SINGAPORE – Circuit breaker measures in Singapore have been ongoing since April 7, and the struggle to keep kids in home-based learning has proven difficult for many households. But what is there for children to do in the midst of their boredom during the lockdown? They can try a number of fun virtual activities while still being safe at home.
With the circuit breaker measures still set to end on June 1, parents are looking for ways to keep their children busy since they are stuck indoors for about another month. As mentioned in an article by TODAY, one fun activity children can join in is the ‘Learning With Us’ portion of the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS). Kids can get onto the site and explore the different exhibits like the Night Safari or the Jurong Bird Park, amongst others.
According to the director of education May Lok, “As a conservation-minded wildlife organisation, education is a key pillar for WRS and we see our zoological parks as living classrooms for early childhood and multi-disciplinary learning,” catering to a variety of ages from pre-schoolers to primary aged kids.
Ms Lok further explained, “Our online resources include Steam (Science, Technology, Environment, Arts and Maths) components so that children learn other disciplines while learning about wildlife.” She added, “Feedback has been encouraging and parents have welcomed the idea of bringing the zoo right into their homes to vary the learning experience for their children.”
And they aren’t the only ones turning to digital platforms to keep children entertained. Singapore’s National Library Board has a digital resources section that allows kids of all ages to borrow books in almost every genre. They also mention on their FB page that they have weekly storytelling sessions and other home-based activities that kids can explore.
Another great online resource is TickiKids, an online website catering to parents and children that either live in or are visiting Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai. The site is full of fun and entertaining classes and attractions, as well as being a great information source for parents looking for a variety of online activities like coding, dancing, STEM, yoga and tons more to keep their children occupied during the remainder of the lockdown.
Also shared in the todayonline.com article, the National Heritage Board (NHB) has taken it upon themselves to utilize their ‘An Old New World’ exhibition and put it online for those to enjoy it virtually. Found on the Roots.sg site, you can click on the #SGCultureAnywhere X Heritage tab and it leads you into a number of guided tours about Singapore and it’s rich and diverse culture.
According to Jervais Choo, the deputy director of organization design and innovation for NHB, “Digitising our heritage content so that more people can have access to it has always been one of NHB’s priorities and the public has been very receptive to such digital measures so far.” He iterated, “Especially during these challenging times, we hope that the digital offerings we have lined up will provide a much needed ‘culture boost’ to uplift spirits for all of us at home and allow us to take the opportunity to learn something new about the world around us.”
TODAY also mentions another resource, KidZania, which “offers children real-life experiences through realistic role-play activities in a kid-sized City,” as it says on its IG page. But the centre also had to shift to a virtual set up that they’ve chosen to call #KidZaniaAtHome. It now offers art, cooking, and crafting experiences online, as well as offering science experiments and a number of other fun activities.
According to Wayne Lim, the acting general manager of KidZania, the public has adjusted well to the new ways, explaining “Our #KidZaniaAtHome content has been performing above industry average and we are confident that it will continue to perform better.”
The following are a few other sites that offer a ton of online activities for kids to enjoy:
National Geographic Kids: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/
Scholastic: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
Time for Kids: https://www.timeforkids.com/ TISG.