SingaporeMotherhood | Baby & Toddler
December 2022
Children’s Museum Singapore: 5 Things we Love about this brand new space for Kids
Over the weekend, a new space for children opened in Singapore. That’s Children’s Museum Singapore (CMSG), the first museum here dedicated to children aged 12 years and below. It takes over the former Singapore Philatelic Museum building at Coleman Street, and is a place where children can voyage back to discover old Singapore, explore nature, and celebrate the happiest of birthdays with every local community.
Guided by its tagline “Start with Wonder”, CMSG aims to introduce young children and their families to the museum-going experience. With four permanent galleries on the first level, and three on the second that will be refreshed regularly, children can play, grow, and learn at this ‘starter museum’.
Things to take note of before you go
- Due to limited capacity, visitors are strongly encouraged to book tickets online in advance, or they may not be able to enter if the museum is full.
- Adults MUST be accompanied by a child who is aged 0-12 years old.
- Tickets for December 2022 are sold out. Tickets for January 2023 onwards are available for booking 30 days in advance.
SingaporeMotherhood got a sneak peek at CMSG last Friday before its official launch. Read on for five things we love about the new Children’s Museum Singapore!
(See also: Christmas 2022: Where to See ‘Snow’ and Get all the Festive Feels in Singapore this Holiday Season)
1. It’s a place that children truly can call their own
Conceived in consultation with children, CMSG is a place where young ones can be loud, active, and excited about discovery, without constant reminders to “keep quiet!”, “don’t touch that!” or “don’t go there!” Children are welcome to get hands-on with the interactive exhibits, find inspiration in the stories, and create their own memories of the museum.
2. There’s lots to see, touch, and learn
The journey begins at the permanent exhibition, A Voyage Back in Time. Here, WonderBot, CMSG’s mascot from the future, will ‘teleport’ children through different time periods in Singapore.
They’ll sail through stormy seas with the 14-year-old sea-faring Captain, a virtual companion who assigns tasks such as tying a reef knot, see objects come to life through multimedia, examine artefacts from the National Collection, and learn more about Singapore’s history and evolution from a port city to thriving metropolis.
The journey continues at The Marketplace where children can learn about heritage trades. There are also opportunities for kids to try batik stamping, sit in a traditional barber’s chair, and browse at a mama shop – which comes complete with a Milo tin money holder!
(See also: 19 Year-end School Holiday Activities Worth Your While)
The final gallery – My Neighbourhood – brings us back to the present. As a recreation of a post office, it also pays tribute to the building’s past as the Singapore Philatelic Museum. Here, kids can design their own stamps then watch them come to life in a stamp parade! They can also send ‘packages’ in see-through tubes, and ride a classic postman’s scooter as they pretend to deliver mail to their loved ones.
3. There’s a dedicated space for the littlies aged 1 to 3 years
The Play Pod on level two is a safe space where toddlers and crawlers can explore to their heart’s content. This spacious play area has a child-sized food cart, a crawl-through tunnel, and other play structures just for the littlest ones. There are seating areas where parents and caregivers can watch over their charges without interfering in their exploration. Footwear has to be removed (there is shelving at the side for it) to ensure that the Play Pod remains sanitary for children who are at their crawling stage.
4. Learn about nature in an a-maze-ing garden
Making their way to the second level, kids enter an enchanted maze-like nature wonderland in Imagine A Garden. Featuring paper sculptures of birds and flowers by Colombian artist Diana Beltrán Herrera, this immersive space introduces some of Singapore’s flora and fauna to kids as they navigate their way through the maze. Pretend to be an owl in search of prey in an interactive game, or match birds to their branches on a tree. See insect specimens under a magnifier, and rearrange petals on a magnetic board to create new flower designs.
5. It has the happiest place in a museum!
Last but definitely not the least is the Happy Birthday! exhibition that celebrates every child’s favourite day of the year. Type their name and watch it float across the Happy Birthday board in bright neon. Learn how different local cultural communities in Singapore celebrate the birth of a child. There’s even a station for little ones to try swaddling a baby, as well as a ‘kitchen’ where they can follow a virtual chef to ‘bake’ a birthday cake.
Welcome to the Children’s Museum Singapore!
Did we mention that admission is FREE until 31 March 2023? You will still need to make an online ticket reservation to book a date and a time slot for your visit, and you can do that here. All entrance tickets include admission to the Permanent Exhibition and the current Special Exhibitions. As part of CMSG’s opening, there are workshops and activities on 17 and 18 December 2022. Registration is open; sign-up here.
Children’s Museum Singapore
Where: 23-B Coleman Street, Singapore 179807
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday (closed on Monday), 9am – 1pm & 2pm – 6pm
Gallery admission ends 30 minutes before closing time
Admission: Free, but you will need to register for tickets here before your visit
Images: Children’s Museum Singapore
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