(Image: Hisu lee/Unsplash)
Cover (Image: Hisu lee/Unsplash)

The September school holidays are upon us next week. If you haven't planned on how to keep your kids occupied for the week-long vacation, here are some family-friendly activities and enriching programmes

Most parents in Singapore would be quite skilled at planning a curriculum for their children by now, thanks to the experience from the implementation of home-based learning earlier this year. With the annual September holidays commencing next week, it is up to mums and dads once again to make the most of the week-long vacation. And with hotels, attractions and also enrichment schools now open, the options are endless.

For some much-needed quality time, consider whisking your family to Sentosa for a Singapoliday, or checking into a local hotel for a restful staycation. But if you're thinking of making the most of the holidays to enrich your children in the arts and culture and help them develop valuable skills, we've rounded up some activities and programmes both online and offline to keep your Tatlings occupied.

Tatler Asia
Above (Image: AndBeyond)

1. AndBeyond WildChild Virtual Experience

Does your Tatling love wildlife or has dreams of becoming a safari ranger one day? Then perhaps he or she would enjoy this sneak peek into the day-to-day tasks of a ranger. AndBeyond’s WildChild virtual experience offers your child the opportunity to virtually interact with one of its rangers, who will guide them on a chosen mission, from making a plaster cast to planting a tree.

Up to 20 of his or her friends can join in on the fun too by connecting via a group of ten links (limited to two children per link). Proceeds from each session go towards funding an Africa Foundation Conservation Lesson.

Find out more at AndBeyond.

Tatler Asia
Above (Image: Tatler Singapore)

2. Saturdays@ACM: A Style for Every Story

From August 29 to September 25, Asian Civilisations Museum offers Saturdays@ACM: A Style for Every Story, an online activity for families to learn more about traditional costumes.

Tatlings aged four to eight will enjoy Act3 International’s audio retelling of The Emperor’s New Clothes with an Asian twist to the story, while ages five to 10 can get hands-on in crafting a rotating traditional costume toy inspired by ACM’s collection.

Find out more at Asian Civilisations Museum.

Tatler Asia
Above (Image: National Gallery Singapore)

3. Small Big Dreamers at Home

National Gallery Singapore’s biennial children’s festival goes online for its second edition, offering children aged six to 12 the opportunity to connect with art even from home.

The online festival runs from June 1, 2020 to March 28, 2021, with four interactive experience zones—Watch and Listen, Play and Discover, Make and Create, and Artist’s Studio—that encourage children to get hands-on and learn more about art and culture.

Find out more at National Gallery Singapore.

Tatler Asia
Above (Image: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall)

4. Wan Qing Mid-Autumn Festival 2020 (Digital Edition)

Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, also known as Wan Qing Yuan, is taking its annual Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations online this year. Join in on the family-friendly programmes like cooking classes with chefs Eric Neo and Donny Tan, craft tutorials supported by Event Arts, storytelling sessions supported by the Speak Good English Movement and Speak Mandarin Campaign, and more.

At the memorial hall, there’s also a thematic outdoor installation of four larger-than-life fish lanterns produced by Hong Kong artist Sunny Tam of the collectible label, 78JO.

Find out more at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.

Tatler Asia
Above A scene from Litterbugs (Image: ArtScience Museum)

5. ArtScience on Screen: Ode to Invention

Inspire your child’s creativity and imagination with ArtScience on Screen: Ode to Invention—a screening of four short films featuring young and fearless heroes who aren’t afraid to dream big with their quirky inventions.

The upcoming lineup includes Icare (2017) by Nicolas Boucart from August 31 to September 6, and Hoverboard (2012) by Sydney Freeland and Litterbugs (2016) by Peter Stanley-Ward from September 7 to 11. The films will be screened every hour from 10 am to 7 pm in the ArtScience Museum’s Rainbow Room.

Find out more at ArtScience Museum.

Tatler Asia
Above (Image: Coding Lab)

6. Coding Lab

Get your Tatling started on his or her programming journey with Coding Lab’s September Holiday Coding Camps for ages seven to 18. Divided into four age groups, the curriculum imparts computational thinking and problem-solving skills to students at each stage, with classes in animation, robotics and game development for the younger age group, and useful skills in app development, C++ and Python for older students.

If you prefer your child to learn from the comfort of home, the Coding Lab also offers two-hour E-learning workshops for ages seven to 18.

Find out more at Coding Lab.

(Related: Parag and Ayesha Khanna on Artificial Intelligence in Singapore to Coding with their Kids)

Tatler Asia
Above (Image: Goodman Ceramic Studio/Facebook)

7. Goodman Ceramic Studio

Let your kids expand their creativity while using their fingers as tools at Goodman Ceramic Studio’s two-hour workshop for children. Best for Tatlings between seven to 12 years old, the class will impart hand-building techniques, allowing them to mould their imagination into sculptures of their choice. The workshop includes colouring, firing and glazing.

If you’d like to join in the fun, however, the studio also offers a Family Wheel Fun package for families of three to create an artwork on the spinning wheel. All works will be bisque fired, with glazing available at additional cost.

Find out more at Goodman Ceramic Studio.

Tatler Asia
Above (Image: Kali Majapahit)

8. Kali Majapahit

A homegrown martial arts school that is now represented in countries like Malaysia, Japan, France, the Philippines, and more, Kali Majapahit is also a holistic Southeast Asian Martial Arts system designed with elements of Filipino Kali, Indonesian Silat, Muay Thai and Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do.

The dojo offers programmes for ages three to five, as well as ages six to 11, which helps with their physical development through balancing, jumping, kicking, punching and practising with sticks. The holistic programmes also focus on character development, designed in partnership with therapists from Lil’Warrior Occupational Therapy, psychologists and children education specialists.

Find out more at Kali Majapahit.

Tatler Asia
Above (Image: Sing’theatre Academy)

9. Sing'theatre Academy Rising Stars

If your Tatling has a flair for the theatrics, Sing’theatre Academy’s Super Stars programme will prepare him or her for the stage. Suitable for the ages of four to six, the classes incorporate all three forms of Musical Theatre—singing, dancing, and acting.

Students will get to experiment with rhythm and sound, dance moves, as well as role-play, improvisation and performance. Depending on Covid-19 regulations, a semester-end showcase featuring the students will also be presented in November.

Find out more at Sing'theatre Academy.

Tatler Asia

10. Trehaus

Trehaus, an integrated family-friendly lifestyle space that comprises a preschool and childcare, office space, and a family club has launched The Learning Adventure Camp, a three-day programme for ages three to ten. Encouraging children to explore nature through art, movement and technology, activities include nature walks, picnics in the garden, exploring the National Gallery, mindfulness practice, outdoor barbecue, and more.

Families who would like to enjoy a staycation can also bundle the camp with stays at lyf Funan and The Capitol Kempinski Hotel with exclusive rates.

Find out more at Trehaus.

11. The Kindness Academy

If there was anyone who can put together a thoughtful, informative and enjoyable (and Instagrammable) manners class for children, it has to be our Tatler friend Astrie Ratner. As a certified International Social and Youth Etiquette consultant, the mother of three has been conducting both adult and youth classes for the past two years under her platform A - The Etiquette Consultancy.

Most recently, she launched The Kindness Academy, a series of courses for children that centre around a philosophy that kindness is at the heart of good manners. Her courses are best for children from age six, and can be done privately or in a small group.

Find out more at The Kindness Academy.

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