam that we find in tropical Singapore). The kids did not get to play there as there was a large crowd in the area, and G was too tiny to squeeze in with the adults and older kids.

After C came down the slide for the nth time, we decided to move on as G was complaining of not being able to feel his fingers (he had taken his gloves off as he couldn’t see his hand :/)

Note: It would be a good idea to bring your own pair of gloves, as the snow would make the complimentary gloves wet. Wet fingers = frozen numb fingers = no fun

More ice!

Although the hall was rather small, there was enough to see and do for us to stay there for an hour. The ice-sculptures were not that spectacular, so I thought that the tickets were a tad expensive without discounts (I got them at a discounted corporate rate). It was a good experience though, especially for the kids. I think they took to the cold pretty well, though G did complain a little towards the end. Time to plan for a ski trip!

Do you and your children enjoy the cold weather?

More Information:
2Degree Ice Art will be on till 15th May 2014.
Opening hours from 10am to 10pm
Adults – $32.00 (10% discount for MasterCard holders, and also discounted entry on weekdays)
Child – $26.00
Children below 1.2 metres or less than 9 years old get free entry with purchase of adult ticket
Winter coat rental – $5.00 each (complimentary gloves with coat rental)
Located at the Junction of Bayfront Ave and Sheares Link; Standalone building beside the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and opposite the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre.
Parking is available onsite, but places are limited.

 

 

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What I did at Club Med Bali (by C)

Hi! I’m C. I’m 6 and a half years old and mummy has decided to let me do a guest post on my trip to Bali.

Club Med Bali was the best! We got to wear rainbow ribbons on our wrists throughout our stay. The adults got boring plain orange ribbons. Haha.
Mum: Club Med shared the beach with the other resorts. The ribbon was used to differentiate the guests at the beach.

Rainbow ribbons!

Mummy signed me up for the C’Komo (kids’) club where I got to meet lots of friends. We danced on stage for everyone! I got to wear a pink fairy dress and had makeup on too 🙂

That’s me on the stage!

There was also cookie baking (I forgot to bring the cookies back), art and pool games.

Cookie making

Lots to do at C’Komo

Oh, yes, I went kayaking too! The big brother Stanley paddled while I sat in the kayak. We capsized but I enjoyed the experience. Too bad there wasn’t a photo of me on the kayak!

At the sea sports area

I also got my first try at many new activities.  I saw the bungee bounce while touring the grounds with mummy and daddy. Mummy asked if I would like to try it. I didn’t really know what to do at first, but I soon found out how high I could go. Wheee!

Bungee booooounce!

I also went up on the trapeze thrice. Mummy watched me climb up by myself. I think she was panicking below since the trapeze was rather high up. I didn’t think it was a big deal since there was a net below to catch me if I fell. I even let one hand go just to see how she would react 😉 I enjoyed both the bungee and the trapeze so much that I wanted to go everyday. But it was a pity that it rained on some mornings.
Mum: She asked to go up the trapeze out of her own accord. Yes, I was both impressed and freaking out at the same time to see my 6 year old swinging all the way up there. I had no idea that she was such a daredevil!

And off I go!

One of the things that I’ve always wanted to do was archery. Initially mummy told me that it was only for children older than 8 years old so I was very disappointed. I was so happy to know that 6 year olds could try it too! I didn’t really have enough strength to pull the bow though, so most of my arrows ended up on the ground. But it was still fun. I’m going to try again next year!

Pull, hold and release!

My little brother was too young to join me in the earlier activities (and he was sleeping a lot!), but there were plenty of other activities that we could do together. We played together at the beach. Mummy forgot to bring the toys for sand play but we found a spoon to dig in the sand. I loved to watch my sandcastle being knocked down by the waves.

We also had fun in the pool! It was shallow enough for us to wade around and splash water at one another.

Fun with G

I love the beach!

We saw lots of animals at Club Med Bali, and my favourites were the squirrels. There were so many of them and they were everywhere. We saw three of them every morning just outside our room! They were really cute!

Squirrel!

There were lots of yummy food at the restaurant, and I had a special tray with different colours for different food groups (I wished all of them were for dessert though)  G and I had lots of ice cream and cakes! Yum! I also got to enjoy cocktails with daddy and mummy 🙂

Food and drinks!

Guess G’s favourite food?

I had so much fun and I didn’t want to go home, but Mummy promised that we would be back again next year. See you Club Med Bali!

Thank you to all the nice big brothers and sisters!

Mummy’s note: I asked C what she remembered about this trip and these were her memories 🙂 She had a wonderful time, thanks to the staff there (especially Stanley and Kaori!) It was an eye-opening trip for me too… I had no idea my daughter was so adventurous! I will remember her on the trapeze for a very long time.

What was the most memorable thing you did during the holidays?

Club Med Bali

We try to take a family vacation every year, to recharge and reconnect. This year, we took off to beautiful Bali, Indonesia.

It was a rather last minute decision to fly off the Bali, as we had to arrange around our work schedule. To save the hassle of planning the itinerary (lazy mum!) we decided to check into Club Med Bali, an all-in-one holiday resort.

Bye Singapore!

It was G’s first flight, so we were prepared with snacks for him in case he fussed during the 3 hour journey. I planned the flight to coincide with his nap-time, and thankfully slept for the entire stretch 🙂

Arrival in Bali
We reached Denpasar Airport at around 4.50pm, and found our way easily to the resort via taxi. The airport taxi stand was easily located (turn left once you exit the arrival hall), and fares to the various locations were prominently displayed. I had opted not to take the airport transfer offered by Club Med, preferring to take a taxi from the airport. This turned out to be a good decision, since we didn’t have to share a minibus with the rest of the guests. Best of all, price was around S$13 (125000IDR), compared to the quote of S$125 by Club Med!

Club Med was located in Nusa Dua, a 20 minute ride from the airport via the new highway. Traffic was a breeze! We were surprised that there was a security check at the entrance to Nusa Dua, and all vehicles were stopped for inspection. Again, at the entrance to Club Med, we were asked to verify our identities before the taxi was allowed entry. I guess these security measures were necessary to give tourists some reassurance, after the horrific terrorist attack many years ago.

Arrival at Club Med Bali!

Once inside the resort, we were warmly welcomed by name (security must have alerted the reception) and ushered to the lounge area where refreshments and cold towels were prepared. The kids were pleased to find cookies placed out for them. It was a nice touch, typical of a Club Med welcome 🙂

A warm welcome

 

After a short briefing on meal-times and the resort’s facilities, we were shown to our rooms. To get there, we had to walk along a link-way built across a huge pond. This pond soon became a favourite spot for G, who loved to stand and watch the water monitors swimming and sun-bathing.

The huge pond and various wildlife

G introducing the animals of Club Med Bali

I loved the greenery and the peacefulness in Bali. We had been to Club Med Bintan, but the feel was really different. Bali had a more laid back vibe, perfect for a relaxing holiday. The larger grounds also meant lots more space for the kids to run around.

Lovely grounds at Club Med Bali

Of course, no resort would be complete without a pool (gorgeous!) and a bar.

Lovely pool and bar

Not forgetting the beautiful beach! As it was a low season, we had the beach all to ourselves!

Beautiful, quiet beach

Food was available throughout the day for perpetually hungry kids (and adults!). Since all food and drinks were included in the price of the stay, we didn’t have to worry about catering to the various requests from fussy kids – they had all the choices available to them from the buffet spread 🙂

Food, glorious food!

At night, there were performances by the talented guest officers (GOs) and guests. Unfortunately the shows usually started at 9pm (kids’ bedtime!) so they had to miss most of the shows. We stayed throughout for one special show though… see anyone familiar in the pictures below?

Performances at night – spot anyone familiar?

There were so many things to do at Club Med, it is impossible to cover them all in one post. More on the activities in the next post!

Where did you go for your holidays this year-end?

Off on a break!

Greetings from Bali!

I’m currently on a long-awaited vacation with my family. Sun, sand, and the sea. Cocktails by the pool. Bliss 🙂

Will be giving an update when I’m back. Till then, here’s a nice photo of the beautiful beach 🙂

Doctor for a day!

In August, C got to be a doctor for a day at a real hospital.

Organised by Mount Elizabeth Novena, “Doctor for a Day” is a program targeted at 5 to 12 year olds to give them a better understanding of the healthcare industry and hopefully inspire them to join the medical industry when they grow up.

All ready to be a doctor!

They started in the preparation room, where all the kids donned kid-sized scrubs and hairnets, and taught the correct procedure to wash and disinfect their hands. The “training” took place in specially prepared rooms at the hospital, where medical students guided the kids through the various activities. Parents were not allowed to enter the training rooms (which was a good decision, knowing that we would probably get carried away taking photos!)

C in her scrubs

The first stop was to the general practitioner’s office, where C learnt to use a real stethoscope and the blood pressure meter. They were also taught how to use a ear thermometer correctly.

At the general practitioner’s

Next was the A&E, where the kids got to bandage each other (that was the fun part according to C), push a wheelchair, and try to use a defibrillator (not plugged in of course!). C was a little freaked by the defibrillator part and kept her distance while the patient was being treated.

C (extreme right) keeping her distance while the emergency resuscitation was taking place

At the nursing station, C got to feed, burp and change a baby (doll). This was nothing new to her, since she had hands-on practice with a live baby at home!

Feeding the baby

The final stop was the Operating Theatre, where they performed a surgery. The kids took turns to remove black plastic pieces from a man’s lungs using tweezers. C was paying attention, because she could tell me that the black plastic was tar in the man’s lungs caused by smoking.

All prepped for the surgery

There was a graduation ceremony at the end of the activities, where C changed into a white doctor’s coat. Each participant was given a certificate and a photo, with a souvenir toy stethoscope.

Dr C

I thought it was a wonderful program that allowed the kids a glimpse of what it was like being a medical professional. It was fun and it was free 🙂 Hopefully there will be more programs like this.

C’s thoughts after the whole affair? She doesn’t want to be a doctor, because she needed to cut people up. LOL.

What do your kids want to be when they grow up?

Legoland – Mini Land

Miniland was definitely my favourite part of Legoland. As far as I know, there exists a Miniland in every Legoland theme park, where miniature landmarks from the region are featured.

There were little surprises hidden everywhere, from the moving boats and dancing people, to a little re-enactment of a traffic accident, to a booby-trap where you get to spray water on unsuspecting passers-by (C and G’s favourite part!)

Words do no justice to the amazing Lego structures, so enjoy the photos!

Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Karaweik Hall, Myanmar

Taj Mahal, India

Patuxai, Laos

World Peace Gong, Laos

Purah Tanah Lot, Indonesia

Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque, Brunei

Hoi An, Vietnam

Bolinao, Philippines

Wat Arun, Thailand

Petronas Towers, Malaysia

Fullerton Hotel and the Merlion, Singapore

One of G’s favourites:

Pirates!

And last but not least, something for the Star Wars fan:

Death Star

Which is your favourite Lego landmark?

Outdoor fun – Sembawang Park

Sembawang Park is a tranquil park located in the north of Singapore. First developed in the 1970s, it is one of the older parks under the National Parks Board that was slated for a facelift recently.

A while back, I brought C down to Sembawang Park to check out the new play structure that was built as part of the revamp. Unfortunately G was down with a fever that day so couldn’t come along.

We headed directly for the play area, which was located a short walk away from the carpark. As we headed up the slope, the unique structure came into view. From a distance, it looked like a huge battleship beached on the sand! There were several fine details that completed the design: propellers, gun turrets and a rudder.

Can you see the rudder and propellers?

Spot the gun turrets

Various activities were cleverly incorporated into the structure. The ship mast held a red climbing net, kid-sized hand grips and foot-holds on the hull (barnacles?) formed a mini climbing wall, and a port-hole at the side gave access to the upper decks where the entrances to the slides were located.

The nautical theme continued with a large pendulum swing in the front of the boat, shaped like a life buoy.

C had a blast although the structure was built for slightly older kids (the porthole was a challenge to get into because it was too high for her – I had to help lift her up). It was definitely a good workout for her- running, climbing, jumping and sliding.

Unfortunately the trip was cut short due to the weather, but we will definitely be back. C has set herself the target to be able to climb into the porthole by herself the next visit 😉

Have you brought the kids outdoors today?

Legoland!

I’m still trying to catch up on my posts… here’s one that I started in May:

We brought C & G to Legoland Malaysia during the Vesak day long weekend in May. We had heard pretty good reviews of the theme park from our friends, so decided to make the trip across the causeway.

Although the theme park opened at 10am, we set off bright and early at 7.30am, hoping to avoid the traffic at the customs checkpoint. It looked like everyone had the same idea though, because we were caught in a 2-hour jam. After clearing the customs, it took an easy 15minutes drive to get to Legoland.
Tip: For Singaporeans, it’s easier to enter via Tuas checkpoint. After clearing the Malaysian customs look for Nusajaya exit. Take the Nusajaya exit, head straight and look out for the signs to Legoland.

We reached Legoland at 9.50am, just before it opened. Although we were early, there were already long queues at the ticketing booths. We skipped the queue since we had bought the tickets online. Yay!
Tip: If you intend to visit, do buy the tickets at least a week early to get a 20% discount. Tickets will be sent via email to be printed.

Legoland!

It started to drizzle when we arrived. Fortunately we went prepared with raincoats and umbrellas. Though the rain meant that the photos would not turn out well, the weather was cool and C was still able to enjoy her rides in her raincoat!
Tip: Bring ponchos in case of wet weather. The kids will still be able to take the outdoor rides in their raincoats. The park is very open and there is not much shelter. Of course, in hot weather, be prepared with hats, umbrellas and lots of sunblock!

Inside Legoland

I did some research prior to our visit. The park is divided into several sectors – The Beginning, Lego City, MiniLand, Land of Adventure, Imagination, Lego Kingdom and Lego Technic. For young children 6 and below, it was recommended that we started with Lego City. It turned out to be a great decision!

The first rides we saw at Lego City were the driving schools where kids above 3 years old got to drive their own motorised cars. C drove a little Lego car at the Junior Driving School (for 3 to 5 year olds) in a miniature circuit. She even got her own license! She insisted on coming back after her birthday, because she wanted to try the bigger circuit at the Driving School (for 6 year olds and above). G was rather disappointed that he couldn’t go in, and had to make do with the stationary cars outside.

Driving!

The Boating School was located just beside the driving school. Both of them got to try piloting a boat (with us sitting beside them of course!) It was great fun, and G enjoyed taking the wheel.

A short walk down from the Boating School was the Lego City Airport, where I got to ride with C on her favourite airplane ride. She had been asking to go on the ride since she knew that we were going to Legoland.

We also took the Legoland Express, a leisurely train ride around Legoland. C wasn’t really interested in the ride (in her words, it’s “boring”), but for the adults it was a good time to rest our legs 😛

Legoland train station

Next, we made our way to Duplo Playtown, located near the Imagination zone. The Playtown is a sheltered play area for the younger tots, with lots of colourful play structures, slides, mazes. G was taking a nap then, so we didn’t stop for long. We made a mental note to check it out on our next visit. The baby care area was also conveniently located in the same vicinity.

Playtown

After Playtown, we took a ride on the Revolving tower for a bird’s eye view of the park before heading to Lego Kingdom.

A bird’s eye view

At Lego Kingdom, C tried her hand at jousting 😉 She really enjoyed going round the track on the mechanical horse. I think she was more thrilled that there was finally a ride that she could do by herself!

Jousting

We ended our day at the Imagination zone, an air-conditioned area where the kids were given access to plenty of lego blocks. After seeing all the Lego structures within the park, the kids (and myself!) we inspired to build our own creations. I’m not sure what G built… he said it was a robot. C built part of the Great Wall of China 😉

Imagination

My thoughts on Legoland

Activities
In all, we spent 8 hours at Legoland, but we did not manage to cover all the sectors. There were plenty of activities for 5-year old C, suitable for the adventurous (there were mini roller-coaster rides), and the not-so-adventurous (slower train rides, boating, driving). There were also rides for older children and adults in the Lego Technic area, which we didn’t explore.

For 2-year old G, there were limited rides and areas where he could play, but considering that he got in free, it was worth the trip. Overall, I would say that the park would be suitable for children 2 years old and above.

Food
Although I did not touch on food in my post, there were various eateries inside the theme park, offering meals at pretty reasonable prices (RM9.90 upwards). I did not see much food suitable for younger children though, so for those visiting with 1-2 year olds might want to bring some snacks along. For more food choices, there is also a new mall just outside Legoland, with some food outlets (KFC, Burger King, Thai food, etc).

Service
The staff were friendly in general, and washrooms were clean. There were also family washrooms where we could wheel the stroller in. Parking spaces were readily available (RM7 per entry; free for annual membership holders)

Overall, we had a good time at Legoland, and we decided to top-up for an annual membership (which pays off after two visits, so it was a good deal!) 🙂 We’ll be back!

Note: We did visit MiniLand too, which will be covered in a separate post 🙂 Here’s a sneak peek:

MiniLand!

Do you like Lego?

Legoland Malaysia
http://www.legoland.com.my
Address: 7, Jalan Legoland, Bandar Medini, 79250 Nusajaya, Johor, Malaysia
Opening hours: 10am to 6pm on normal days, 10am to 8pm on weekends, public holidays and school holidays.
Ticket prices:
Adults: RM140 (1-day tickets), RM275 (annual membership)
Children (3-11) and Senior Citizens (60 and above): RM110 (1-day ticket), RM210 (annual membership)
Note: You can choose to buy a 1-day ticket, then top-up for an annual membership at the guest services counter later.

Children’s Season at National Museum of Singapore

Children’s Season takes place from the 18th May to 30 June 2013, to coincide with the June school holidays. Jointly presented by the National Heritage Board and Museum Roundtable, it consists of exhibitions and programmes designed for children taking place in the 19 museums island-wide.

Previously, we had visited Art Garden at the Singapore Art Museum. On Monday, since I was on leave, I decided to bring C on a solo date to the National Museum while G went to child-care.

National Museum of Singapore

This year, Children’s Season at the National Museum is titled Island Adventures 2013. The exhibition explores Singapore’s multi-racial and multi-cultural society through the themes of Food, Film & Wayang, Fashion, and Photography.

At the concourse, we were greeted by a giant wall mural with a familiar dragon-shaped structure. I felt a pang of nostalgia: I used climb on such a structure during my childhood days! Now, most of the playgrounds have been replaced with modern gyms, so C has not seen the dragon before. I made a mental note to myself to bring her to Toa Payoh to play on one of the last dragon play-gyms left in Singapore, before it got torn down.

This mural turned out to be a large magnetic panel too. Colourful magnetic shapes were available in a basket to allow children to decorate the playground according to their creativity. Simple concept, but C enjoyed herself trying to get the pieces as high as she could manage.

C in front of the magnetic wall

As part of Children’s Season activities, C got a complimentary activity book, and I paid an additional $5 for a craft pack, which consisted of a packet of play-doh, two pieces of coloured paper, a paper wayang headgear and decorative material for the headgear.

Island Adventures activities booklet

There were plenty of hands-on activities for the children, in line with this year’s theme. C got to learn about different types of local food like char kway teow (chinese fried rice noodles), nasi lemak (a malay rice dish cooked with coconut and pandan) and mee goreng (fried noodles). There were pretend play stalls where she could pretend to be a hawker cooking her own dishes using magnetic pieces. Using the playdoh from the craft kit, she also made an ang ku kueh (literally translated as red tortoise cake), a traditional chinese pastry with soft sticky glutinous rice flour skin wrapped around a sweet filling in the centre.

Learning about typical Singaporean hawker food

She got to “try on” different traditional costumes from each of the major ethnic groups in Singapore (her favourite was the sarong kebaya!). Panels of traditional fabrics were also on display. I explained that tailors were common in the past, and her grandmother used to be a seamstress, and sewed many pretty clothes for myself and my brothers.

Learning about ethnic costumes

There was a small section dedicated to Chinese opera (wayang), where little booths with peepholes were found. Looking through the peep-holes, we saw snapshots taken from shows in the past. C got to decorate her own opera headgear (of a princess), which she insisted on trying on and taking a picture for her daddy who was at work. She had watched Chinese opera on a stage and on tv (both grandparents enjoyed it), but had found difficulty understanding the dialects spoken. I explained that different characters had different types of makeup to differentiate them, and the headgear was different – she could try identifying them on stage now!

Learning about Wayang

One of the most interesting booths featured an activity where she learnt how photo studios used to produce coloured prints in the 1950s and 60s. She was astonished to know that we had to wait for photos to be developed before we knew how the pictures turned out, that there were only black and white photos in the past (colour had to be hand-painted).

Learning about old photography techniques

Cameras from bygone eras

After the children’s activities, we made our way to the 2nd level, where there the Singapore Living Galleries were. We only visited the Fashion and Film exhibits, but C didn’t like it much as the galleries were rather dark. She did get to listen to pop music from her grandmother’s era though!

We also made a quick visit to the Singapore History Gallery. I’ve not been to the National Museum for a long time, and I was pretty impressed at how high tech the exhibits had become – multimedia handheld devices (called the Companion) were distributed for all aged 7 and above (so C had to share mine) and we could punch in the codes to listen to the commentary as we made our way through the gallery.

There were several “movies” along the route, and we stopped to watch some of them. C was particularly interested by the show on olden Singapore, back when we were a fishing village. “Are they very poor people?” she asked.

Life in a fishing village

We talked a little about the discovery of Singapore, and the development from a little fishing village to modern Singapore. I think she is still a little confused about the history though – I will need to borrow a bit more books on Singapore’s history.

The Japanese occupation exhibits triggered quite a bit of questions – “What does occupation mean? What is war? Why are the people so thin?”. Hmm… how do you explain the concept of war to a 6-year old?

“Banana money” – currency used during the Japanese occupation

There were several other exhibits that interested C – one of them was a rickshaw. I explained that her grandmother used to ride in these when she was younger, and they were pulled by people. Her eyes opened wide: “The person must be really strong!”

Rickshaw

Near the end of the gallery, we came upon some exhibits from the 1970s and 1980s (I remember some of them from my childhood!) This picture was taken for C’s grandmother:

Familiar?

I had expected C to be bored by the exhibits at the National Museum, but she told me that she enjoyed it more compared to the Art Garden(!) I suppose it was because there were more hands-on activities, and interactive exhibits. I definitely benefited from the trip – there were interesting bits of history that I didn’t know about.

We will definitely be back for another visit!

Have you visited the museum recently?

National Museum of Singapore
93 Stamford Road S(178897)
http://www.nationalmuseum.sg
Opening hours:
Singapore History Gallery: Daily from 10am to 6pm (last admission at 5.30pm)
Singapore Living Galleries: Daily from 10am to 8pm (free admission from 6pm to 8pm, last admission at 7.30pm)
Admission is free for Singapore Citizens & Permanent Residents to the Singapore History and Singapore Living Galleries, Goh Seng Choo Gallery and Stamford Gallery

Art Garden at the Singapore Arts Museum

The Singapore Arts Museum (SAM) is just a stone’s throw away from C’s music class. On Saturday, we decided to pop over for the ongoing Arts Garden exhibition. C enjoyed the interactive exhibits the past two years, and we thought G would be able to appreciate it this year.

We went to the main building of SAM, before realising that the Arts Garden was housed in an extension (SAM at 8Q) on Queen Street this year. No matter, we took the opportunity to take a picture with Walter the colossal bunny, who was at his usual perch on SAM’s front lawn at this time of the year, before walking over to the extension.

C&G with Walter

At the entrance, the first group of artwork to greet us was LANDscape in the Box by NUS architecture students. We spent a few minutes here in front of C’s favourite box (because it had rainbow coloured strips of acrylic).

C with her favourite box

Also on the same level was The Enchanted Garden City by Sandra Lee. It was easy to see why it was the kids’ favourite room – the whole room was painted in bright colours, with a rainbow bridge right at the centre of the room. On the walls, there were scenes from traditional fairy tales, with an asian twist. 

Recognise these scenes from famous fairy tales?

C and G were kept busy colouring, running around and across the rainbow bridge. There was a magic mirror that projected the completed drawings – C was thrilled to see her drawing on the wall!

The magic mirror projecting C’s drawing

G at work

C at the rainbow bridge

The next room we went to was Around the Day in Eighty Worlds, a kaleidoscopic display in a room of black and white murals. A cat, rabbits, broken chairs, broken doors – can you guess a popular children’s tale? The interactive displays included a spinning wheel, a paper puppet, flying birds and even a hoop game. G was running about, examining the patterns and trying his hands on anything could be moved.

Around the day in eighty worlds

For slightly older kids like C, there was also a spider hunt game (which involved a keen eye to spot black and white spiders hidden in the room), and kaleidoscope-making.

C getting busy

My favourite exhibit had to be Stellar Cave II by Julien Salaud. C and G were mesmerized by the effect of white thread in black light.

My favourite display

C got to try making her very own string art in a little room just past the exhibit. She really focused on the activity, and I could see that she was proud of her results!

Focused on her string art

The Incredibly Magical Expanding Room came next, where the colourful patterns on the wall responded to voices projected into the microphone. Fun technology for the kids! C and G had a blast here, because it allowed them to shout at the top of their voices. G didn’t want to leave the room!

C at the mic

Next up we visited Les rêves engloutis – Glossy Dreams in Depths by Stéphane Blanquet. I could see why this was not a popular choice with the kids from other reviews. There was a swiveling bed that brought you from reality to the deepest fears. The contrast from cheerful and brightly coloured to dark and creepy gave me the shivers. We had 3D glasses on to view the drawings, and there were holographic images featuring scary-looking creatures. C was rather skeptical of the swiveling bed because she was afraid that she wouldn’t return after that, but surprisingly didn’t show any fear of the drawings (obviously her fears did not look anything like the displays). G didn’t show any fear, I think he was more interested in the glasses. There was also a mask making activity which both kids enjoyed.

Les rêves engloutis – Glossy Dreams in Depths

Last but not least, there was LOVE . REVOLVE THE WORLD by Sun Yu-li, a collaborative effort by the artist and 750 students. Created out of hundreds of panels of art, it represents the connections that exist in the universe and the random nature of everything around us. According to information panels, even preschoolers were involved in this installation (C was really inspired after I told her that)

LOVE . REVOLVE THE WORLD

We spent a total of three hours going through the different exhibits. As it was the weekend, it was rather crowded, especially at the popular exhibits. Both C and G enjoyed themselves. I think I’ll be back again with C to go through the installations in more detail before the exhibition ends in September 🙂

Art Garden is on from 17 May till 1 September 2013
SAM at 8Q 8 Queen Street Singapore 188535
http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg
Opening hours: Daily from 10am to 7pm (last admission at 6.15pm) Till 9pm on Fridays
Entrance is free for Singapore citizens (please bring your NRIC), PRs and visitors aged 6 and below.

Which exhibit did you like best?