SINGAPORE – Make family time all the more special with these ideas and activities.
CNY Family Fun
Chinese New Year starts on Feb 10, but you can get your kids pumped up about the Year of the Dragon from Jan 26 to 28 at CNY Family Fun.
Organised by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and Singapore Chinese Orchestra at their premises in Shenton Way, the event is themed Engaging Traditions.
At the centre’s concourse, your family can be part of an interactive free performance based on the Chinese folk tale of Nian the monster. Turn up in red outfits to help ward it off.
Make your way to the roof garden for an Instagram-worthy art installation inspired by iconic dragon-themed neighbourhood playgrounds.
You can catch free LED-lit dragon dance shows, try your hand at couplet calligraphy as well as redeem hongbao packets, wall decorations and ice cream.
Do also support the paid activities, such as a storytelling walk and treasure hunt, and shop for apparel and crafts at a bazaar.
Go to str.sg/7nYw for activity details and showtimes.
Dragon’s beard candy-making
Experience the ancient art of crafting dragon’s beard candy with your kid.
The thumb-size traditional treats are delicate threads of malt wrapped around crushed peanuts. Legend has it that they were served to the emperor in the imperial palace during the Qing Dynasty.
Over 1½ hours at Marina Square atrium, you will learn to make it in eight auspicious steps, which start with softening and pulling a hard rock of malt by hand.
Register for the workshop – it runs on Jan 27 and Feb 3, from 3 to 4.30pm – at the mall’s customer service counter.
The fees are $38 for an adult with a child below 12 years old, and include hongbao packets and an ice-cream voucher.
Until Feb 24 at the atrium, you can also pose for photos with 12 adorable Chinese zodiac characters.
Bluey on Disney+
Your family can now watch Bluey on Disney+. Started in 2018, the animated series from Australia follows the canine family of six-year-old Bluey, her four-year-old sister Bingo and their parents.
There are three seasons comprising 150 episodes. The stories are relatable and heart-warming, which is perhaps why many parents enjoy the show too.
In the episode Relax, for instance, Bluey and Bingo get more excited about their hotel room’s bunk bed than hitting the beach during their holiday. And in Show And Tell, Bluey wants to know why Dad is always bossing her around.
