20-26 Jul: Highlights of the week ahead

For kids and the family


Walks in wild places

26 Jul (Sun): Paint Along with Pui San at Sungei Buloh

Conducted by Mr Tham Pui San, a volunteer of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Pui San is an avid artist who expresses his passion for nature through his art work. Bring along your art materials and enjoy learning different drawing techniques at Sungei Buloh.
More in the art in the wetlands blog.

Limited to 20 persons. Register online.

Time: 8.30-11.30am
Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Visitor Centre. Meet at Api Api Lab (Kranji Way entrance)
Website: http://artinwetlands.wordpress.com/and http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

25 Jul (Sat): Kampong Tour at Pulau Ubin

Take a walk with us to experience Ubin's wonderful natural and cultural heritage. The walk takes about 2 hour to complete. The tour will start at the Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub and take you through the spice trees around Jelutong campsite, Butterfly Hill, Pekan Quarry, Sensory Trail Ponds, Kampong House, Old Bin Kiang School site, Toa Pek Kong Temple and end at the Wayang Stage. You will hear about the use of spices in cooking and the interesting history of the different sites.
Do you know what the Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub was in the 1970s? When was the Toa Pek Kong Temple built? If you would like to know, then this is an excellent introduction to the heritage of the island.

For all ages, children under the age of 13 to be under parental/guardian guidance.

Limited to 4 groups, each group a maximum of 15 people. Register online.

Time: 9.30-11.30am
Venue: Meet at Ubin-HSBC Volunteer Hub, a 10-min walk from Ubin Jetty. More on how to get to Pulau Ubin.
Cost: Guided tours charges: SGD$60.00 / Group (for a maximum of 15 people) Only payment via cheque are allowed until further notice. 4 groups per day allowed, each group can accommodate a maximum of 15 people
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

25 Jul (Sat): Hari Raya Special: Plant and Their Uses in Local Malay Dishes (A Guided Tour for kids)

Ever been awoken by the aromatic smell of local Malay cuisine or savoured the Hari Raya dishes that your friendly Malay neighbours share when they swing by for the festive occasion? Join us for this special Hari Raya Tour and steal some secrets from us!
You will discover that local Malay dishes still keep to decades of tradition when it comes to cooking preparations. Learn how our local Malay community uses fresh plants and various herbs and spices to make local mouth-watering dishes, such as Beef Rendang, Chicken Curry, Ikan Bakar and Satay. You will surely be begging them for a bigger share the next time round!

Time: 10-11am
Venue: Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden, Bukit Timah Core of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Tour will be held at Eco Garden
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/ or call SBG Education Branch at 64719961 & 6465 0196 or through email: nparks_sbg_edu@nparks.gov.sg.

25 Jul (Sat): What's in my mangroves?

Mangrove forests are living borders of the freshwater and salt water. Out of 73 true mangroves species worldwide, 22 can be found in Sungei Buloh. Join us for a lovely morning walk and get to know the mangrove trees and plants of Sungei Buloh.

Limited to 20 participants. Register online.

Time: 9.30am-11am
Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Visitor Centre. Please meet at the Information Counter, Kranji Way entranceWebsite: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401

25-26 Jul (Sat-Sun): Tree Climbing talk, walk and workshop

Bring the whole family for a day of fun and learning. Take part in free talks, nature guided walks and children’s workshops. Be delighted with tantalizing treats at the bazaar and enjoy live music performances every evening.
And come show your support for our Singapore contestants at the Asia Pacific Tree Climbing Championship (APTCC) as they vie for the opportunity to represent the region at the World Championship in USA!

The Greening of Singapore: Talk and Guided Walk

Learn about Singapore’s natural heritage, beginning with a talk on the greening of Singapore, followed by a guided walk to Fort Canning Park, once the site of Singapore’s first botanical gardens.

Young Arborist Workshop

Learn to climb trees under the watchful eye of the professionals and discover the most important knots in arboriculture and how they are used in tree climbing.

Join us in this celebration of our natural heritage!

Register online for free talk and workshop (limited slots available)

Time: 12pm – 8pm
Venue: Cathay Green, Fort Canning Park
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

13-19 Jul: Highlights of the week ahead

Walks in wild places



Go wild on your own!
During the up coming holidays, why not explore our wild places free-and-easy? Great destinations include Pulau Ubin and a wide range of seashores, mangroves and forest destinations. Check out the many DIY Trail Guides on the NParks website. Lots of info for visitors on wildsingapore with tips on how to prepare for a trip, how to get there and what to see and do.

A tip for a long-weekend trip
Our wild places and parks can get VERY crowded on long weekends. The best way to avoid the crowds is to arrive early in the morning and leave early. Our wildlife is generally more active in the morning too!

18 Jul (Sat): What's in my sky?

Birdwatchers, join us in this free guided walk and learn to identify many amazing birds of different species that passes through or make Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve their home.

Limited to 20 persons. Register online.

Time: 9.30am-11am
Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Wetland CentrePlease meet at Information Counter, Neo Tiew entranceWebsite: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401

18 Jul (Sat): Nature Appreciation Walk at Lower Peirce

Re-discover the wonders of Lower Peirce through this free nature appreciation guided walk. Along the shady, cool boardwalk, discover and learn about the amazing plants and animals that can be found along the trails.
Keep an eye out for pitcher plants, Macaranga (Ant-plant) and Nibong palms as well as macaques and on lucky days we might even get spot the Flying lemur (Colugo) in action. Gain a greater appreciation of Singapore’s rich natural heritage and the need to protect it for our future generations.

What to bring: Water, rain gear, umbrella, hat
What to wear: Comfortable T-shirt, long pants, and covered hiking shoes
Group Size: Max 15 participants per group

All Participants needs to be registered. Register online.

Time: 9.30-10.30am
Venue: Lower Peirce Board Walk. Meet at entrance of Hevea Trail.
Website: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/

17 Jul (Fri): Istana Nature Guided Walk

Sign up for the Nature Guided Walk during the Istana Open House on Hari Raya Puasa. This guided walk is a collaboration between the President’s Office and the National Parks Board (NParks), which will showcase the Istana’s flora, fauna and biodiversity.
The guided walk starts from 10am to 4pm, and is conducted hourly. Please look out for signs on the Istana grounds to find out where you can register for the guided walk.

Register online.

More details about the Istana Open House on the Istana website and Channel NewsAsia.

Time: 10am to 4pm every hour.
Costs:
$2 for each child aged 3 years & above.
$4 for Singaporeans / PRs aged 13 and above.
$10 for foreigners (aged 13 & above).
Family package, $12 for Singaporeans / PRs (family of 4) and $30 for foreigners (family of 4).
Please make the payment on the spot on the event date itself.
Each guided walk group can take up to 12 people

17 Jul (Fri): Mandarin guided tour at Sungei Buloh

Join us for a morning guided walk around the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

This guided walk is suitable for everyone, including families with children.  Register online.

The walk will be cancelled in the event of rain. Number of participants is limited to 20 people. Minimum number of participants is 5.

Time: 9.30-11am
Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Visitor Centre. Please meet at the Information Counter, Kranji Way entrance
Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401

11 Jul (Sat): City Ramble with Nature Society (Singapore)

For Nature Society (Singapore) members only

Led by Pandian, this 5-hour ramble will take us from the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Terminal to Fort Canning. Traversing the city via rarely trodden paths and roads, we will experience unusual sights and cityscapes seldom seen by the casual traveller.

Please bring along rainwear, good footwear, drinks and snacks.

Not suitable for children below 13 years old.

Time : 8.30am - 2pm
Venue: Meet at the former railway terminal in Spooner Road, off Kampong Bahru Road.
Website: http://www.nss.org.sg/
Contact: email contact@nss.org.sg or call 6741 2036.

11 Jul (Sat): Free Chek Jawa boardwalk tour with the Naked Hermit Crabs

The Naked Hermit Crabs introduce you to Chek Jawa without getting your feet wet. Even though we are not going on to the shore, there is still much to see and enjoy. There are monitor lizards, fiddler crabs, spiders, rare plants, wild boar, mudskippers and lots of fruit trees. If we are lucky, we might even spot the Oriental Pied Hornbill, White-bellied Sea Eagle and the giant Atlas Moth.
Not more than five persons in a group, pre-register with this online form.

More details on the event and how to get to Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin on the Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs blog.

Time: 9.30am meet at the Chek Jawa Info Kiosk, Pulau Ubin.
Duration: Two hours
Cost: no charge for now, but donations accepted.
Website: http://nakedhermitcrabs.blogspot.com/
Contact: nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com

11 Jul (Sat): A walk with your neighbours - the macaques of MacRitchie

The long-tailed macaques are the most conspicuous animals at Macritchie Reservoir Park. Although commonly seen, they are very misunderstood. Few seeing them realise anything about the social world these monkeys live in. They have kin networks, power struggles, friends, foes, and an otherwise complex social network. In many ways, they provide a mirror of our own sociality.
If you would like to learn more about your community and the interesting world of your neighbouring macaques at Macritchie, please join our free walk, led by experts from the Jane Goodall Institute Singapore.

Suitable for adults and children above 8 years.

Register at sg.monkey.walk@gmail.com, at least 3 days in advance. Do provide us with your preferred date, name, contact number (in case of cancellation, we will contact you), number of adult and children participants (at most, 5 participants per registration). Upon receiving your registration, we will reply with a confirmation email. The walk will be cancelled if there is bad weather 45 minutes before the walk.

Time: 5-6.30pm
Venue: Meet at Mushroom Cafe at Macritchie Reservoir Park. The walk will be at Macritchie Reservoir Park, Lawn @ Paddle Lodge
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

11 Jul (Sat): What's in my water?

What's that swimming in the water? A fish, a worm, an insect or a crocodile!? Join us for an interesting morning walk getting to know the creatures and plants that lives in and around the water edges of Sungei Buloh.
Limited to 20 participants. Register online.

Time: 9.30am-11am
Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Visitor Centre
Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401

4 Jul (Sat): Art in Nature at Dairy Farm Nature Park

Get ready to busy yourself with sketchpads and paint brushes at Dairy Farm Nature Park. Volunteer leader, Jerome Pang will be sharing and guiding volunteers and participants to develop their art skills while raising awareness on conservation and native biodiversity.

Suitable for adults with art background. Each session a maximum of 15 people.

Register online.

Time: 9am - 12noon
Venue: Dairy Farm Nature Park, Wallace Education Learning Lab (WELL)
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

4 Jul (Sat): Let’s Discover Plants and Animals - a guided tour for kids

Do you know that the garden is not only a home to plants, but also many fascinating animals, such as, birds, frogs, squirrels, butterflies, dragonflies, ants and earthworms? Be amazed by the many different types of animals you can find in the Singapore Botanic Gardens! Learn fascinating facts about wildlife in the Gardens and pick up tips on respecting them in nature and our environment. You may even have the chance to get up-close-and-personal with an oriental whip snake and a monitor lizard too!

Suitable for children in K1 - P6 levels. Register online.

Time: 10-11am
Venue: Botany Centre, Tanglin Core of the Singapore Botanic Gardens
Fee: $6 per child and $6 per accompanying adult
Website: http://www.sbg.org.sg or call  Education at 64719961 or nparks_sbg_edu@nparks.gov.sg 

4 Jul (Sat): What's in my mud?

The mud at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a key habitat for the plants and animals. This unique habitat is full of surprises!
Get close and personal to the mud and observe the rich biodiversity; critical to the ecosystem at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Join us for an interesting free guided walk featuring our lesser known creatures of the mudflats in Sungei Buloh.

Limited to 20 participants. Register online.

Time: 9.30am-11am
Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Wetland Centre, meet at the Information Counter.
Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401