31 Aug-1 Sep: Free Wayang shows at Pulau Ubin with free ferry rides

Come to Pulau Ubin for authentic traditional wayang in celebration of seventh month "hungry ghost festival"

This is NOT a special performance put up for the public, but a part of the way of life of the residents of Ubin. Here is a chance to take part in a dying tradition. Take a bumboat to Pulau Ubin and enjoy what may be the last of these performances. You can also enjoy a sumptious dinner at the restaurants there before or while watching the show.

Free boat rides to Ubin from Changi Point Ferry Terminal from 6.30-10pm and Ubin to Changi from 8-11pm (8.30pm on 1 Sep).

Thanks to the alert by November on the Pulau Ubin Stories blog who got the information from Alan Tan.

More about Pulau Ubin and how to get there and about wayang at Ubin on the wildsingapore website. More about Wayang at Pulau Ubin also on the ubin.sgkopi blog.

30 Aug (Thu): Green Drinks features Seagrasses and Aqua Republica

Siti of TeamSeagrass will share about how seagrass is more than just green stuff in the sea!

Seagrasses at Changi Beach!

Learn about the vital role seagrasses play in maintaining the health of marine ecosystems, the changing face of seagrass landscapes in Singapore and it’s potential for combating climate change.

Also speaking at the event is Chengzi Chew of DHI Group who will speak about Aqua Republica, a new online strategic game that taps into social networks and the phenomenon of serious games. It helps raise awareness and educate stakeholders of the importance and challenges of managing limited natural resources in the face of multiple and often competing demands in the drive towards sustainable development.

About Siti
Siti is the science lead for TeamSeagrass and is currently a doctoral student at the National University of Singapore. She hearts all marine habitats equally and thinks you should too.

About Chengzi
Chengzi Chew has been working for the past 4 years as an engineering consultant at DHI Denmark. He has extensive experience in the water business especially in software design and innovation. He has also been leading the serious game initiative within DHI with a pioneer project together with partners like UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) and Serious Games Interactive.

More about the talk on the Green Drinks blog.


Time: 7.30-9.30pm (talk will be followed by Q&A, then mingling)
Venue: Room 903 (Level 9), NTUC Centre, One Marina Boulevard
RSVP: olivia@greendrinkssingapore.com

20-26 Aug: Highlights of the week ahead

For kids the family

• M.A.D. (Make A Difference) for Wild Pigs
• Paint along with Pui San at Sungei Buloh
• Butterfly Walk at Hort Park

Lots of activities are lined up for the September school holidays! Many require pre-registration. Book your places early!

Walks in wild places

• Learning Journey: Heritage Tree and Roads Tour
• Evolution Garden guided walk
• Race Against Time – Science behind a Botanic Garden Tour
• Mangrove walk at Sungei Buloh

26 Aug (Sun): M.A.D. (Make A Difference) for Wild Pigs

A FREE education programme by Cicada Tree Eco-Place

Where do wild pigs live in Singapore? Are there wild pigs that live in other parts of the world? What do wild pigs look like? What do they eat? What may eat them? How many piglets do they usually have? What dangers do they face? How can we live with them? What can we do to conserve them? If we should meet a with a wild pig, what should we do? If you're a kid between the ages of 5 and 10 years, and would like to learn more about wild pigs, then join us for an evening of fun and learning. Take home with you a better idea about wild pigs that live in our midst.

Note: This workshop will not bring you into close contact with wild pigs.

Pre-registration and more details with Celine Low at contact@cicadatree.org.sg giving participants' names, ages & a mobile no. pls indicate which lesson you are signing up for. Additional date: 9 Sep (Sun) 4-6 pm

Time: 6-8 pm
Meeting point: car park at main entrance of lower peirce reservoir park off Old Upper Thomson Road, behind petrol station. Map
Website and contact: http://www.cicadatree.org.sg/

26 Aug (Sun): Paint along with Pui San at Sungei Buloh

Free art-and-nature appreciation at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.

Tham Pui San, a volunteer of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, is an avid artist who expresses his passion for nature through his art work.

Pui San welcomes artists of all ages or anyone who wants to learn. His objective is to encourage creativity while enjoying nature at the same time. Bring along your favourite drawing or painting supplies and enjoy learning different drawing techniques at Sungei Buloh.

More in the art in the wetlands blog.

Time: 8.30-11.30am, meet at Information Counter, Visitor Centre.
Admission charges:While the art session is free, usual admission charges to Reserve apply. $1 per adult, 50cents per child/student/senior citizen.  
Website: http://artinwetlands.wordpress.com/  
Contact: Tham Pui Sam at thampuisan@hotmail.com or the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve at info@sbwr.org.sgor call 6794 1401

25 Aug (Sat): Butterfly Walk at Hort Park

For Nature Society (Singapore) members only

Meet Gan Cheong Weei and the butterfly group at the Hort Park Visitor Centre to check out the butterflies. Vicinity to the Southern Ridges forest and abundance of flowers makes this a good butterfly watching habitat. Common Birdwing, the largest butterfly in Singapore, visits this park almost everyday.

NSS kids attending the walk with their parents will have a dedicated kids guide.

Time: 9.30-11.30am
Location: Hort Park
Website: http://www.nss.org.sg/
Contact: email contact@nss.org.sg or call 6741 2036.

25 Aug (Sat): Learning Journey: Heritage Tree and Roads Tour

In conjunction with the “Trees for Life” Art Exhibition held in Serangoon Public Library from 15 August to 2 September 2012, join us for a tour of some Heritage Trees and Roads of Singapore. Heritage Trees are mature trees of special historical, botanical, social, cultural and/or aesthetic value in society. Through this tour, you can get up close and personal with the trees, which are an important part of our roots as a City in a Garden.

More about the speaker
Gan Khing enjoys looking at trees and has been working in NParks for the past six years. She is now in the Urban Gardening Section/Heritage Tree Secretariat, sharing with the public her passion for trees.

The Learning Journey is limited to 35 participants. Registration is open at golibrary.com.sg, on a first-come-first-served basis.

Time: 2-4pm
Venue: Serangoon Public Library
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

25 Aug (Sat): Race Against Time – Science behind a Botanic Garden Tour

Join this free one-hour tour by our staff to learn more about the Gardens’ research work.

Come and explore the hub of the Gardens' research facilities at the Singapore Botanic Gardens to learn about botanical research. Find out about the urgency of plant exploration, collection and scientific documentation as species and habitats continue to be lost in the region. Visit the Orchid Micro-propagation and hybridisation display and find out how new hybrids are produced. You can also enter the restricted domain of the Herbarium and Library to learn about the valuable historical treasures they hold for science and posterity.

Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis at the Green Pavilion, Botany Centre. Limited to 20 participants.

Time: 10-11am
Meeting point: Green Pavilion, Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/
Contact: NParks_SBG_Visitor_Services@nparks.gov.sg.

25 Aug (Sat): Evolution Garden guided walk

A free guided walk of the Evolution Garden at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a 1.5-hectare area dedicated to telling the amazing story of how plants gave us life, and how, long before we humans arrived, they started to evolve into the myriad complex life forms that we see today.

Take a journey through time, from the fiery planet that our world was in ancient times before memory, through the planet of dinosaurs, and into the modern world of 250,000 different flowering plants we enjoy today.

Journey through time with our volunteer guides in this one-hour tour.

Suitable for kids.

This walk is held every fourth Saturday of the month. Please register 15 minutes before the tour. Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis at the Visitor Centre.

Time: 9am
Venue: Register at Visitor Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens before the tour starts.
Website and contact: http://www.sbg.org.sg/ Visitor Services 6471 7361

25 Aug (Sat): Mangrove walk at Sungei Buloh

Free guided nature walk along the Mangrove boardwalk under shady mangrove trees. Spot mudskippers, crabs and other marine life, learn about our mangroves, enjoy views of the Johor straits.

Suitable for young children.

Registration is not required for small walk-in groups. But each walk is limited to 15 persons per guide and is on a first-come-first-served basis. The walks are weather permitting and may merge with other activities at the Reserve. Those coming with large groups are advised to pre-register.

More about the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on the wildsingapore website and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve website. This walk is conducted by the volunteer guides of NParks' Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and is held every Saturday.

Time: 9.30am for walk in guests, register at the Visitor Centre.
Tour duration: One to one-and-a-half hours. Suitable for young children.
Entry charges: While the walk is free, admission fees to the Reserve apply: $1 per adult, 50cents per child/student/senior citizen.
Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401