ST’s Little Red Dot marks 20th anniversary with Big Day Out at Singapore Oceanarium
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Pupils from St Francis Methodist School (International) playing the Seahorse Nursery game at Big Day Out at Singapore Oceanarium.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – On the morning of Oct 28, Trevis Tay found himself competing in games and challenges all over the Singapore Oceanarium.
Among other fun activities, the 12-year-old fished letters out of pools filled with recycled plastic waste and used his body to spell the names of the manta rays.
“I think the seahorse nursery, where we had to transport ping pong balls using a plastic spoon (clasped in the crook of) our elbows, was the hardest,” said the Palm View Primary School pupil.
“It required us to have the most teamwork and coordination, and we actually dropped the ball once.”
The Primary 6 pupil was competing in Big Day Out, the signature event of Little Red Dot, a weekly primary school publication by The Straits Times.
Previous events have been held at the National Museum and the ArtScience Museum, among other locations.
Big Day Out was refreshed in 2025 to celebrate Little Red Dot’s 20th anniversary. The event was organised by ST and Singapore Oceanarium at Resorts World Sentosa.
In total, 70 primary school pupils, grouped in teams of five, raced around Singapore Oceanarium to solve a missing shark mystery.
They also played ocean-themed games and answered questions about the vast array of marine life on display.
Pupils from St Francis Methodist School (International) fishing letters from pools of recycled plastic waste while they play the Rescue the Animals game during Big Day Out at Singapore Oceanarium.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Trevis said: “The fact that we had to compete in activities and games, and also admire the fish in the tanks – I didn’t expect it to be so fun.”
Other pupils ST spoke to said they, too, found the event educational. Dazhong Primary School pupil Mikha Fang, 12, said: “I got to learn about many animals like sea jellies that I didn’t know before.”
Each member of the winning and the second-best teams walked away with goodie bags that included Singapore Oceanarium merchandise such as plushies, travel bags and water bottles.
A team of five pupils from Palm View Primary School, including Trevis, were declared the winners. Winning team member and Primary 6 pupil Chan Jing Ji said she was pleasantly surprised by her team’s victory.
Primary school pupils playing the Sea Jelly Freeze game at Big Day Out at Singapore Oceanarium
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
“We overheard some teams saying that they had finished the question booklet. We didn’t manage to finish and had to guess some of the answers too,” Jing Ji added. “We’re happy and proud of ourselves for winning.”
Pupils were also encouraged to strut their stuff during the event in costumes made of recyclable materials adhering to the theme “Seas the day!”
Bendemeer Primary School’s Zaafirah Zulaikha (left) dressed as a sea jelly with two of her teammates at the event.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Bendemeer Primary School pupil Zaafirah Zulaikha came dressed as a sea jelly alongside two team members.
Her outfit – a hat made from a recycled hard plastic container adorned with streamers that mimicked a sea jelly’s tentacles – took her four hours to make.
Said the 12-year-old: “It looks very nice, but it was also easy for me to make.”
Dazhong Primary School’s Kastle She in her turtle costume (right) posing with schoolmate Mikha Fang.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Dazhong Primary School pupil Kastle She came dressed as a sea turtle whose shell had become entangled in marine litter.
She used recyclable materials, such as bottle caps and empty toilet rolls, to mimic the rubbish commonly found in the ocean.
The 12-year-old said: “I wanted my costume to highlight the dangers that turtles are facing in the ocean right now.”
No pupil went home empty-handed as exclusive goodies such as Little Red Dot trading cards, lanyards and custom-made badges were given out during the event.
Bendemeer Primary School teacher Regina Kaur said the event was a nice post-PSLE treat for her pupils.
Ms Kaur added: “The event was interactive and informative. It was a chance for my students to learn in an environment outside the classroom.”
Director of education at Singapore Oceanarium Ng Hsiao Feng said: “The hands-on challenges at Big Day Out are thoughtfully designed to spark curiosity and awareness about fascinating marine animals such as sea jellies, seahorses and manta rays.
“We hope this experience will inspire young marine enthusiasts to dive deeper into the wonders of ocean biodiversity and understand the importance of protecting our blue planet.”
The team came up with a storyline and questions that weaved together themes like conservation, animal rights and scientific discovery, which are issues pupils would have encountered in the news, said Ms Serene Luo, editor of Little Red Dot and other student publications.
“And we hope that the contemporary issues continue to stay with them, long after the adrenaline of the games has faded away.”
