Fun With Kids: Deepavali-themed science experiments, free festive fun at Sports Hub

SINGAPORE – Make family time all the more special with these activities that celebrate Deepavali, which falls on Nov 12 this year.

Discover: Deepavali-themed experiments

Murukku, a circular crunchy snack made of rice flour, is not just an addictive festive food, but also an inspiration for a fun activity that teaches kids about engineering and science concepts.

When kids cut out a paper spiral resembling the snack and lift it, they will be intrigued by how the helical shape rotates either clockwise or anti-clockwise depending on the motion.

Recommended for children from seven years old, this is one of three Deepavali-themed experiments developed by the James Dyson Foundation. It is appliance-maker Dyson’s charity arm, which offers free educational resources and workshops for children.

In another activity inspired by bright festive colours, kids can follow step-by-step instructions to learn how sugar affects water density.

Download the free ideas at

str.sg/iNZa

---

Celebrate: Deepavali festivities at Singapore Sports Hub

Soak in the Deepavali festivities at Singapore Sports Hub’s OCBC Square on Friday and Saturday from 4 to 10pm.

Try your hand at free activities such as traditional rangoli art, where patterns are created on a flat surface using coloured rice flour. You can also paint a diya – an oil lamp made of clay – and take it home.

The stage will come alive from around 4.45pm with cultural performances, including karagam and peacock dances. And keep a lookout for the roving snake charmer from 6pm.

Feeling peckish? Head to the food kiosks to buy delicious treats including pani puri, a street food of fried puff pastry filled with spiced potatoes.

For $8 a person, you can also hop on an open-top double-decker bus which will take you to Little India to catch the Deepavali light-up.

Find out more at

www.sportshub.com.sg/Rangoli-Rhythm

---

Read: Picture book Peacocks Around Little India

It is the eve of Deepavali and a little girl is making patterns with coloured rice in her HDB living room.

Her mother is hanging marigolds and mango leaves on the doorway before placing oil lamps around their home. Meanwhile, her father is frying murukku snacks in the kitchen.

Everyone is getting ready to celebrate the Festival of Lights.

Written by Valerie Pereira and illustrated by Mithula Palanivel, picture book Peacocks Around Little India introduces young readers to local Deepavali traditions.

This is Pereira’s third title in the Celebrations In Singapore picture book series, following Stars On Orchard Road (2022) and Dragons In Chinatown (2023).

The mother of two children, aged four and seven, hopes the series will help kids understand how their friends from other races and religions observe different festivals. The young ones can also talk about their experiences.

Pereira, 33, who is working on the series’ final book about Hari Raya, says: “The heart of each story reminds us of the importance of family togetherness and traditions.”

Get a copy for $14.90 from

epigrambookshop.sg

and major bookstores.