Which playground shall we go this weekend, daddy and mommy?

Here are some answers you may want to tell Junior in order to get a gleam in his or her eyes:
(And that's easy on the pocket too!)

Indoor:
1) Marina Square level 3 outside Kiddy palace
2) Paragon level 5
3) Changi airport T3 Basement
4) IKEA Alexandra and IKEA Tampines

Outdoor but as part of a shopping complex:
Dry only:
1) Hougang Mall
2) Suntec City
3) City Square Mall
4) Sommerset 313

Both Dry and Wet:
1) Vivo City
2) North Point Yishun
3) IMM
4) Lot One Chua Chu Kang
5) Sembawang Shopping Centre

Outdoor parks:
West:
1) West Coast Park
2) Choa Chu Kang Town Park
3) Jurong Lake Park
4) Biopolis, Buona Vista

East:
1) Pasir Ris Park
2) Bedok Reservoir
3) Tampines Sun Plaza

North:
1) Bishan Park
2) Ang Mo Kio Town Park (beside Mac Donalds)
3) Sembawang Park
4) Woodlands Crescent park, near to Northoak Condo.

Northeast:
1) Punggol Park
2) Sculpture Park

South / central:
1) Labrador Park
2) Tiong Bahru, before Tiong bahru Plaza
3) Jacob Ballas, Botanica Gardens
4) Hort Park
5) Hindhede Park (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve)

I wish there are more merry go rounds around!

This is at a little playground in front of Blk 505 Bishan St 11.
It is just this a climbing frame, a few rocking equipment and a merry go round.
Yet, it offers such a refreshing change and add to the variety of playgrounds available in Singapore.

This climbing frame is made up mainly with ropes, not so easy for the younger ones but definitely a welcomes challenge to the "5 years old and above"s. Although when I was there, I did witness a little 18 month old enjoying himself exploring the texture of the ropes. He also went in and out, under and above the ropes, totally amazed by the spatial reality mother earth presents.



These children did not know each other at all. Yet, while seeking to feed their vestibular system (the sensory system that helps us to feel the sense of movement), they found great company in each other. They were there, playing for a whole hour, "regardless of race, language or religion" (quote the Singapore pledge). Thank you to the parents who had allowed the time for such beautiful memories to be engraved in these children's brain. Not only that, this movement break would have even provided these children with better attention to their academic learning and also better regulation and behaviour organization later!

More reasons to get a zoo membership?

For those who were not yet enticed by my previous posts about the dry playgrounds at the zoo, here are more pictures of the wet play ground and ie. more reasons why family with young children should invent in a family zoo membership.



Remember to pack swimming gear and bathing stuff. The kids bath area is well equipped (though no warm water)and designed to be another fun experience for the children.


It's a fun playground for children as young as 2 years old to the 99 years old who is young at heart.


These pictures were taken in 2009 but a recent visit shows that they have been maintaining the place well... kudos to the team at the zoo.





I like this wet playground particularly for it's great variety to suit everyone's needs. For the young child who is scared of water, there is no need to rush him or her to the centre of the action. There's plenty of shallow water, mild sprays and pipes and button to keep him interested and yet at a comfortable distance to observe the ongoing fun.
If you live near the north, you can visit the zoo at anytime with a zoo membership. You can be there early in the morning or in the evening when the sun is just nice. You can spent an hour or two having fun at the playground and visit an animal a week. Not only will the young children be able to tolerate the short trips better, the older ones may be rewarded with such fun outings!
Really, I think it's worth the deal.

Still at the zoo...

While we are still at the dry part of the zoo, the children can get more heavy work from lots more climbing activities, not necessary upwards but sidewards too! This part of the playground is suitable for younger children. This equipment below allows even very young children to have a go at planning and climbing without parents worrying that they are going too high and out of safety's reach.



The above is a huge see saw of its own class. I like how many children can play on it, sitting, standing, kneeling and lying down on various parts of it. It can be loads of fun! Needless say about the vestibular input (sense of motion) and postural control (ability to balance and control one's body position) that one can work on while playing!

These lily pads on a patch of blue "pond" are really enticing to the imaginative part of the brain. Children can pretend they are frogs jumping from pad to pad or dragon flies flying in and around the pads. Let your child tell you how they'd like to play and join in! The pads are quite far apart and can be too challenging for those 5 and below.

I like sliding poles, and the zoo playground's sliding pole comes complete with the fire engine! So much more meaningful and fun to embed this whole act of sliding down the pole while pretending that we are fireman coming to rescue (the poor animals that are stuck in a fire at the zoo??).
Meanwhile, to let the children take their own time to come down the pole. It can be scary and difficult to coordinate oneself on these poles. When they are ready, they will want to do it, and all you may need is just teach them how to position themselves properly as above.

My child thought the zoo is all about the playground...

Many friends have commented that their children loved going to the zoo largely because there's a really fun playground there and really, I dun blame the kids for forgetting about the animals. The Singapore Zoological Gardens had always boasted "funtastic" play areas for children and the recent (well, more than a year by now!) renovation of both it's wet and dry play grounds have just further up the quality and volume of fun.


For some children, enticing them to learn about animals can be difficult when there are so much more physical exploration awaiting them. Let them play at the playground first. "Because you have behaved so well at the playground, mummy's gonna read you all about fellas and bellas." This way, they would have worked out the sweat and now all ready to absorb some animals facts without thinking it as such a chore.


Personally, I felt that it is better to start off with the dry part of the playground before going off to the wet part (next blog). Not only do you only need to clean up the children once and for all before they leave the place, it is also safer to attempt activities in the dry playground without water dripping from their clothes. Other playground users would also appreciate your considerate act!
For children who are overly active and for those children whose motor skills are not so good, the zoo playground provides with a great way to start by having this pull and tug boat. Parents can go onto the raft with their kids, position them well and encourage them to use all their strength to pull the entire company across to the other side of the "river". Such "heavy work" promote optimal arousal level in children and helped children increased their body awareness and hence primed them for motor learning!


After using a lot of their srength in the tug boat, you may want to lead your child just around the corner to engage in a game of cable swings. From my last visit at the end of 2009, the cable swings at the zoo are in great condition and as long as you have your hands on your child, is generally safe for anyone who can sit upright.
Once you are more confident in your child's ability, then run aside them as they swing across. Do not be too eager to push your your pre-schooler to go across by themselves as the amount of vestibular (see previous blog for explanation of this term if you are new) sensation can be overwhelming.

After getting lots of heavy work and movement sensations from the first two activities, it's time to explore the other skill building equipment.

I love this balance beam, it introduce a good component of motor planning and problem solving, not usually seen in playgrounds. As the child attempt to walk across the balance beam, he or she has to plan how to position their body again and again to weave through the bars. These beam areas are usually not crowded so parents do not have to feel pressured that their children are causing a "traffic jam". Meanwhile, do not forget that you can further challenge your child to walk sidewards, backwards, or even crawl along the beam!

This is a wobble bridge. Once again, not only can we encouraged our child to walk sidewards, backwards, or crawl across the bridge, we can get them to jump from plank to plank if you think they are ready. Remember, safety first, always tell them what are the actions they can do only when an adult is with them.

This is one part of the huge variety of playground settings at the zoo. I felt that many of the equipment here are more suitable for the seven and above. There are many other equipments suitable for younger children and I would suggest we leave the older kids to do their stunts without having to be worried if they are going to bump into yet another toddler.

The Digital Era encroaching our nature space?

Hello once again. I have not been updating this blog for a long time and I apologise to those who have been waiting patiently.
I have decided to go back to full time work and there is now much less time to blog. However, I have not stopped bringing the kids to playgrounds around the island and I have really accumulated a lot of pictures of various places. I have uploaded most of them and I am hoping to share them with all of you in the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, let's get back to Pasir Ris Park. The above picture was taken about 6 months ago and this equipment was the newest kid on the block at Pasir Ris then. This was a find right after the newspaper reported that Singaporeans may be seeing electronics being applied in their children's playground.
Well, I was kinda sitting on the fence. It's a fun piece of equipment for the kids. Lots of feedback to their actions and it introduced a competitive component. The lights came on for that spot and you squat, bend , stretch or jump to hit it. Lots of cardiovascular workout and it worked your eye hand coordination and response speed, not forgetting building your upper limb strength and overall flexibility. You take those spots and I'll handle these few and team work is in full swing. But alas, I preferred electronic sounds and artificial lightings to be kept to the arcade.
Well, that was just me.
However, if you have read the above and felt all excited about visiting the park this weekend to lay your hands on this fun toy, I am sorry you'll be disappointed. Since about March this year, I had discovered the disappearance of this equipment from its spot. Tried to find out what happened to it but in vain. Well, it was either just a trial or the players' enthusiasm had shortened its lifespan??!!
Anybody seen any other electronic play ground pieces in our great outdoors?

Playing it Right

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