An Afternoon at the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden

Last Sunday, our family of four spent an afternoon at the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden to celebrate its 5th birthday. My children love the garden, and the good news is, proceeds from the carnival cum birthday celebration will be used to fund the extension of the garden, to help our kids to better connect with nature through play!

Lots of yummy food, games and entertainment for the kids...

Well, it's certainly an afternoon well spent for us. We look forward to another event, and the new Jacob Ballas Children's Garden Extension! 

Jacob Ballas Children's Garden - Anniversary Carnival

The well-loved Jacob Ballas Children's Garden is turning 5! It is celebrating her 5th Anniversary with a fundraising carnival on 18 November.

Join a fun-filled day of games, food and entertainment in the beautiful setting of the Children’s Garden. There will be arcade games, a bouncy castle, balloon sculpting, magic shows as well as performances by ToyBox. The kids can also join Garden Stomp, a garden-themed walkathon for children aged 4 to 12 years old.

Be indulged in sumptuous delights from Four Seasons Hotel, Hard Rock Café, Salad Stop, Casa Verda, Brownie Factory and Ramly Burger throughout the Carnival.

Coupons will be on sale at the Singapore Botanic Gardens - Garden Shop, the Library Shop and the Visitor Centre of Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden until 18 November 2012.

So, mark your calendar and see you there!

Fun Times @ Palawan Beach

Date: 28 May – 26 June 2011
Time: 10am - 5pm
Venue: Palawan Beach, Sentosa

Sandy Good Times
Time: 10am – 5pm, every Fri & Sat

You don’t need to be a pro to own a masterpiece. At Sandy Good Times, you will work with professional sand sculptors and learn basic sand sculpting skills.

Boogie with Captain Palawan
Time: 11:30am, 3pm & 5pm, every Tues - Sun

Come and learn the Palawan Boogie dance steps at Palawan Beach with Captain Palawan. You might boogie your way to fantastic prizes!

Interactive Kids Workshops

Date: 28 May – 26 June 2011, daily
Venue: Images of Singapore Forecourt, Imbiah Lookout
Admission $8 per activity
Islander members enjoy 50% off.
FREE* for PLAY pass holders.
*Terms & conditions apply

Get creative with cookies baking, kids’ apron and sock puppet-making workshops!

Storytelling Comes Alive!

Date: 28 May – 26 June 2011, every Wed – Sun
Time: 11.30am, 2.30pm & 5pm
Venue: Images of Singapore Forecourt, Imbiah Lookout
*Free Admission
*Prevailing island admission and car park charges apply.

Experience some ‘Tasty Tales’ this school holidays at award-winning interactive storytelling sessions featuring your favourite stories.

2011 Children's Season

Have you checked out the 2011 Children's Season held at various museums? We have been to quite a number of them so far, and still plan to go to the rest :-)

Organised by the National Heritage Board and Museum Roundtable, 2011 Children’s Season will be held from 14 May to 31 July 2011.

My kids have a ball of a time there; I believe yours will too. My kids learn so much about so many things and have fun at the same time.

If you can, go over during the weekdays, since it can be very crowded during the weekends (depending on where and what time you go). However, many activities for kids are usually planned during the weekends. Most of the activities are free, but we have to pay a small token for the rest. So, do check out the website before you go.

Have fun and see you there!

The PlayDome - Kaleidoscope of Dreams

A National Museum Initiative for Children’s Season 2011, Co-curated with Playeum, The Play Museum

Date: Saturday, 14 May – Sunday, 26 Jun 2011
Venue: National Museum of Singapore

A new creative platform by the museum for children ages 3 and above, The PlayDome invites children to express their unique voices through meaningful and fun play activities based on their visual inspirations and experiences drawn from the galleries and objects found in the museum.

For its inaugural year, The PlayDome is delighted to partner Playeum®, The Play Museum, to create this wonderful child-centred museum experience at Level 3. This exploratory space consists of dedicated zones, where children get to play with props, materials and get really hands-on in creating original art works inspired by the collection in the museum’s Living Galleries and its iconic Dome.

Presenting over 10 original works and installations from artists and creative professionals in Singapore and internationally, The PlayDome combines a mix of active and reflective engagement charged with imagination, making it a memorable museum experience for children and families!

Children's Season: Art Garden @ Singapore Art Museum

Date: 3 June to 30 August 2011
Venue: Singapore Art Museum

The well loved Art Garden returns to the Singapore Art Museum with a selection of artworks chosen for their imagination and interactivity. Say hello to Walter, the curious colossal bunny. Catch the Dancing Solar Flowers installation and discover how light makes the flowers dance. Step into the fantastic blue universe of Paramodelic Graffiti, dress up life sized hand painted dolls in Mummy Dearest, shop at our lively Fruits market and create your own 3D paper fruit and when you need a rest, watch fun animations from all over the world. Don’t miss these works and more -spend a day of play and learning at Art Garden at SAM.

A programme to introduce contemporary art to young visitors in an engaging, supportive and fun family environment, works on display at Art Garden will be complemented by art work labels and activity sheets to facilitate visitor engagement.

2011 Museum's Open House Days

International Museum Day: 29 May
National Day: 9 August
Hari Raya Puasa: 30 August
Deepavali: 26 October
Christmas Day: 25 December

*Unless otherwise stated, Open House Days involve all NHB museums.

List of NHB Museums

Asian Civilisations Museum
Memories at Old Ford Factory
National Museum of Singapore
Peranakan Museum
Reflections at Bukit Chandu
Singapore Art Museum
Singapore Philatelic Museum

Family Sports Day

Learn a new sport as a family, and who knows, you may develop a new hobby for the family!

Date: Sunday, 26 June 2011
Time: 2pm - 6pm
Venue: Bishan Active Park (Bishan Street 23)

Pre register now for any Sporting Clinic for FREE via SMS to 9642 2902 in this format < Name of Sport >, < Your Name >,
< Age >, < Contact Number > and < Email Address > or email info@nfc.sg or call 6777 1672 for more information.

Participate in the activities and stand a chance to win attractive prizes like Jetstar vouchers and LCD TVs!
Lucky Draw @ 4pm
- 3 sets of $100 Chiharu Dining Vouchers
- 3 sets of Jetstar Vouchers, each worth $400.00
Grand Draw @ 6.15pm
1st Prize: Jetstar Vouchers worth $1,900.00
2nd Prize: iPad
3rd Prize: LCD TV
Special performance by Hong Junyang at 6pm!

Family Day Out Carnival

Date: Saturday, 25 June 2011
Time: 9am to 6pm
Venue: Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade (outside Marina Bay Sands)

The Carnival will feature exciting activities suitable for everyone, young and old. Families can look forward to taking part in bonding activities and winning attractive lucky draw prizes!

Free admission.

Gardeners' Day Out

Date: Saturday and Sunday, 11-12 June 2011
Time: 9am - 6pm
Venue: Hort Park

Meet avid gardeners and learn more about gardening with your family! Also don’t miss the great bargains and interesting plant offers at the Gardening Bazaar, which includes:
Family activities and workshops
Garden tours
Picnics and bouncy castles
Demonstrations
Story telling sessions
Gardening bazaar

Free admission

RSAF Open House

Date: Saturday and Sunday, 28-29 May 2011
Time: 9.30am - 7pm (Saturday), 8.30am - 7pm (Sunday)
Venue: Paya Lebar Air Base

Don't miss this year's RSAF Open House with the exciting line-up of aerial performances, aircraft rides and carnival games for your family! Have fun as a family and you might win prizes as a bonus :-)

Free admission.

Singapore Biennale 2011

Don't miss this year's Singapore Biennale! Free admission every Sunday and public holidays in April and May! Bring over your kids for free art tour and activities. Go check out the Merlion Hotel!

This year's Biennale will end soon on 15 May. I must say that there is no reason to not go. Ever since the opening of circle line, it is becoming very easy to go to the venues: Singapore Art Museum and SAM at 8Q, National Museum of Singapore, Old Kallang Airport and Marina Bay. The website has all the information that we need. There is even a free shuttle bus service linking all the venues!

Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day

This April 12th, join Ben & Jerry's for the Free Cone Day and donate some change to help dyslexic kids recognize their favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor. All proceeds will go to the Dyslexia Association of Singapore, a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping dyslexic kids overcome their learning difficulty and achieve more in life. Grab your free cone on April 12th, 2011 at these places: Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops at VivoCity, United Square, Great World City, The Cathay, Heeren, Raffles City, Dempsey, Zoo, Bird Park & Sentosa.

MOE ExCEL Fest 2011

Date: Friday, 1 April 2011 (for MOE staff) and Saturday, 2 April 2011 (open to the public)
Time: 10am to 6pm
Venue: Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Levels 2 and 3
FREE ADMISSION

MOE ExCEL Fest is an annual event that celebrates and shares exciting and innovative practices in schools. It is also a platform for parents and members of the public to find out more about the latest developments in our education landscape.

Visit this event to gain a first-hand view of the innovation and diversity in our education landscape!

Registration for Seminars and Sharing Sessions is now open! Limited seats are available. Don't wait, register now!

Sentosa Flowers - Spring Wonderland

Sentosa Flowers is back! The event showcases the wonders of creation with thousands of tropical and spring flowers in a myriad of species presented in a natural outdoor setting.

Date: 3-13 February 2011
Time: 10am - 10pm
Venue: Sentosa Boardwalk, Merlion Plaza, Imbiah Lookout, Resorts World Sentosa
* Free admission to the event, admission charges to Sentosa apply

Sentosa Boardwalk Opening Celebration

Date: Saturday, 29 January 2011
Time: 5.30pm
Venue: Sentosa Boardwalk

Free island admission via Sentosa Boardwalk on 29 January (from 5.30pm) and 30 January (whole day).

The Sentosa Boardwalk, featuring canopy-covered travellators, F&B and retail will let you take leisurely strolls to Sentosa!

Mark your calendar and join an evening of fun on Saturday, 29 January, with a special parade, pyrotechnics, lots of activities and giveaways.

Christmas Shows 2010

You can find a list of Christmas Shows to entertain your little ones here.

Thanks to the family who compiled the list. Though I'm not really into such shows, it is a nice list to keep if our kids happen to like the characters and we happen to be around one of the areas on that day!

Parenthood Fair 2010

Venue: Singapore Expo Hall 4A
Date : 26 – 28 Nov 2010
Time : 10.30AM – 9.00PM

Here is something for mothers with young kids who are looking for good bargains, while letting the kids enter a contest or just playing around and enjoying the rides... Have fun!