6 new activities for the year-end school holidays

SINGAPORE – With the year-end school holidays finally here, I set out with my two daughters, aged six and 12, to explore the newest activities and attractions popping up around Singapore.

From tiny ant farms and massive dinosaur skeletons to thrilling adventures and creative hands-on fun, here are six fresh experiences we tried and loved.

Singapore Zoo – Join The Wild Patrol!

What: A new adventure at the Singapore Zoo inspired by Disney animated film Zootopia 2 (opening in cinemas on Nov 27), where kids go on a mission to look for a mysterious character, Gary De’Snake.

Where: 80 Mandai Lake Road

When: From 8.30am daily until Jan 4. End times vary for different activities, go to

str.sg/nvuZ

for details

Admission: Zoo admission is from $44.10 for adults, $30.60 for children three to 12 years old and $20 for senior citizens. The Join The Wild Patrol! activity is free. Go to

str.sg/HrGs

for pricing details.

Fun factor: Zootopia 2 is one of the big animated films coming out during the year-end holidays, and with this attraction, kids can pretend to be a police detective, just like the main characters from the cartoon.

You start off by collecting a Patrol Kit, which includes a Zootopia-themed identification card and case file, and head to the different stations located in the zoo that look like scenes from the film.

For example, the Sensory Garden houses a transfer tube network where kids can listen to different animal sounds, while Pavilion by the Lake has swing car rides designed to look like boats.

If you get the case file stamped at all three stations, you get a Zootopia police badge pin and certificate.

It will probably take less than an hour to complete these activities and you can use the rest of the time to explore the other parts of the zoo.

Hot tip: There will be meet-and-greet sessions with Zootopia characters at Pavilion by the Lake from Dec 25 to 28 at 10.30am, noon, and 1.30 and 3pm. Passes for these sessions are limited, so go early. The 10.30am sessions on Dec 25 and 26 are only for Friends of Mandai members.

You may also want to check out Mandai Wildlife Reserve’s recently opened Curiosity Cove, Singapore’s largest indoor nature-themed playscape. Located next to the zoo, the 4,600 sq m attraction features multisensory elements in four wildlife-themed zones where kids can climb, crawl, touch and explore.

A standard two-hour session starts at $48 for one child aged three to 12 and an accompanying adult.

TinyTopia: Colony to Nation

What: A pop-up insect museum featuring a miniature city filled with insect-size dioramas that are inspired by Singapore’s history and iconic landmarks, as well as unique ant-based art.

Where: 743 North Bridge Road

When: From 6pm on weekdays, from 9am on weekends, with last entry at 9pm. Closed on Mondays and Thursdays. Until Dec 28. For private bookings, go to

str.sg/N9yZ

Admission: Weekdays: $15 for all. Weekends: $18 for adults, $15 for children three to 12 years old; $60 for a family pack (two adults and two children); free for children aged under three and seniors 65 and above. Go to

str.sg/tbBr

Fun factor: Many Singaporeans know the country’s history, but have you seen it through the lens of an ant?

At TinyTopia, all visitors go through a guided tour of the SG60-themed insect exhibits framed around the Singapore nationhood journey.

The dioramas that house various species include mini kampungs, a cute little kopitiam as well as modern landmarks like Marina Bay Sands and the Esplanade.

We get to know the various ant species and their characteristics, such as the pavement ants’ resilience, the carpenter ants’ multiple queens and the weaver ants’ nest-building abilities.

The kids will pick up the parallels between Singapore’s nation-building journey and the ants’ resilience and adaptability. They will also learn about various aspects of the environment and sustainability involving ants and other insects.

They get to take part in macro photography, learn the best ways to take pictures of insects and test their knowledge in a written quiz.

For those who are less squeamish, you can let bugs like stick and leaf insects crawl on your hand.

There is also a display of artworks where, if you look closely, each of the multiple strokes are actually ants. Done by Lim Yu Heng, an artist with autism, the works include portraits of all four of Singapore’s prime ministers.

Hot tip: If you fancy starting up your own insect museum at home, you can sign up for workshops where you will learn the proper way to care for the tiny creatures, and get specially designed enclosures.

There are also outdoor activities such as night walks, where expert guides teach you how to spot and take photos of hidden tiny creatures.

Dinosaurs | Extinctions | Us

What: Jointly organised by Science Centre Singapore and the NUS Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, this experience brings together two exhibitions – Dinosaurs Of Patagonia and Six Extinctions. Science Centre’s largest dinosaur exhibition, it features 33 rare fossils and 60 full-scale models, and charts the rise and fall of prehistoric life.

Where: 15 Science Centre Road

When: Entry from 10am to 5pm daily. Science Centre Singapore has not announced an end date for the exhibition.

Admission: From $25.90 for children (three to 12 years old) and seniors (60 and above), $29.90 for adults. Tickets are available only online, go to

str.sg/sRGh

Fun factor: No matter how many times you see dinosaurs in movies, read about them in books or see images of them online, there is nothing quite like standing underneath life-size recreations of these majestic creatures.

The largest one is an impressive 40m full-scale replica of the largest known dinosaur Patagotitan mayorum, a creature that walked South America around 100 million years ago. There is also Scotty, the largest Tyrannosaurus rex ever found.

Kids also get to learn about the disappearances of more recent animals like the cream-coloured giant squirrel, which is extinct in Singapore.

There are plenty of other things for them to do besides gawk at the gigantic exhibits. They can go to stamping stations and decorate a postcard which they can take home. There are drawing and colouring stations where they can reimagine prehistoric creatures by adding muscles, textures and colours to dinosaur skeletons.

There is the D.E.U. Dig Pit Experience, where they can pretend to be palaeontologists and use brushes to uncover fossils in a sandpit. It costs an extra $5, but if they find all the different parts of a dinosaur fossil, they can get a prize.

Hot tip: Pair your visit with a screening of dinosaur film Amazing Dino World 2 at Science Centre Singapore’s Omni-Theatre.

These require separate tickets, but bundled packages are available. For example, a Dino Explorer Pass for two adults and a child who are Singaporeans and permanent residents ($103.70) includes entry to Dinosaurs | Extinctions | Us, playtime at the D.E.U. Dig Pit Experience, one Omni-Theatre movie and Science Centre.

Parents, note that the attraction is suitable for children five years and above, and strollers are not recommended.

Coastal Life Boat Tour

What: An experiential, first-of-its-kind boat tour that offers encounters with fishermen and floating fish farms along the Strait of Johor.

Where: SAF Yacht Club, 43 Admiralty Road West

When: From Dec 15, 8.30 to 11.30am daily. Meet 15 minutes before the tour starts.

Admission: $150 a person, minimum of four people a trip. Go to

str.sg/NxKk

Fun factor: We have probably crossed the Strait of Johor multiple times via the Causeway and Tuas Second Link. But this boat tour opens our eyes to how the waterway located between mainland Malaysia and Singapore also plays a prominent role in Singapore’s seafood story.

A collaboration between tour operator Let's Go Tour and Fish Farmers Association of Singapore, it offers an authentic look at the maritime world and blends heritage, nature and food.

We get up close to fishermen on small boats hauling crab traps and casting nets for sea prawns the traditional, time-tested way.

We also stop by a fish farm on a kelong run by Straits Seafood Company and discover how farmers balance traditional methods with modern technology like net cages, feeding systems and sustainable aquaculture practices.

For example, we learn how local start-up Ento Industries developed a sustainable food supply solution by using food waste and turning black soldier fly larvae into fish feed. Note that participants will not be disembarking from the boat.

The highlight of the boat ride? A sea-to-table seafood tasting session where we get to try freshly harvested mussels, prawns and tilapia.

Hot tip: It gets sunny, so slather the kids with sunscreen, and wear hats and light clothing.

The tour will continue if there is light rain and ponchos will be provided. It will be rescheduled in the event of a thunderstorm.

The ride might get choppy at times, so pack some seasickness pills.

Parc Glen @ Tengah Playground

What: A larger-than-usual playground in one of Singapore’s newest HDB towns.

Where: Next to Block 316B Tengah Road

When: 24 hours

Admission: Free

Fun factor: Tengah might be a new town, but this communal play area has something that used to be common back in the day – a sand playground.

More than just a sandpit, it also features an impressive kid-friendly obstacle course with climbing towers and rope tunnels.

There are two towers connected by a rope bridge. Kids can also climb up each tower via nets and whizz through enclosed slides.

Hot tip: The obstacle course might not be suitable for younger kids, but not to worry, there is another sand playground nearby at Parc Clover @ Tengah (Block 319B Tengah Park Avenue), with smaller swings, slides and play huts.

For maximum fun, do not forget to take along toys like buckets, shovels and sand moulds.

Pressed In Pixels

What: The world’s first live herbarium digitalisation gallery is located at Singapore Herbarium in the Botanic Gardens, where visitors can watch botanists build a digital database of some 800,000 specimens.

Where: Level 1 Botany Centre, Viewing gallery at the Singapore Herbarium, Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road

When: 9am to 5pm, Mondays to Fridays, until Aug 28, 2026. Closed on weekends and public holidays

Admission: Free

Fun factor: Through glass walls, kids get a behind-the-scenes look at how botanists preserve specimens and study plant diversity.

They can then get busy themselves by pretending to be botanists. The hands-on activities include examining plants using magnifying glasses and spotting details with ultraviolet light.

They get to marvel at how beautiful seeds, flowers and leaves can be as seen through kaleidoscopes. Kids can also build their own plants with magnetic plant parts and take photos with their creations as a memento.

It feels like a fun science lesson. They learn about identification and classification of plant specimens as well as the differences between similar-looking plants, such as jackfruit and cempedak.

Hot tip: After visiting the gallery, take a scenic 20-minute walk through Botanic Gardens to Botanical Art Gallery (Gallop Extension) for Pressing Plant Matters, a commemorative exhibition that celebrates 150 years of the Singapore Herbarium.

This free exhibition, which opens on Nov 28, is on until Nov 30, 2026, from 9am to 6pm daily (last entry at 5.30pm). It will be closed on the last Thursday of every month.