Children's Season is back in 2022 and it will be the very first night-themed edition with storytelling, craft sessions and more!
Venue: Museum Roundtable Members, list below
Date: 28 May to 25 Jun 2022
Fee: Free and Paid
This mid-year school holidays, be prepared for the first-ever night-themed Children’s Season! The Night Is Young, runs from 28 May to 26 Jun 2022 and aims to provide cultural and educational experiences that will educate and inspire both the young and their families on Singapore’s heritage.
Participants can expect to enjoy a range of family-friendly offerings of more than 100 exhibitions, programmes and activities by participating Museum Roundtable (MR) museums. The night-time programming offer families more
options to spend time together, especially for working parents, as they can choose to come to the museums during the day or at night – or maybe even both times!
Some figures for you to digest before going to the programmes
- Total no. of programmes: 109
- 95 physical and 14 digital events
- Approx. 50% are free
- 24 of the programmes will be in the evenings
Museums & Artefacts Come Alive After Dark
An example of an after-dark event is Artefacts Alive! Held across five Saturday evenings from 28 May to 25 June, families can explore the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), Indian Heritage Centre (IHC) and National Museum of Singapore through dramatised night-time storytelling and craft sessions, as storytellers regale them with tales of adventure – of majestic birds, royal celebrations, and mischief makers – inspired by each museum’s artefacts. As part of the programme, participants will also get to create a glow-in-the-dark handicraft, tailored to each story and based on the selected artefacts, and take home a memento of their visit to the museum.
The programmes under Artefacts Alive! happen at 6 pm to 7 pm and 7.30 pm - 8.30 pm on the following date:
- The Strongest of them All (4, 11, 18, 25 June 2022) – at ACM, where families will explore the museum’s Court & Company Gallery and within it, hear the story of a very tiny royal princess and her quest to find the strongest suitor, and how she learns that strength can appear in different forms.
- The God of Birds (28 May, 4, 11 June 2022) – at IHC, which follows the story of the ancient legend of Garuda, a mighty eagle which protects the birds in the forest from harm, and shows compassion to fellow creatures, large and small. Kids can expect a storytelling session, a workshop to create a glow-in-the-dark Garuda, and a maze filled with curious questions!
- The Runaway Kueh (28 May, 11, 18 June 2022) – at the National Museum of Singapore. Inspired by the children’s story of The Gingerbread Man, the story follows a naughty kueh who runs away from the kueh seller’s kitchen, and how different personalities like an amah, a night soil collector, and a rickshaw puller help to chase after it. Families can find out more about Singapore’s early settlers included in the story at the installation at the Glass Atrium.
Register for the programmes here!
Or how about a visit to the Gem Museum for the Night at the Gem Museum, held every Friday night from 7pm to 10pm, for the month of June. The lights in museum will be dimmed during those hours, and visitors can explore the museum and discover mysterious luminescent minerals and gemstones, assisted by UV and LED torches.
Not Just Night - But Day Activities Too
28 museums island-wide will also be offering a slew of daytime offerings as part of Children’s Season 2022. These include IHC’s Enchanting Forest programme which centres on creatures of the forest, featuring a huge maze, an activity kit comprising two craft activities, a diorama workshop where participants can create a Magical Forest Diorama, a guided tour by students of Nan Chiau High School, and face-painting featuring designs inspired by the enchanting forest theme.
Or head over to the National Museum of Singapore to visit Get Curious! Our Early Settlers which will comprise fun, interactive installations and activity stops to take children aged 3 to 12 back in time to explore the trades and occupations of our early settlers, including a rickshaw puller, amah, rubber tapper and food peddler. Children and their families can engage in fun and educational activities together to learn more about the early settlers’ trades and legacy.
For a full list of programmes, please refer to the programme booklet.
Stamp Collection Passport
For those who enjoy the challenge of a stamp rally, have a fun day out with your family and friends visiting participating museums to collect their uniquely designed Children’s Season 2022 stamp collection “passport” and kick off their journey to collect all 23 uniquely designed passport stamp imprints.
While the stamps can be viewed as they are, there will be an added element of surprise as they also glow-in-the-dark under UV light, in line with the night-theme for Children’s Season this year.
For more information, see here, and for the full list of museums participating can be found here.
