Tag Archives: Science Centre

Non-stop Fun at KidsStop!

Near the end of the June school holidays, I took the two older ones to KidsSTOP at Science Centre and they had so much fun that I had to drag them kicking and screaming from the place after our 3-hour session there. We didn’t even managed to explore the entire area because the kids had no socks and weren’t able to play in some parts.

There’s so much to do there that I’m not even going to attempt to write about the different activity areas and will just have a whole bunch of pictures to show what we did that day.

flying a plane

flying a plane

co-pilot too busy posing

co-pilot too busy posing

learning about wind energy

learning about wind energy

so excited to see their creations take flight in the wind tube

so excited to see their creations take flight in the wind tube

designing new constellations

designing new constellations

digging up dinosaurs

digging up dinosaurs

grocery shopping

grocery shopping

learning about food

learning about food

checking out purchases

checking out purchases

listening

listening

kidney transplant

kidney transplant

giving baby a check-up

giving baby a check-up

brushing teeth

brushing teeth

going nowhere

going nowhere

singing karaoke

singing karaoke

doubling up as cameraman

doubling up as cameraman

magnet fun

magnet fun

harassing virtual fish

harassing virtual fish

construction worker

construction worker

operating heavy machinery

operating heavy machinery

puppet show in the activity room

puppet show in the activity room

learning about gears

learning about gears

waiting to catch some balls

waiting to catch some balls

here they come!

here they come!

I really like the fact that they limit entry to 300 people at any time so it doesn’t feel overcrowded and you don’t have to wait ages for any particular activity. They also have a lot of facilitators around the place to give instructions and to put stuff back so that other children can play and they ensure that the place isn’t in a crazy mess.

I’m looking forward to going back with the kids again! Check out their FAQs for more information before you head down.

KidsSTOP, Science Centre Singapore
21 Jurong Town Hall Rd
Singapore 609433

Human Body Experience at Science Centre

Sometime during the school holidays, I wanted to take Anya to Kids Stop at Science Centre but the 12pm session was sold out for that day so we ended up at the Human Body Experience. I thought she would enjoy it since she really likes fiddling around with the Human Body app we have on the iPad and loves watching episodes of Once Upon A Time… Life. I was wrong.

She didn’t like the darkness inside and the glowing lights. She didn’t like crawling in through the mouth and didn’t like the lungs pressing down on her. And she especially didn’t like squeezing through the various sections of the intestines and emerging from the butt. She actually burst into tears when we were near the end! I thought the Human Body Experience was interesting enough, and I know of kids both older and younger than Anya who enjoyed it tremendously so I guess it just wasn’t her thing.

still looking okay

still looking okay

in the throat

in the throat

the lungs

the lungs

starting to get upset

starting to get upset

lub dub lub dub

lub dub lub dub

contemplating the brain

contemplating the brain

didn't like this bit very much either

didn’t like this bit very much either

she hated this bit!

she hated this bit!

Science Street Fair 2013

Science Centre is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a 4-day open house and street carnival. There are still 2 days left so you can make your way down to the Science Centre between 9.30am and 7pm on Sunday, 10 November, and Monday, 11 November. There is free entry to the Science Centre, a street fair and many fun activities.

We took the kids to Science Centre last night but spent some time at Titans of the Past because it was Adam’s first time there. We also managed catch the fire tornado before making our way to the Eco Lab.

at Titans of the Past

at Titans of the Past

awesome fire tornado

awesome fire tornado

I was told that the retro video games and other activities at GEEK Singapore were really fun so we set out to find the Eco Lab. I must confess that it wasn’t easy to find because it’s not clear on the map that the lab is not in the main building and has to be accessed by leaving the building through the back. We walked round and round before finding it! I was also very frustrated because some of the Science Street Fair volunteers gave us incorrect directions. We got to the lab only to realise we needed coupons to get in and I was ready to collapse by then!

ping pong game

ping pong game

making music with fruits

making music with fruits

playing Waste Land

playing Waste Land

an arcade game with fruits as the controllers!

an arcade game with fruits as the controllers!

giant Game Boy units for Tetris

giant Game Boy units for Tetris

punch the custard

punch the custard

The GEEK Singapore games were really fun so I cooled down considerably after taking out my frustration by punching some custard. The kids liked the games and the adults had fun too! By the time we were done there, the street carnival was winding down for the day so we only managed to play one or two games outside to use up our coupons.

busy eating popcorn

busy eating popcorn

drawing with a pendulum

drawing with a pendulum

playing golf

playing golf

shooting targets

shooting targets

If you don’t get lost and if you plan your time properly, there are many more interesting activities to check out. Find out more about a DNA Extraction workshop you can take part in and about the Inflatable Planetarium and Tesla Coil Chainmail Demostration. We definitely have to make another trip back to the Science Centre because the kids were so keen to look at the regular exhibits but I was rushing them all over the place!

RAWR! Titans of the Past at the Science Centre

I know lots of kids (mainly boys) who LOVE dinosaurs and the new Titans of the Past – Dinosaurs & Ice Age Mammals exhibition at the Science Centre will totally knock their socks off!

Titans of the Past

Titans of the Past

We attended a preview of the exhibition last Thursday and there were lots of fun activities for the kids. From balloon sculpting to body painting and airbrush tattoos, there was so much to entertain the kids even before we even entered the exhibition!

whispering in N's ear

whispering in N’s ear

with their dinosaur balloon sculptures

with their dinosaur balloon sculptures

dinosaur origami

dinosaur origami

getting a rainbow dino on her arm

getting a rainbow dino on her arm

so cute!

so cute!

The 3,000 square metres exhibition features two international travelling dinosaur exhibitions from The Museum of the Rockies (MOR), USA Montana and Aurea Exhibitions, Argentina. The exhibition from MOR was developed by world renowned paleontologist Dr Jack Horner (technical advisor for the Jurassic Park movies!). There are real fossils (including the largest T-Rex skull ever found), replicas and state-of-the art animatronics.

checking out the development of the Triceratops skull

checking out the development of the Triceratops skull

learning why dinosaurs sounded different at different stages of life

learning why dinosaurs sounded different at different stages of life

this dinosaur was pregnant when it died!

this dinosaur was pregnant when it died!

very impressive T-Rex skull

very impressive T-Rex skull

Anya was frightened of this T-Rex

Anya was frightened of this T-Rex

little dino experts at work

little dino experts at work

fossilised poo!

fossilised poo!

making little dino hats

making little dino hats

ta-daa!

ta-daa!

touching fossils

touching fossils

Ice Age animals

Ice Age animals

Titans of the Past is an impressive exhibition that’s worth visiting. Anya is not particularly interested in dinosaurs but she really enjoyed the exhibition so I’m planning a return visit with Adam!. We have been watching Ice Age at home so he’ll really appreciate seeing the animals at their actual size!

The Titans of the Past exhibition runs till 23 February 2014 at the Science Centre Annexe from 10am to 6pm. Inclusive of admission to the Science Centre, it’s $25 for Adults and $19 for Children (3-12 years old). Plan to spend at least 2 hours there!

do not feed the Anyasaurus!

do not feed the Anyasaurus!

Sweet Tales at the Science Centre

Anya took part in a fun little Sweet Tales Candy Pop-pets studio session in the Candy Unwrapped exhibition at the Science Centre on Sunday.

Sweet Tales is a series of arts workshops by Playeum inspired by children’s literature and sweets. The target audience is children aged 12 and under and there are different programmes for different age groups.

Sweet Tales

The friendly play crew introduced the kids to different types of yummy puppets. These puppets are all inspired by candy and other sweet things so there was a gingerbread man and an ice-cream cone too.

gingerbread man saying hello

captive audience

The kids were then free to make any kind of puppet they wanted from the materials available before putting up a little puppet show.

Anya initially wanted to make an ice-cream puppet but somewhere along the way, she decided to create a butterfly and a grasshopper instead.

lots to work with

more craft materials

kids at work

fixing antennae on her grasshopper

performing with her butterfly puppet

I love how the Candy Pop-pets studio session was very hands-on and child-centric. The kids were encouraged to be self-directed and to let their imagination run free while the play crew merely facilitated.

We have been attending events by Playeum since May 2010, even before Anya could walk! She’s always enjoyed these events so I’m very excited about the Sweet Tales drop-in studio sessions and workshops that Playeum is conducting at the Science Centre from August to October.

Read about Anya and Playeum at the Old Ford Factory, Bukit Chandu and Parkway Parade.

At The Science Centre: WaterWorks

We spent a considerable length of time at the WaterWorks wet play area while we were at the Science Centre. I like that the various exhibits are a manageable size for young children and that they can learn about the use of water while playing! The WaterWorks exhibition is somewhat rundown and can do with some upgrading, especially the flooring which is worn out in certain parts and slippery. The three of them had a lot of fun there though and it was hard to pry them away!

pumping water

one of the giant dryers

throwing little balls into a whirlpool

enjoying a spray of water

running through the water maze

learning about how water moves

fun with a ladle

at the water saver exhibit

the brothers have a go

water clock in the background

doing the dishes

At The Science Centre

After the PTM on Friday, I brought Anya to the Science Centre and we met up with Selena and her kids there. It was Anya’s first time there and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last time because we only managed to cover a small bit despite being there for about 4 hours!

We started at the Optical Illusions section and Anya had great fun seeing her head on a plate. Then we watched the Tesla Coil demonstration and she was amazed by the sight of balloons bursting into flames after being zapped.

We had a bite at McDonald’s then spent some time at the area outdoors and in the gift shop before going to WaterWorks to play. After getting the kids good and tired, we went to see the fire tornado show and then made our way home!

greeted by a dinosaur

thinking out of the box

looking up to see herself “inside” the box

fascinated by the spinning zoetrope

what’s for lunch??

making noise

spinning the wheel

mesmerised by this Gravitram for a long time

hot air balloon that actually floats up!

staring at the fire tornado

quite an impressive sight!