SingaporeMotherhood | Family Fun
January 2015
KidZania: More than just costumes and props
“If I can dream, I can act. If I can act, I can be.” This, in a nutshell, is the ideal that KidZania holds for children everywhere. And when KidZania Singapore opens on Sentosa’s Palawan Beach in the second half of this year, this city for the pint-sized promises to empower and inspire our young ones to pursue their career dreams – be they in piloting, dentistry, the culinary arts, DJ-ing, manufacturing, entrepreneurship, innovation, or more.
Spanning 7,600 square metres, KidZania Singapore will be the first freestanding centre of its kind, and the only one on a resort island. But it’s not just another theme park. KidZania bills itself as a “family edutainment centre” where children from four to 14 years can learn about the real world through role-playing activities in at least 80 occupations.
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This is how it works:
• Each child’s journey begins at the airport.
• Each guest is given a boarding pass for admission.
• Kids receive kidZos (the official KidZania currency) and an ATM card.
• Kids pick an occupation of their choice.
• ‘Zupervisors’ guide them on what it takes to do the job.
• Kids put on a uniform, begin role-playing, earn, spend or save kidZos!
But KidZania goes beyond costumes and props. As in the real world, workers – the kids – are compensated for their labour. As in the real world, they pay for other products and services that they consume. As in the real world, some jobs come with higher financial returns than others.
As they embark on their pursuit of professions, kids begin to notice these differences, learning, we hope, about the importance of completing tasks to earn their rewards, which they can save or spend, or even use to get a degree at the KidZania National College.
Excited? We certainly are!
And as we wait these few months till the unveiling of the city, here’s a sneak peek into what’s building up inside for kids to do:
• Candy Specialist – creating their own sugary confections and bringing their hand-made candy home at the Sticky Candy Store.
• Food Scientist – at the Abbott Milk Innovation Lab, where children can learn about the science and processes behind the creation of growing up milk, and package their own.
• Radio DJ – going on air to play top 40 hits, presenting the news, and co-hosting programmes with Kiss92 DJs. They’ll get to bring a copy of the recording home too.
• Store owner – of a 7-Eleven Convenience Store, where they can operate a cash register and print actual receipts. Kids can also play shopper here, and learn to maximise their budgets.
• Optometrist – at Carl Zeiss & Nanyang Optical, where kids can learn about eye health, find the best spectacle frame for their face shape, and get an eye check.
• Mountaineer – with Camp Challenge, where kids can scale obstacles to reach the highest peak in the city, gaining courage, confidence, and coordination skills along the way.
• Dentist – at the Sunstar Dental Clinic, where they can check for cavities and learn how to keep those pearlies whiter than white!
Previously announced partners include Pizza Hut, The Learning Lab, LoomiFunz, KFC, WTS Travel, Spritzer, Nickelodeon, PictureAir, Maybank, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, Yakult, Canon, The Soup Spoon, and Killiney Kopitiam. There’ll certainly be lots for every child to do.
Parents are not left out. Each station takes between 20 and 30 minutes to complete, and children are required to perform the activities on their own. Big humans can enjoy authentic Indonesian cuisine at the Warung M Nasir cafeteria. There’s also a dedicated area for toddlers where the littliest ones can have a go at role-play in their own dedicated space.
Indeed, there’s something for all in the family at KidZania. Can’t wait? Enjoy KidZania Malaysia first, and remember to save some KidZos to use in KidZania Singapore!
Where it’s at: Palawan Beach, Sentosa, next to a 700-room hotel. (Staycation, anyone?)
Getting there: Take the Sentosa Express from VivoCity to Beach Station. If you’re driving, park at the Palawan Beach car park.
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