From art to park: Where to bring your kids to learn and play this weekend

SINGAPORE — This weekend, parents all over Singapore are probably asking: Where can one go to dump — erm, we mean, bring — the children?

Singapore is never short of weekend activities but if you want something that’s child-friendly, entertaining and informative at the same time, you might want to pay a visit to the beautiful National Gallery Singapore (NGS), which has a new Family Weekend programme every second weekend of the month, starting today.

The NGS has lined up a series of events throughout the building to get kids excited about art. Already, the Gallery’s Keppel Centre for Arts Education for children has already seen an enthusiastic response (since the Gallery opened in November, more than 150,000 people have visited this space).

“We have observed families coming to the Keppel Centre to take part in a range of drop-in activities and art workshops, and it is always a delight to see young children having fun exploring our Art Playscape,” said Suenne Megan Tan, director of Education & Programmes at NGS.

There are now even more activities to both entertain and educate. This first instalment of the Family Weekend programme includes sessions such as Stories In Art, a drama and movement session by trained storytellers and facilitators for kids aged four and above to encourage their imagination. There’s also Art Explorers for families who are guided to learn more about art works together; Sketch Sundays, where participants get to be inspired in galleries before sketching their own work of art; and Drop-In Craft, a session for parents and kids to interact in a creative way by making art together.

The Gallery’s educators worked with four artists from different disciplines — Twardzik Ching Chor Leng, Sandra Lee, Tan Wee Lit and Milenko Prvacki — to design the programme.

Most of these artists are also art educators, whose practice already involves working with young audiences, said Tan. For instance, Lee’s whimsical drawings are very much inspired by fairytales and nursery rhymes of her childhood; while Tan Wee Lit is a faculty head at School of the Arts.

For Tan, the motivation for the Gallery’s Family Weekend programme is to “encourage more children to use their imagination, think critically, solve problems creatively, innovate, collaborate and communicate” as these are important skills to cultivate in the younger generation.

In addition, she hopes these activities would make art more accessible to them.

PARKS AND RECREATION

Meanwhile, HortPark’s Gardener Day Out, which is also taking place today, offers a couple of activities that are meant to engage and entertain children. There are talks and demonstrations on these two topics: Planting A Butterfly Garden and Nurturing Students To Grow Their Own Edibles.

And looking ahead, let’s not forget the mothership of learning fun, which is opening its doors next week on April 12.

KidZania Singapore at Palawan Beach Sentosa will be welcoming children eager to experience the role-playing edutainment sensation that started in Mexico in 1999 and is now found in 20 locations.

At KidZania, children get to do activities or hold “jobs” where they get paid in Kidzos, the KidZania currency. They can then use this to buy food, pay for certain activities or buy items from the various outlets. Alternatively, they can save it and watch it accumulate in the KidZania bank, which they can withdraw to use the next time they visit.

By allowing kids to experience life in a kid-sized “real” city, KidZania says it “provides an authentic and powerful developmental experience, preparing kids to understand and manage their world”.

Added Xavier Lopez Ancona, president and chief executive officer of KidZania: “The concept of role-playing is a universal favourite and one that has been enjoyed by kids for many generations. What KidZania has done is to inject unparalleled realism into this concept and complement curriculum-based learning in schools with a fun out-of-classroom learning environment that teaches important life skills.”

Ancona also feels this is a field that is going to get bigger as there’s a growing interest in experiential-based learning. “Educators, families and tourists alike are seeking an experience that balances the importance of learning with fun,” he said.

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NATIONAL GALLERY SINGAPORE

1. Stories in Art. For children five years old and above. Held every second Saturday and Sunday of the month, from 3.30pm to 4pm. Not ticketed on April 9 and 10. By registration at Keppel Centre for Art Education.

2. Art Explorers. For children five years old and above. Held every second Saturday and Sunday of the month, 11am to 11.30am and 1.30pm to 2pm. Not ticketed on April 9 and 10. By registration at Keppel Centre for Art Education.

3. Sketch Sundays. For children five years old and above. April 10, 3pm to 4.30pm, at the permanent galleries. Tickets at S$20 from SISTIC or at the museum.

4. Drop-in Craft. For children four years old and above. Held every second Saturday and Sunday of the month, 11am to 6pm, at the Keppel Centre for Art Education.

National Gallery Singapore is located at 1 St Andrew’s Road. For more details, visit http://www.nationalgallery.sg/

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HORT PARK

1. Planting A Butterfly Garden. April 9, 10.30am to 11.30am, at the multi-purpose hall.

2. Nurturing Students to Grow their Own Edibles. April 9, 10.30am to 11.30am, at the Fruit Room.

Hort Park is located at 33 Hyderabad Road, off Alexandra Road. For more information, call 6471 5601.

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KIDZANIA SINGAPORE

KidZania Singapore, which opens on April 12, is located at Palawan Kidz City. 31 Beach View #01-01/02, in Sentosa Island. Opening hours are from 10am to 5pm (Sunday to Thursday) or 8pm (Friday, Saturday, public and school holidays). Those taking the Sentosa Express should alight at the Beach Station, while those taking taxies should alight at the Beach Station Taxi Stand. Nearest car park is the Beach Car Park. Tickets for children aged 4 to 17 years old are at S$58 (walk-in) and S$55.10 (online) while adults aged 18 to 59 years old are at S$35 (walk-in) and S$33.25 (online). There are different prices for toddlers and seniors, too, while infants under the age of 2 get to go in for free. For more details, visit https://www.kidzania.com.sg