We’ve done it again, folks! If it’s on and it’s fun, and it’s happening over the weekend, then we know about it! This week we’ve found family-friendly picks including Bastille Day celebrations in Singapore, a guided tour around Chinatown to discover cool history titbits in the area, plus the chance to be wowed by an amazing production guaranteed to get all the small humans signing up for martial arts classes quicker than you can say Kung Fu! (Psst! If you do need to book classes or activities for the kiddos, then make sure you do it through our fantastic new activity site HoneyKids Go!).
1) Celebrate Bastille Day at a French party
Ooh la-la! Put on your beret, bring your baguette and celebrate Bastille Day (French National Day) at Alliance Française de Singapour. Snacks, drinks, quizzes and gifts will be part of this special occasion, and don’t forget to head to the French themed photo booth to strike a pose too! Admission is libre (free), and dress code is bleu, blanc et rouge (blue, white and blue!).
When: 16 July, 5.30 – 7pm
Where: Alliance Francaise, Sarkies Road, Singapore
www.alliancefrancaise.org.sg
2) Prepare to be wowed when Kung Fu meets dance and drama
Kung Fu meets choreography and drama in this new show-stopper: Shaolin is coming to Singapore! Kids (and grown ups) are going to love this incredible show full of almost superhuman tricks and feats! The amazing production combines Shaolin Kung Fu with stunning choreography, dramatic lighting and plenty of thrills. The twenty-strong cast will bring us their tale from the foothills of the Song Shang mountain range, and we can expect a troupe of Shaolin Monks to demonstrate their authentic martial arts wizardry right there on stage.
When: 13 – 31 July, various timings
Where: Sands Theatre, MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands
Cost: From $45
www.sistic.com.sg
3) Start your weekend with a calm mind
Funzing is great at springing cool pop-up exercises on us all over Singapore, and we love that it gives us all a chance to try a class without the need for pesky monthly fees and commitments. This weekend yoga is popping up over at Marina Barrage, and whether you are a beginner or a guru, instructor Mun-Yi Hatha will bring a sense of calm to your Saturday morning with this Hatha Yoga session. Namaste!
When: 16 July, 8-9am
Where: Marina Barrage Green Roof, Singapore 018951
Cost: $5 per person
Registration: Cash payment is not allowed. Booking must be made at Funzing.com.
www.facebook.com/events/285037505177450/
4) Take a bumboat ride back to the kampong days
If you fancy escaping the skyscrapers and fast pace of Singapore for a few hours, then head on over to Pulau Ubin for a little glimpse into kampong days of old. Sign up for the Kampong Tour, suitable for all ages, and you and the family will be guided around this fabulous patch of green to check out cool sites such as Butterfly Hill, Pekan Quarry, Old Bin Kiang school and Sensory Trail Ponds. Tour guides become story tellers on your 2.2km trek, and your journey will be filled with quirky tales about the areas you visit, and the heritage of the island along the way. Exercise and a fun history lesson all in one fun morning! Sign us up!
When: 16 July, 9.20 – 11.30am
Where: Meet at Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub, near the Ubin Jetty
Cost: $60 per group of 15 people.
www.nparks.gov.sg
5) Find out how to get the kids off of the computer!
For any of you with tweens and teens at home who are proving hard to prise away from their screens (us!), this fabulous, free workshop, Five More Minutes Please? The Addictive Nature of Computer Gaming, could save your sanity (and your kids’ brains from turning to mush!). Parents will take a look at the world of computer gaming through the eyes of a child to give an idea as to why our kids are getting hooked on these mind-numbing games. Advice on spotting when your children are gaming too excessively will be given, and practical tips provided on how to encourage kiddos away from the screen into more family-friendly activities.
When: 16 July, 2 -3.30pm
Where: Merpati Hall, Geylang East Public Library, 50 Geylang East Avenue 1, Singapore 389777
www.nlb.gov.sg/golibrary
6) Join a group of wandering minstrels to find out all things Shakespeare
It’s been 400 years since the death of the world’s most famous playwright and poet, William Shakespeare, but it’s never too early to get the kiddos reciting famous lines from his timeless works. Head over to Marine Parade Library and hang out with a group of wandering minstrels, aka Phenix Arts, who will be bringing you The Immortal Bard, where they will be blurring the lines between actor and audience for this up-close rendition of Shakespeare’s most memorable scenes.
When: 16 July, 2 – 3.30pm
Where: Programme Zone, Marine Parade Library, 278 Marine Parade Road, #01-02 Marine Parade Community Building, Singapore 449282
www.nlb.gov.sg
7) Discover all the interesting history stuff you never knew about Telok Ayer!
Take a trip down memory lane on the Heartlands Stories Heritage Walk, where you and the kids (age six and up) will love exploring the Telok Ayer district of Chinatown (wave up at HoneyKids’ HQ on your way past!). Did you know that this part of town used to be part of the original seafront, which served as the docking bay for the boats and sampans of early immigrants to Singapore? Nope: we didn’t either! These are the kind of fascinating, historical tales you will be learning as you take in heritage sites including Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church, Siang Cho Keong Temple, AL-Abrar Mosque, Thian Hock Keng Temple, and also the last remaining old well in the area!
When: 16 July, 9.30am – 1pm
Where: meeting point is Tanjong Pagar MRT station
Cost: Free for members of The Photography Academy, $10 for everyone else. Registration is required at http://cloudproductions.sg/tpasg using the event code HSCT.
www.facebook.com/events/818666738269775/
8) Be creative at the National Gallery
We love heading to the Keppel Centre for Art Education over at the National Gallery with the kiddos, and this weekend we have a great excuse: a free drop-in craft session! Parents and kids are invited to bond and interact creatively through a fun art-making workshop as part of the Gallery’s ‘Family Weekend’ programme. Art kits will be provided so all you need to bring is your sense of fun and imagination!
When: 16-17 July, 1pm to 6pm (last admission at 5pm)
Where: Keppel Centre for Art Education, National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew’s Road #01–01 Singapore 178957
www.nationalgallery.sg
9) Take a photo… and then eat it
Plain Vanilla Bakery… by now you must know we love this place! And once again these guys have a fun workshop coming up that we can’t wait to join. Picnic Days Workshop is perfect for those of you who are keen foodie photo takers! Find out for yourself how to create gorgeous Insta-worthy images: Elodie Bellegrade will be hosting this workshop and talking about food photography and storytelling. Participants will be encouraged to create their very own visual, edible stories by using food, props and backgrounds (all while nibbling on a Plain Vanilla slice of deliciousness!).
When: 16 July, 10.30am – 1.30pm
Where: Plain Vanilla Bakery
Cost: $175 per person
Registration: in store or via email to [email protected]
www.facebook.com/pvbakery
10) Get slimed at a gunky, free festival
The gunk is back for its fourth year thanks to the Nickelodeon Slime Cup 2016, and kiddos (and adults if they are game!) can expect new game stations (think life-sized foosball matches), more slime than ever plus fun activities including a gladiator face-off, knock down bowling and slime alley! Don’t forget your cameras to snap a shot of the slime action, and also for the meet-and-greet sessions with some of Nickelodeon’s favourite characters too.
When: 16 – 17 July, 11am – 7pm daily (please note that 16 July is exclusively for Singtel subscribers, but 17 July is open to the public)
Where: City Square Mall Branch, 180 Kitchener Road, Singapore, 208539
www.slimecup.nick-asia.com
11) Have some fun with science
The whole family will love the cool goings-on over at Vivo this weekend, where the Singapore Science Festival has a heap of fun, free stuff going on. Highlights include X-periment, which brings to life the importance of science in our daily lives while the Buskers Festival is a competition for mini-scientists where they can create potions, try gravity defying tricks or even crystalise a Christmas tree! Winners will be picked by judges and the audience. Also watch out for US performers from The Franklin Institute as they take you on a journey from the dawn of man to modern day rocketry with regards to all things flight.
When: 15 – 17 July, various timings
Where: Vivo City, 1 Harbourfront Walk, Singapore 098585
www.science.edu.sg/events/Pages/ssf.aspx