Attention all those bored of your usual weekend hang-outs! If you are looking for new things to try with the kids this weekend and are just not feeling a trip to the cinema or sweating it out on the bikes at the East Coast Park then you have come to the right place. So whether the family fancies shouting and hollering at a rugby match (Rugby 7s is coming guys!), learning to swim with national swimming legends, letting the kids burn off energy at a new indoor play centre, or taking in the natural beauty of Singapore on a ramble around a reserve, we’ve got 10 things to keep you busy this weekend…
1. Love art? Love books? Love Pictionary? Head to The Singapore Art Book Fair.
Art, books and fun all wrapped up in one fair? We are so there! Organised by one of HoneyKids’ fave bookstores, BooksActually, this weekend sees the return for the third edition of The Singapore Art Book Fair (SABF), which promises to be a fab art and literature shebang suitable for the whole family. We can’t wait to flex our creative drawing skills (stick man anyone?) and give the kiddos a run for their money at 1pm on Sunday 17th at the fun-fuelled ‘Parents vs Kids’ Pictionary event organized by Holycrap.sg. For the full low-down on the entire event check out our Singapore Art Book Fair for Families guide! And for a double whammy of reasons to head to the Art Science Museum this weekend, once you are done being literary then make sure you hop, skip and jump over to the new Future World gallery where little ones (and big kids too) will be suitably wowed by this amazing digital and immersive playground concept.
The Singapore Art Book Fair, Art Science Museum, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Level 4 Expression, Curiosity & Inspiration Galleries, Singapore 018974
2. Wild, fun times at Playeum’s new exhibit!
We couldn’t get enough of this hidden treasure’s last exhibit, The Art of Speed, so there was a big ‘hurrah’ in the office when we heard that a new immersive experience was opening this weekend in the form of Hideaways-Creating With Nature. The kiddos will have a whale of a time discovering, exploring, constructing and getting up close and personal with nature as well as getting their small hands and big imaginations on mucky natural fun materials such as squidgy clay. We can’t wait to check out the Bug Hotel and Eco-Garden, plus we are buzzing with excitement at the chance to experience life as an insect over at the Welcome to My World exhibit. The doors open on this ‘must-try’ this coming Saturday 16 April.
Playeum at Singapore Children’s Centre for Creativity, Block 47 Malan Road, Gillman Barracks, #01-21 to #01-23, Singapore 109444
3. Catch the Easter bunny underwater!
While you may think that the Easter Bunny has hopped away already for this year, he’s actually been hiding out underwater! This weekend is the last chance to catch the Easter celebrations over at S.E.A Aquarium, where your little rabbits can follow the Eggtopus Easter trail to a SEAcret Garden and special displays and activities in the Eggtivity Area. There are cool prizes up for grabs once you have finished the trail too.
S.E.A Aquarium, Resorts World Sentosa, 8 Sentosa Gateway, Singapore 098269
4. See a super hero monkey live on stage
Celebrate the year of the Monkey with the Little Company’s production of Hanuman before it swings back out of town at the end of April. This is no ordinary monkey though: this is a super hero monkey who has no time for sitting in trees eating bananas with a world to save from monsters and evil kings!
Hanuman, Singapore Repertory Theatre, 20 Merbau Road, Singapore 239035. Tickets available through Sistic.
5. Free swimming lessons with national heroes at Swim with Decathlon
Take your water babies age between six and 12 over to Bedok Swimming Complex on Sunday 17 April at 3pm to 4pm for a free swimming lesson with national swimming legends Marcus Cheah and Lynette Ng. Sponsored by Decathlon (which is worth also checking out at the weekend for an hour or two in awe of the enormous array of decently priced sports equipment alone), not only do the kiddos get to learn some essential swimming strokes and techniques with some champions, but they also get a free Nabaiji kick-board to take home too! There is also extra bonus prizes for anyone making a splash at the pool sporting Decathlon swim gear or goggles.
Swim with Decathlon, Bedok Swimming Complex, 901 New Upper Changi Road, Singapore 467355.
6. Flowers, kites and ballet, French style
Ooh la la! A spectacular aerial ballet is dancing into town for this weekend only, as part of the magnifique and ongoing Voilah! French Festival initiative. Head to Marina Bay Sands at 7.30pm on Saturday, or to Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay at 7.15pm on Sunday to catch brightly illuminated flowers and coloured kites which will be dancing with the elements and creating visual magic for the kiddos to be mesmerised by.
Lumineoles Ballet, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956 and Gardens by the Bay, 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore 018953
7. Catch Snoopy and the gang…
While stamp collecting might not immediately spring to mind as a fun thing to do (although who didn’t start a collection of stamps as a kid before moving on to smelly eraser collecting?), we adore the Peanuts and Snoopy celebration exhibit currently running until the end of the month over at the Singapore Philatelic Museum. As well as stamps featuring our fave beagle and his gang, the collection also showcases a heap of nostalgic memorabilia including rare artworks, old comic strips and all things Peanuts. Admission is free for citizens and PRs, and just $4-$6 for everyone else.
With Love From Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang, Singapore Philatelic Museum, 23B Coleman Street, Singapore 179807
8. Check out the new Polliwogs!
Mums on the East Coast all cried a collective ahhhh when the news got out that Polliwogs over on the East Coast Park shut its doors for good. Thankfully it didn’t move out of the East altogether: doors opened this week at the brand spanking new branch at Eastpoint Shopping Mall in Simei. We are heading down there ourselves this weekend to get the kids’ seal of approval on the blasters, ball pits and fun scale ratings and we all have high expectations for that three-storey curly slide! Hot tip: there is 20% opening offer discount in the on-site cafe until the end of April. Extra large serving of cheesy fries please.
Polliwogs, Eastpoint Mall, 3 Simei Street 6, Singapore 528833.
9. Get some fresh air at Bukit Batok Nature Park
This beautiful patch of back-to-nature here in Singapore was developed around an abandoned quarry back in 1988 and this weekend you can soak up that peaceful ambience (well as peaceful as anywhere can be with kids in tow) for a free guided nature appreciation walk which will teach you all you need to know about the flora and fauna in the area. Wear comfy clothes, bring your rain gear, water, mozzie spray, hats and sense of adventure from 9.30am (registration is required beforehand as spaces are limited and there is a wait-list once spaces are filled).
Bukit Batok Nature Park, Bukit Batok East Avenue 2, Singapore 659761
10. Calling all Rugby fans…
For the sports enthusiasts amongst your family team, this weekend sees a huge must-do event for any rugby fans. The HSBC Sevens World Series returns to Singapore after a decade’s absence with 16 international teams battling it out at the National Stadium for a place in the Rio qualifications. So practice your family hakas and get your tix booked for this not to be missed event. Mums: even if rugby isn’t your thing then book a ticket anyway based on these four words… muscled men in shorts!
HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens, Singapore National Stadium, 1 Stadium Drive, Singapore 397629