School’s out: 5 new attractions to check out with the kids

SINGAPORE – Hooray for the end of another school year. It is time to put away the books and get the children out for some family-friendly fun.

Together with my daughters, aged five and 11, I check out five new attractions that launched recently. We encounter cats, Totoro and Pororo, smell the plants at Singapore’s second-largest therapeutic garden and even take a virtual trip to outer space.

Nekoland

What: A cat-themed space by indoor playground company The Polliwogs that includes an indoor playground, a cat interaction zone and a cafe

Where: 04-63 Clarke Quay Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street

When: 10am to 8pm daily

Admission: Under a current promotion, a playground entry ticket for a child and an adult costs $25 for a one-hour session, while a separate entry ticket to the cat interaction zone costs $12 a person for a 30-minute session. Go to str.sg/rMcq

Fun factor: This place is heaven for kids who love cats, or neko, as the feline creatures are called in Japanese.

The highlight is definitely the resident cat room, populated by super-cute cats that Nekoland has adopted, each with its own distinctive look and personality.

The snaggletoothed Peaches, for example, loves to play with the teaser toys that are available there. Another good-natured one is Berry, a photogenic cat with electric blue eyes.

For kids and adults who are unfamiliar with dealing with cats, fret not. Before you step into the cat zone, a staff member will go through the dos and don’ts of handling the animals. For example, you should pet them only on the head, and pulling their tails is not allowed.

A large portion of Nekoland is taken up by the indoor playground decorated with cat graphics. Kids can easily spend an hour working up a sweat by running through a mirror maze, exploring a tree house, zipping down slides and clambering up the rock-climbing features. There is also a toddler zone for younger tots.

While the children play, parents can hang out at Taro’s Cafe, which has bites like takoyaki and yakitori. If you need to get work done, there are charging points and free Wi-Fi.

The whole place is bright and airy, thanks to the large windows that look out to Clarke Quay and Singapore River.

Hot tip: The cat interaction zone is recommended for those three years old and above, and kids under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Not all the cats are up for playing though. If you see them sleeping or holed up in one of the boxes, leave them be.

While the cats are friendly, visitors interact with the cats at their own risk, so be aware that there is a possibility of bites, scratches, cuts and allergic reactions.

Space Explorers: The Infinite

What: The first of its kind in South-east Asia, this exhibition at the Science Centre Singapore lets visitors experience what life is like as an astronaut on board the International Space Station (ISS) via virtual-reality (VR) technology. This one is for the older kids, though, as visitors have to be at least nine years old.

Where: The Annexe, Science Centre Singapore, 15 Science Centre Road

When: 10am to 5pm (Mondays to Thursdays), last admission at 4.20pm; 10am to 8pm (Fridays to Sundays), last admission at 7.20pm

Admission: Prices start at $28 for children aged nine to 12 and who are Singaporean and permanent residents. Adult prices start at $33 for Singaporeans and permanent residents. Children aged from nine to 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Go to infinite-experience.com/singapore

Fun factor: For earth-bound folks, this is as close as you can get to a trip to the cosmos.

Visitors don an Oculus Quest 2 VR set and walk through a life-size virtual replica of the ISS. Look out for glowing spheres – “touching” them will trigger life-like videos of the astronauts discussing their work and what daily life is like on board the space station. The videos you see are the real deal as they are 3D (three-dimensional) and 360-degree footage taken in the ISS.

You can even step outside the ISS and experience the first spacewalk filmed in virtual reality. The view of Earth beneath you, with an awe-inspiring sunrise and stars around you, is breathtaking. The spacewalk is definitely one of the high points of the whole experience.

Because you roam around freely, the experience will be different for each visitor.

The whole session lasts an hour, 40 minutes of which are spent on the VR experience. There are also exhibits with photos and videos of astronauts and their work, such as Mr Luca Parmitano, the Italian astronaut who has spent 366 days in space.

Look out for videos of the launch of Artemis I, the US’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s first mission in a series that will lead to humans exploring the Moon and Mars.

Hot tip: For those wearing glasses, you can keep them on when you wear the VR headset. From my experience, there is a slight discomfort in the first few minutes, but you will get used to it. Better yet if you have the option of wearing contact lenses.

Be careful not to bump into other visitors – you will see them as human-shaped figures with different coloured glowing spheres on their chests. If you need help, look for the ones with green spheres, as these are staff members.

Therapeutic Garden at West Coast Park

What: The second-largest therapeutic garden in Singapore, covering 7,600 sq m, recently opened in West Coast Park. It includes a zone specially for children.

Where: Area 2, West Coast Park, parallel to West Coast Highway

When: 24 hours

Admission: Free

Fun factor: West Coast Park has always been a fun destination for children, thanks to its array of play activities such as a flying fox and rope pyramid.

The therapeutic garden is the latest addition to what National Parks Board (NParks) has described as the “play centre of the West”.

Like similar green places across Singapore, the therapeutic garden is designed to help people of all ages improve their physical and mental well-being by connecting with nature.

It features a Children’s Zone with classic play activities such as swings, a merry-go-round and sand pit. It is also an inclusive space that caters for kids with special needs and has quiet, cosy spots for those looking for a hideout and some downtime.

Another fun thing to do is to get the kids to look out for the many plants there. Head down to the sensory path and spot colourful plants such as Bamboo Orchid and Purple Sage. Or get them to smell the fragrances of the Golden Gardenia and Golden Rod.

Hot tip: West Coast Park is huge. If you are driving or taking a taxi or private-hire car, alight at Carpark 2 – the entrance to the therapeutic garden is a few minutes’ walk away. If you are taking public transport, there are no MRT stations within walking distance, so the best bet is to take buses 175 or 176.

Another landmark is the McDonald’s outlet about a five minutes’ walk away, which is also a convenient destination when the kids get hungry.

The World Of Studio Ghibli

What: An exhibition featuring 16 large-scale re-creations of scenes and characters from 11 films made by Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli, including My Neighbour Totoro (1988), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) and Spirited Away (2001)

Where: ArtScience Museum, 10 Bayfront Avenue

When: Until Feb 2, 2025, 10am to 7pm (Sundays to Thursdays), 10am to 9pm (Fridays and Saturdays)

Admission: Mondays to Thursdays except for public holidays, $29 (Singapore resident adults) and $24 (concession); Fridays to Sundays and public holidays, $39 (Singapore resident adults) and $34 (concession). Go to str.sg/g7KY

Fun factor: This is a must-go if your kids are into Studio Ghibli films. Many of the exhibits make you feel like you have just stepped into the set of its most popular films.

These include some of the films’ most memorable scenes. You can pretend to be Chihiro and sit next to No Face and recreate one of Spirited Away’s iconic sequences. In fact, there is enough space on the train seats for a whole family.

Another popular exhibit, judging from the queue of people waiting to take photos, is My Neighbour Totoro’s bus stop scene, where you can pose with a red umbrella next to the film’s titular character.

You can also see detailed box art installations specially made for the exhibition that features frames from the movies.

Visitors can make their own souvenirs, such as drawing the soot sprites from Spirited Away, as well as create their own thaumatropes, which make optical illusions.

Hot tip: You do not need a ticket to see the titular mermaid-turned-little girl character from Ponyo (2008). A life-size figure of her running while balancing on top of blue fishes is found at the lily pond right outside the ArtScience Museum.

The designers have also slipped in some local delicacies in a recreation of a scene from Spirited Away, so look out for durian and chicken rice in No Face’s spread of food.

There are QR codes that will launch an audio trail using your own mobile device and earphones. You will get to hear stories about the making of the films, as well details of the characters and scenes.

The ArtScience staff are helpful – not only did they offer to take photos when I went there with my family, but they also guided us in recreating the exact pose from the films. Stills of the actual scenes from the film can be found beside the exhibits.

The exhibition is spread across two levels. Head down to Basement 2 first for scenes from films such as Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), Castle In The Sky (1986) and My Neighbour Totoro, and then go up to Level 3 for films like Kiki’s Delivery Service, Spirited Away and The Boy And The Heron (2023).

Pororo Park Singapore

What: The theme park at Marina Square based on the popular South Korean cartoon character Pororo and his friends recently went through a renovation and added new offerings

Where: 02-29 Marina Square, 6 Raffles Boulevard

When: 10.30am to 8pm daily

Admission: From $38 for a child (aged below 12) and an adult for two hours of play; $10 for additional adult and $10 for babies below nine months. Go to str.sg/HkJM

Fun factor: The revamped Pororo Park now has Tong Tong’s Theatre, an indoor theatre that has live performances and a bubble party.

The kids go wild when the characters from Pororo & Friends appear and make time to interact and take photos with them. There is a lot of dancing involved, and I like that the music level is just about right, not too loud that it becomes annoying, but not too soft either.

There is also a new outdoors-themed play area, Harry’s Campsite. Kids get to pretend to toast marshmallows over a campfire, play around in actual tents and chill on foldable chairs.

Rody’s Store, where you can buy Pororo & Friends merchandise such as plush toys and balloons, has been moved to a pop-up retail space in front of the entrance.

Repeat visitors will be pleased to know that Pororo Park still has its trademark play areas, such as the Pororo Express Train ride, inflatable playground Crong’s Backyard and the Hinoki Pit sandbox.

Hot tip: You do not have to leave the venue if the kids are feeling peckish. The in-house cafe, Loopy’s Cafe, is still there, but it has moved near the entrance and features an extended menu. The new items include waffles with Sogurt frozen yogurt (from $16.90), pastas (from $15) and sandwiches ($15.90).