Get entertained
CHARLOTTE'S WEB (below)
The timeless children's classic Charlotte's Web has been adapted into a heartwarming play by Singapore Repertory Theatre's The Little Company.
The play stars Ann Lek as the lovable pig Wilbur and Sharda Harrison as Charlotte, the clever spider.
Recommended for kids aged four and older.
Where: KC Arts Centre - Home of SRT, 20 Merbau Road
When: Today to Sunday and Tuesday to Dec 9, various timings
Admission: $25 to $48 for standard tickets from Sistic (go to www.sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555)
Info: www.srt.com.sg
A VERY ELECTRIC CHRISTMAS
In this glow-in-the-dark Christmas production, performers wear electroluminescent wires on their bodies on a stage in complete darkness.
The story centres on Max, a young bird who loses his way flying south and ends up at the North Pole. As he tries to find his way home, he meets Nutcracker soldiers, dancing poinsettias and carolling worms.
Adding to the festive mood are a holiday soundtrack including Jingle Bell Rock and Holly Jolly Christmas.
The show is produced by American art, technology and theatre company Lightwire Theater, which was a semi-finalist in the seventh season of reality television show America's Got Talent.
Recommended for children aged five and above.
Where: Victoria Theatre, 9 Empress Place
When: Dec 9 to 11, various timings
Admission: $55, $75 or $95 from Sistic
Info: www.facebook.com/Snap.Entertainment.SverG/
CIRQUE ADRENALINE
In this circus spectacle, motorcyclists will perform mid-air jumps and backflips while acrobats will take on the Wheel Of Death, as they attempt to balance in and on a pair of giant spinning wheels rotating high above the stage.
Cirque Adrenaline is an international troupe of more than 30 performers, including trapeze artists, fire-breathers and strongmen.
All kids under 12 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Where: Grand Theatre, MasterCard Theatres at Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue
When: Dec 15 to 25, various timings
Admission: $38.50 to $155 from Marina Bay Sands or Sistic. Free for a child below three if he sits on the lap of a parent or guardian
Info: entertainment.marinabaysands.com/events/ad1216
Get out and about
ZOO-RASSIC PARK
The Singapore Zoo and River Safari will explore the Jurassic Age with 26 dinosaurs installed on its premises, accompanied by educational displays.
These include a Spinosaurus and T-rex. A few of them move.
Visitors will learn about topics such as convergent evolution. This explains why, for example, both the giraffe and the brachiosaurus have long necks - so they can reach for leaves on tall trees.
Kids can match certain dinosaurs with their respective living counterparts. They can also dig in a sandpit to uncover dinosaur fossils.
At the River Safari, see living fossils such as the Chinese giant salamander and the alligator snapping turtle.
Where: Singapore Zoo and River Safari, 80 Mandai Lake Road
When: Activities will run on weekends until Dec 18 while the dinosaur exhibits will be up until May next year
Admission: $39 for adults and $25 for children aged three to 12 (valid only for Singaporeans, permanent residents and employment pass holders). Otherwise, standard park entry rates apply.
Info: www.zoo.com.sg/zoorassic-park
A TROLLIFIC PLAYCATION
Fans of the colourful creatures from the recent DreamWorks animated film Trolls (2016) can see Trolls sculptures and 3D light displays in Sentosa.
There will be a meet-and-greet with characters Poppy and Branch on Dec 10 at Merlion Plaza and Dec 17 at Beach Plaza thrice a day: 11.30am, 2.30 and 6pm.
In the evenings, light show Merlion Magic Lights will project the cuddly characters onto the 37m-tall Merlion from 7.45pm.
Where: Merlion Plaza, Merlion Walk and Beach Plaza at Sentosa
When: Till Jan 2
Admission: Free
Info: www.sentosa.com.sg/festivefun
HOMETEAMNS TAMPINES
Easties now have a new recreational option at the newly opened HomeTeamNS Tampines clubhouse.
It comprises a laser tag facility called Laser Quest and a climbing theme park called Clip 'n Climb.
To play Laser Quest, participants need to be at least eight years old.
Clip 'n Climb has no minimum age, but climbers need to weigh between 10 and 150kg. There are 17 types of climbing walls and two bouldering areas.
Where: 03-03 Our Tampines Hub, 51 Tampines Avenue 4
When: Noon to 9pm (Mondays to Thursdays, except for the first Monday of the month when it opens from 2 to 9pm); 10am to 11pm (Fridays, Saturdays, school holidays and eve of a public holiday); 10am to 9pm (Sundays and public holidays)
Admission: For Laser Quest, prices start at $10 for members, $12 for People's Association or Safra members or $14 for guests. For Clip 'n Climb, prices start at $18 for members, $22 for People's Association or Safra members or $25 for guests
Info: www.hometeamns.sg
POKEMON AT CHANGI
As part of the airport's Pokemon-themed year-end festivities, visitors can embark on a Poke Trail to hunt for 26 Pokemons at various locations across the airport and stand to win one of nine Pokemon plushies, of which five have been released so far.
Snorlax fans can take wefies with three life-sized Snorlax at the Snorlax Garden at Terminal 2's departure hall and one at the Gingerbread House in Terminal 3's departure hall.
Or head down on the weekends till Jan 1 (except Dec 3) to meet Pikachu at Terminal 3's departure hall at 6 or 8pm. Limited to 80 families a session.
Where: Changi Airport
When: Till Feb 11
Admission: Free
Info: pokemon.changiairport.com
BOUNCEOFF! FIESTA
Let your child run free at the BounceOFF! Fiesta, where inflatables are spread across over 40,000 sq m in the Marina Bay area.
There are 32 inflatables that are divided into three zones: bounce, slide and jump.
At the bounce zone, there is the Skyscraper, a mammoth inflatable 16m in height, 70m in length and 18m in width.
The slide zone features a 150m-long water slide.
The adventurous can head for the Blobber at the jump zone, where you leap from a height of 7m onto a 3m-deep inflatable bag.
Where: The Promontory @ Marina Bay and Bayfront Event Space
When: Till Jan 1, 5 to 11pm on weekdays and 2 to 11pm on weekends. Extended hours of 2pm to 2am on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve
Admission: Pay-per-rides range from $3 to $40, or get an all-day pass from $48 to $128
Info: www.bounceofffiesta.com.sg
Get creative
POM POM POW!
Three children will be the instructors in this craft class.
Artsy trio 3puffsinapod, made up of three sisters aged eight, nine and 11, will be teaching participants how to make pom poms which will then be hung at the Esplanade's Concourse.
The workshop is part of the Esplanade's annual Celebrate December festival. It is recommended for children age six and above with adult supervision.
The girls, Syifa, Safeeya and Syadeeya, have been conducting all sorts of art and craft workshops from papier mache to silkscreen since two years ago.
Their parents, as their mother Waheeda Angullia puts it, are simply the "crew members".
Where: Esplanade Concert Hall Meeting Point, 1 Esplanade Drive
When: This weekend and Dec 17 and 18, any time between 4 and 8pm
Admission: Free
Info: www.esplanade.com/festivals-and-series/celebrate-december
OVERNIGHT ADVENTURE
Pack your child's pyjamas for a night at the Singapore Philatelic Museum. Campers will get an after-dark tour of the various exhibitions, including one based on the Harry Potter series, design a stamp and create an "invisibility cloak" out of recycled materials.
Dinner, supper and breakfast are included. The sleepover is for children aged seven to 12.
Where: Singapore Philatelic Museum, 23B Coleman Street
When: Next Thursday, 6pm to Friday 9am
Admission: $90
Info: To register, contact Lily on 6513-7347 or e-mail Lily_Samuel@ nhb.gov.sg or Laura on 6513-7348 or Laura_Tan@nhb.gov.sg
A WORLD FULL OF STORIES
At A World Full Of Stories interactive exhibition at Playeum, kids are encouraged to let their imagination run wild.
They can step on-board a nautical- themed Story Raft and imagine being at sea, doodle their ideas on The Chalk Wall or play dress-up at the Fantasy Dress Up corner.
There are also storytelling workshops using techniques such as scratch coding or stop-motion animation.
The exhibition is for children aged one to 12.
Where: Playeum, Block 47, 01-23 Gillman Barracks, Malan Road
When: Tuesdays to Sundays until April 30, 10am to 6pm
Admission: $22 a child with one accompanying adult, additional adults at $10 each
Info: www.playeum.com/stories
A ROMP IN NATURE
Every Friday morning in a forested area off Dairy Farm Road, children get very, very dirty.
Barefoot or with shoes on, they jump onto puddles and wade into streams. They swing from low branches or scramble up trees.
The end of the session looks like a chaotic scene out of Lord Of The Flies, with some of the children's clothes and bodies covered with dirt or soaked in mud.
