More exhibits. More varieties. More venues… all for kids and families as the annual Children’s Season Singapore returns for its 10^th edition this year!

In fact, this year’s edition goes beyond museums, heritage and culture, to include interests such as music, performing arts and nature. With a wider range of programmes, exhibitions and interactive activities for children of all ages, this year’s Children’s Season makes Singapore truly the place for children and families to create special memories together! Check out over 120 programmes at 30 participating museums and partners island wide.

Watch the video highlights from our recent visit to Children’s Season Singapore 2017.

Here we share 5 reasons why you really should catch this year’s Children’s Season Singapore and 5 tips to maximize your visit: 

5 reasons you should NOT miss this year’s Children’s Season Singapore:

1) Happy 10^th Birthday! – Yes, it’s the 10^th edition and there’s a whole long list of interesting and varied activities to celebrate with…and we are ALL invited!

2) Age-specific Activities: Categorized into three distinct age groups; 3 to 6 years, 7 to 9 years, and 10 to 12 years. This will allow families to plan their visits more easily, and provide a more tailored experience for children at different stages of development.

3) New Places to Discover! : Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Wildlife Reserves Singapore and Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI) are joining the long list of partners this year. So you can be sure of a wide range of very interesting and memorable experience! Best of all, most of them are FREE!

Please refer to www.museums.com.sg/cs17 for a full list of programmes, venues and registration details

4) Passport and Prizes: Children and their families are encouraged to explore all that Children’s Season Singapore 2017 has to offer by collecting stamps in their Children’s Season Singapore passports across the various participating venues. Those who visit at least three of the Children’s Season Singapore stops get to participate in a lucky draw, and stand a chance to win exciting prizes! Limited quantities of the passports available at participating venues. While stocks last.

5) Sky-high, Grounds-up & Ocean-deep: Stretch your child’s imagination and create unique memories at the Children’s Season, which you won’t want to miss! Example:

• Wildlife Reserves Singapore invites children to fall asleep under the stars to the gentle roar of the lion at the Singapore Zoo or snooze in the depths of the Amazon rainforest at the River Safari.
• Soft Dome by Atelier YokYok (France), an inverted dome that invites young visitors to lie on its soft netting, to admire the beauty of the National Museum’s iconic stained glass dome that it mirrors.
• Go underwater with the Ghost Nets of the Ocean – Au Karem ira Lamar Lu, a marine-themed exhibition created by indigenous and non-indigenous artists from Erub Arts on Darnley Island, Torres Strait, Australia. Colourful woven sculptures of fish, turtles, squid and jellyfish made from abandoned fishing nets and recycled plastics are suspended from above the gallery to recreate an underwater world that inspires awareness about conservation of the marine environment.
• Search for magical creatures among lush trees and flowers in Fort Canning Park, or perhaps go on a quest with Little Red Riding Hood to hunt for clues in the galleries? The Singapore Philatelic Museum beckons all to enter a fantastical realm of fairy tales with a host of hands-on programmes, designed around the A Little Magic exhibition that will relive the magic of stories by Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault through stamps and interactive exhibits.

Check out highlights from our visit to the National Museum, National Gallery and Singapore Tyler Print Institute:

Children’s Season Singapore at the National Museum:

We had some serious hands-on fun at the National Museum. Here are the highlights, which totally took our breath away!

The Soft Dome: Imagine going into an inverted dome-shaped structure that mirrors the Museum’s glass dome…and looking up! Quite surreal yet totally fun for adults and kids alike.

Young Cinema: Enjoy some animated French and local short films with the whole family. A great and interesting intro to the world of film noir…with a dash of fun. It’s free!

The Giant: This is truly larger-than-life fun. While the giant sleeps and snores (you can hear him from many floors up!)…you get a chance to sneak up and draw your little designs ON him! Do it before he awakes! Seriously fun…and it’s free!

GosTan Back: A roving theatre, much like the olden days of mobile theatre-in-a-box, complete with a time-travelling tale of how a young boy saves the future with his wit and courage. It’s highly interactive. Pre-registration and payment are needed.

Our Favorite Places – Bumboat Trail: 

‘Explore’ Singapore’s past with scenes adapted from the book, The Little Singapore Book. Go take a bumboat ride, put up a puppet show for your parents and reminisce about life along the Singapore River back in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Free.

Our Favorite Places – Trolley Bus and Trishaw Trails:

What would you see, touch and smell along the iconic roads of Singapore in the past? Take a tea-cup ride in one of the three ‘worlds’ amusement parks, admire Haw Par Villa – the ‘in place’ to visit back then and take in the smells of the many flowers and plants that were planted in gardens. Kids can even ‘design’ their own heritage trail. Free.

Children’s Season Singapore at the National Gallery:

The Gallery Children’s Biennale 2017: Dreams & Stories runs as part of the Children’s Season Singapore at the National Gallery. There, through a myriad of visual, tactile and even lyrical art pieces, let your children’s imagination take flight. In fact, some of these art pieces are simple yet life-changing. They are all free. Here is what you can expect:

Rock & Sphere: Done by our friend, art lecturer Ian Woo. Here kids get to go hands-on to rearrange large pieces of fruit-like foam structures into any form they wish.

Homogenizing and Transforming World: Walk through a room filled with what seems like homogenous large balls. Tap on them and see what happens! Fun!

The Obliteration Room: Be part of making an art piece. Do your part in pasting colourful stickers on any surface of a completely white room complete with furniture. A fun and totally radical place for some family shots! Free.

Firewalk: A bridge of embers – Dare yourself to walk through a floor of illusions! Mind boggling, dazzling, excellent!

The Sonnet in Blue: This is a moving piece – walk through a wall / cavern filled with flowers that feature poems written by young students from Singapore and Southeast Asia. 

A Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the World, Children’s Edition – this is moving yet disturbing. An exhibition that shows how the influence and intervention of man has changed the natural world around us. Imagine: tusk-less elephants, realistic robotic turtles. A must-visit exhibition.

This changed my life – Pause and write down on a ribbon a significant moment of your life. Then cut and tie the ribbon to the rest. Try it to see why it’s rather moving.

From Rochor to Kallang: Listen to sounds of nature – Singapore style: listen to a range of birds, trapped in cages yet singing beautifully. This exhibit explores and mimics the sounds of nature all around Singapore.

Let your imagination take flight – If you have really young kids (say 2 – 4), this would be perfect for them. Situated on Level 1 of the museum, this exhibit provides many art-inspired spaces and tools for kids to stretch their imagination.

Duplet: An interesting and interactive exhibit that explores child and adult responses from a series of questions asked from the clouds. This is a fun bonding activity for families.

Singapore Tyler Print Institute:

A short drive from downtown is the Singapore Tyler Print Institute. Here, you can enroll your children in some workshops on making papier maché, putty art, as well as making beautiful prints through stencils. Totally hands-on and very engaging. Plus you can bring your own art pieces back home!

Other programmes @ STPI for Children’s Season Singapore:

1. Drypoint Workshop

Date & Time: 9 June | 10.00am – 12.15pm & 2.00pm – 4.15pm

Location: Guest Studio & Gallery

Intaglio printing is a kind of printing where lines are etched onto a surface, before ink is added. Learn how it works, and make your own prints at our Drypoint Workshop! The workshop will come with a guided tour where you will learn more about artworks created by South Korean Artist Kim Beom. You’ll also get to see our very own workshop, learn about how we work with different artists, and find out about print and papermaking.

2. Stencil Screen Print on Totebag Workshop

Date & Time: 2 June & 24 June | Various timings

Location: Guest Studio & Gallery.

So with all these options, how and where should I start??

5 ‘P’s to Maximise Children’s Season Singapore:

• Plan it! : Yes, the whole myriad of wonderful experience stretches from the West to the Central, and even to the North West (Zoo!) of Singapore. Plan them well across the month of June to maximise your visits!  Check out the interactive website: www.museums.com.sg/cs17 for a full list of age-appropriate programmes for your kids.

 

• Participate: Beyond just a vicarious experience, join the hands-on workshops, go sleep under the stars, and take the virtual tours offered by this season’s myriad of activities to fully enjoy the entire festival to the max! 

• Passport and Prizes: Remember to get the Children’s Season Singapore Passport from any of the participating venues and collect the embossed stamps for a chance to win prizes after visiting at least three of the Children’s Season Singapore stops! *The Children’s Season Singapore Passports are available in limited quantities at participating venues. While stocks last.

• Photos, photos, photos: Make sure the batteries are charged! Bring the camera along to capture some really unique memories!
• Pack it: Remember to pack what you will need for a good day out with the kids. Strollers, snacks, water bottles so that you don’t miss a beat at this year’s Children’s Season Singapore!

More Recommendations: Discover Our Heritage This Children’s Season Singapore!

1. Heritage Institutions (Malay Heritage Centre, Indian Heritage Centre, Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.

Heritage Hunts
Date & Time: Various. Check Children’s Season Singapore Website for more information

Heritage Hunt @ MHC – Little Reporters
Kampong Gelam used be a publishing and printing hub in Singapore. Use all your reporting skills as you solve mysteries and get your very own scoop! Once you collect your stories, decide which ones will make the headlines of your very own newspaper!

Heritage Hunt @ IHC – Little Traders
Little India is famous for certain kinds of jobs! Find out more about goldsmiths, textile traders, spice traders, garland makers and tea traders in our exciting Little Traders Heritage Hunt@IHC, as we bring you around our neighbourhood!

Heritage Hunt @ SYSNMH – Little Designers
Take on exciting challenges as “Little Designers” and discover the different meanings behind Chinese motifs of animals, flowers and fruits!

2. Gan Heritage Centre

Guided Tour & Introduction to Family Relationships
Date & Time: 3 Jun | 1.00pm – 2.00pm
Venue: Level 3

Family names are very important, and they can help us learn a lot about what a family is. How much do you know about your own family name, and the different members of your family? Come find out more at this special session! This session will be conducted in English and Mandarin.

“The wee Question Mark and the Adventurer” by The Theatre Practice
Date & Time: 3 June | 2.00pm – 2.50pm
Venue: Level 3

The Theatre Practice presents the musical, “The wee Question Mark and the Adventurer”! Join the wee Question Mark in his nautical adventure to find courage in unchartered waters and discover why we should never stop asking why! It’s a story that stays true to the Confucian core values of bravery. This session will be conducted in Mandarin.

With so many fun and educational activities taking place in the Children’s Season Singapore this year, the school holidays will never have a dull moment. Hop on and have fun!

CHILDREN’S SEASON SINGAPORE 2017

• 27 May 2017 – 25 June 2017
• 10am to 6pm daily
• Free admission to all NHB Museums and Heritage Institutions for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents
• Official Website: http://www.museums.com.sg/cs17 
• Download Programme Booklet here.