SINGAPORE – Make family time all the more special with these ideas and activities.
KidsFest! 2024
Eric Carle’s picture books will be brought to life at Victoria Theatre from Feb 29 to March 3.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show features 75 puppets, including the titular caterpillar from the late American author-illustrator’s 1969 book.
That is not the only story in the hour-long production from Britain. Your kids will also be enthralled by Carle’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (1967); The Very Lonely Firefly (1995) and 10 Little Rubber Ducks (2005).
The show is one of four offerings in KidsFest! 2024 Singapore’s line-up.
Other page-to-stage performances include the world debut of Spot’s Birthday Party, based on the late English author-illustrator Eric Hill’s 1982 title, from Feb 15 to 18.
There is also I Believe In Unicorns, an adaptation of British writer Michael Morpurgo’s 2005 book, on Feb 24 and 25.
Tickets to each production are priced from $42 to $72. Find out more at www.kidsfest.com.sg
Celebrating Is Hard Work!
Here is a Singapore children’s book with a title that perhaps reflects how many parents feel when preparing for Chinese New Year: Celebrating Is Hard Work!.
The English-Chinese story takes a cheeky look at the many festive customs and traditions that families follow.
In the book, Baozi laments to his friend Apple Pie that he is tired. He has to help his family spring-clean the home, cook reunion dinner, put up red decorations around the home and so on.
Written by Woo Yen Yen and Colin Goh, the fun read is part of their Dim Sum Warriors book series and illustrated by Josef Lee.
Meet the trio at a storytelling session and learn to draw cartoons too. They will be at Maha Yu Yi (02-15 Bras Basah Complex, 231 Bain Street) on Feb 17 from 11am to noon. Registration costs $5 and includes a $5 book voucher. Sign up at str.sg/g4qx
You can also buy the book at $12.80 from Dim Sum Warriors’ website at str.sg/y4Lz
The Artground at One Holland Village
The Artground has launched its second site at One Holland Village.
Like its first venue at Goodman Arts Centre in Mountbatten, which opened in 2017, the arts charity and multidisciplinary children’s arts centre is dedicated to engaging the little ones, up to nine years of age.
Among the offerings at its new centre is The Dragon’s Pearl interactive storytelling session on Feb 18. Recommended for families with kids aged three to seven, it costs $12 a person.
Grandparents are invited, too, to its intergenerational programmes. At the Wish Lantern workshops on Feb 18 and 19, craft a festive lantern and learn about the legend of Nian. It is priced at $10 a person.
Check out its programmes at str.sg/CGNb. The fees are inclusive of an exploratory open-play session.
