Ultimate Family Playdates this September School Holiday
 

 
Whichever type of family you are — outdoorsy, history-loving, or animal-loving — there’s something for everyone.
 
Have you ever dreamt of being a wildlife explorer, archaeologist, historian or even to live on a farm when you were little? This September school holiday, inspire your child to dream by widening their imagination and exposing them to meaningful, eye-opening experiences. 
 
Embolden them to discover the world around them with unique and reinvigorating activities such as skipping across the Arctic sea, examining real dinosaur bones and artefacts, or learning how to plant rice. There’s no better way to learn and play during this school holiday break, than with enriching and interactive educational experiences for the whole family! 
 

Explore the natural world
 



Grab your binoculars and step into the world’s first immersive wildlife exploration exhibition
at the Science Centre Singapore! 
 
Ready for the world’s first immersive exhibition in wildlife exploration? Opening for a limited time at the Science Centre Singapore from 4 to 13 September, this travelling exhibition called, “Living Worlds: An Animal Planet Experience” gives visitors an exciting and rare opportunity to discover the natural world like never before.
 
Designed just like a digital playground, your kid can revel in the exhibition’s series of interactive multimedia experiences such as meeting rainforest critters, walking across a challenging Canopy Walk, “swimming” in the “underwater” Dome Projection, hopping on ice-caps in the Arctic Zone, learning how to create corals and more! At the end of the day, they can get hands-on with origami workshops, sending e-postcards, as well as take part in contests for a chance to win cool prizes. 
 
Families will walk away with a better understanding about the relationship between animals and the environment, develop a passion for nature, as well as foster an environmentally conscious mind. Do take advantage of your visit, by checking out Singapore’s first and only indoor butterfly enclosure at the “Butterflies Up-Close” exhibition. Inspire “ooohs” of curiosity in your little one, as they experience real butterflies dancing around them in a vivarium, which houses over 500 butterflies that fly freely within the enclosure.
 

Journey to the beginning of life 
 


Meet the largest dinosaurs to have ever walked the Earth at the Lee Kong Chian 
Natural History Museum.
 
Can you imagine a world where dinosaurs roamed? Unearth stories about the prehistoric creatures that once ruled the Earth, with a jaw-dropping experience at the Lee Kong Chian National Natural History Museum! Explore over 2,000 natural history specimens on display, and delve into the fascinating origins of Southeast Asia’s flora and fauna.
 
Start your journey at the Biodiversity Gallery, where you’ll be transported to the beginning of life on Earth. Here, your child will discover how Earth’s simplest life forms evolved into over 8.7 million recorded species of life today! Embark on an adventure with your kid to spot as many colours, shapes, and types of flora and fauna as possible throughout the museum — observe how specimens grow more and more sophisticated in evolutionary design as you move through the gallery’s 15 different sections. 
 
The most exciting part of your archaeological hunt will be at the realm of dinosaurs. Examine the rare diplodocid sauropod fossils, belonging to the largest and heaviest animals to ever walk on land. The towering skeletons are over 80 per cent complete, with skulls included — an amazing sight to behold! There’s also the museum’s well-known Singapore Sperm Whale exhibit, which showcases a 10.6 metre female sperm whale skeleton. In fact, this whale’s carcass was found on Jurong island, the only whale ever found on Singapore shores! 
 
Before you leave, drop by the museum’s newest exhibition, “200: A Natural History”. It presents a total of 200 significant natural history events from Singapore’s past, each shaping the island’s natural heritage in unique ways. These quirky and intriguing stories star animals, plants, geography, events and even people — deepening your understanding of how nature, our evolution, geography, culture, and history are entwined. 
 
Be warned, this fascinating trip to the museum might spark a passion for dinosaurs in your kids. Fuel this new-found love by creating your own dinosaur shadow puppet show at home. Follow these instructions to make your own simple dinosaur puppets, as well as homemade theatre screen. Find some of the materials you need such as cardboard, paper, shower curtains and yarn at Daiso, located at Changi City Point, Eastpoint Mall and Waterway Point.
 

Discover what home means
 

 
Peer into the vibrant memories of our ancestors, and discover what it means to be a Singaporean at the National Museum of Singapore.
 
If you ask yourself and your kids what it means to be a Singaporean, what would the answers be? How does our country’s history shape our personalities, the way we live today, and our future? These questions will be answered with a trip to the National Museum of Singapore. Although a place we don’t usually think of visiting on weekends, this could very well be an enlightening journey of self-discovery for the whole family!
 
For the adults, this could bring back memories and nostalgia, while the younger generation will gain insight into how their parents, grandparents and ancestors grew up! Start your journey at “Modern Colony”, and step into an immersive 1920s black-and-white bungalow to experience the glamourous and not-so-glamorous times of Singapore, as a British Crown colony. Fascinate your kids with the stories of arriving female immigrants from China, and how they began making their mark on society. On display are personal artefacts like cheongsams, shoes and other personal trinkets that reveal more of their story.
 
Next, head into “Surviving Syonan”. Hold your child close, as this gallery reveals the stories of survivors during the Japanese occupation in the 1940s. If you’re thinking of skipping this chapter, think again. Though this period was filled with fear, desperation and uncertainty, you will start to understand that it was hope, courage, tenacity, resourcefulness and resilience that helped them survive. For your children, it is a chance to learn how to overcome life’s obstacles and challenges from our ancestors.
 
If you’re planning to spend the holidays indoors, visit the museum’s latest online exhibition “@Home, Truly: A Digital Experience” from your living room. Together with your kid, explore the memories that bind us as Singaporeans through a relatable conversation between a nine-year-old girl, Nadine, and her grandfather. Watch as they relive memories of growing up during the 50s to the present. 
 
This experience is not complete without an engaging intergenerational activity to bring the family together. Start by printing out this conversational kit, and help your child uncover more stories from their grandparents, uncles and aunties! This kit provides instructions, questions, and cues to help young ones connect with extended family members, as well as find incredible heritage stories.
 

Cultivate a green mind
 


Get hands-on with rice and herb planting at Bollywood Veggies!
 
For an experience that will cultivate a new appreciation for Mother Earth in you and your child, head to Bollywood Veggies! Started in 2000, this tranquil and quirky 10-acre educational paradise specialises in growing organic vegetables with zero chemicals, fertilisers, pesticides, and growth hormones. They even have a bistro that serves wholesome dishes, made with vegetables from the farm. Located in the Kranji countryside, coming out here will feel like the perfect family weekend getaway.
 
Bollywood Veggies is designed to give Singaporeans the opportunity to learn about traditional farming, and teach younger generations how to appreciate nature. You and your budding agriculturist, will learn about plants through fun experiences such as tours, cooking classes and gardening workshops. 
 
If your kid needs some healthy outdoor play and sunshine, sign up for paddy planting. This activity is all about getting your hands dirty and engaging in actual rice planting in a field, plus learning a thing or two about rice. The whole family can even take part in their guided farm tour, where you can touch, smell and taste an array of herbs, vegetables, fruits, and medicinal plants. End the day by learning how to grow and care for herbs in the “Pot a Plant” activity or terrarium-making workshop. Since each activity ranges from 30 to 45 minutes, parents may also opt to relax in the bistro with delicious farm-fresh dishes! Find out more about these activities here
 
While you’re at the farm, purchase some seeds or baby plants so your kid can set up their very own herb garden at home! Follow this guide on how to set up a high-rise herb garden, and purchase gardening tools from MR D.I.Y located at Anchorpoint or Selffix DIY located at The Centrepoint
 
We hope you’re ready to embark on some unforgettable school holiday adventures with your little one! With activities that fuel their imagination, and encourage active play and discovery, these meaningful experiences will keep you and your child’s mind and body active. Whether it’s dinosaurs, nature or history, there’s so much to explore with the family this September school holiday.
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