National Heritage Board | March And April Happenings!

This March and April, National Heritage Board (NHB) will be running an array of programmes and events for you and your family!

So much is happening in the year of 2023 across the venues managed by the National Heritage Board! Here's a closer look at what you can expect in the months of March and April:

Experiencing Craft and Design through Weaving: A Hands-On Workshop for Families

Photo Credit: HPR

Venue: National Design Centre, Level 2, Training Rooms 1 & 2
Date: 18 March 2023
Time: 10am to 11.30am
Fee: Free admission | Register here

Traditional crafts are part of Singapore’s intangible cultural heritage, and local craft practitioners have long been using intricate techniques to create objects of rich functional, aesthetic, and socio-cultural significance.

Led by ketupat (rice cake wrapped in woven leaves) weaver Anita Tompang and designer Andrew Loh, join the workshop to explore the cultural heritage and design possibilities behind the traditional craft of ketupat weaving.

The workshop will also include an interactive and hands-on session for children to experience the joy of craft-making – with ketupat weaving demonstrations, as well as simple weaving activities using paper strips to make and assemble their own woven objects to take home.

This workshop is part of the NHB’s inaugural Craft X Design programme, which seeks to explore the intersections between craft, culture, heritage, and design.

Recommended for families with children aged 4 to 9. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Celebrate Monuments! St Joseph’s Church

Photo Credit: PSM

Dates & Times:

• 1 Apr 2023, 10am to 11am
• 15 Apr 2023, 12pm to 1pm
• 21 Apr 2023, 11am to 12pm
• 28 Apr 2023, 11am to 12pm

Fee: $5 per adult & $3 per senior citizens/students | Register here

In the weeks leading up to Good Friday, come explore the newly restored St Joseph’s Church at Victoria Street, one of Singapore’s oldest Catholic churches and where thousands observe the grand procession every year during Good Friday. Join a guided tour to learn about the church’s unique Portuguese and Eurasian heritage, and gain insights into the Roman Catholic faith through its awe-inspiring architecture!

Programmes by the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC)

My First Wayang Kulit Show

Photo Credit: Malay Heritage Centre

Explore the wonders of wayang kulit together with Laila in this interactive online game! Get a chance to be a little dalang (puppeteer), put up your first Ramayana performance and get a chance to learn what goes on behind the screen in a wayang kulit show.

Access this online game here for free.

Tales from the Nusantara Storytelling Video Series

Photo Credit: Malay Heritage Centre

Staying home during the school holidays can be a lot of fun with our storytelling series showcasing folktales from the Nusantara (Malay world)! Check out our YouTube Channel for pre-recorded storytelling videos that you can tune in at home or in school.

Activity sheets in both Malay and English are available for download for selected videos.

View the series for free at here.

I am a Little Jewellery Designer

Photo Credit: Malay Heritage Centre

Did you know that a diamond village called “Kampong Intan” used to exist in Singapore? It was bustling with diamond traders and jewellery designers!

Join our friends Laila and Oreo in this interactive video game where you can harvest your own intan (diamond), polish it and set it in a beautiful piece of jewellery. Your creation will also be available for download as an image file to keep forever.

Pssst.. redeem a specially designed sticker at the MHC if you flash your creation- while stocks last!

Access this online game here for free.

Programmes by Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall

Connections Across Oceans: Early Chinese Mutual Aid Organisations

Photo Credit: SYSNMH

Venue: Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
Date: 10 Mar to 10 Dec 2023
Time: Tue to Sun: 10am to 5pm (Last Admission 4.30pm)

In partnership with C.V. Starr East Asian Library, University of California, Berkeley, this exhibition traces the ebb and flow of mutual aid organisations throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in Singapore and San Francisco. Uncover the stories of mutual aid organisations such as Hongmen, locality -based and surname-based organisations and learn about their roles in supporting early Chinese migrant communities.

For more information, please visit Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall’s (SYSNMH) website and Facebook page throughout the period.

Changi Chapel and Museum

Photo Credit: Changi Chapel and Museum

Photo Credit: Changi Chapel and Museum

Address: 1000 Upper Changi Road North, Singapore 507707
Opening Hours: 9.30am to 5.30pm, Tue to Sun (Closed every Mon except Public Holidays, Last admission at 5pm)
Fee: Free admission for Citizens & PRs

The Changi Chapel and Museum tells the story of the prisoners of war and civilians interned in Changi prison camp during the Japanese Occupation. Managed by the National Museum of Singapore, the Changi Museum was revamped and reopened in May 2021. The revamped museum features new content and artefacts, including stories and personal objects collected from families of former internees, presented in an intimate and engaging format. The museum’s narrative is centred on remembrance and reflection, encouraging visitors to contemplate both the hardships that the internees underwent, as well as their courage and resilience in the face of difficulties.

Reflections at Bukit Chandu

Photo Credit: Reflections at Bukit Chandu

Photo Credit: Reflections at Bukit Chandu

Address: 31-K Pepys Road, Singapore 118458
Opening Hours: 9.30am to 5pm, Tue to Sun (Closed every Mon except Public Holidays, Last admission at 4.30pm)
Fee: Free admission for Citizens & PRs

Reflections at Bukit Chandu is a World War Two interpretative centre that commemorates the battle of Pasir Panjang and the men of the Malay Regiment who fought in it, as well as the history of Bukit Chandu itself. Housed in a bungalow that is closely connected to the site’s history, the interpretative centre uses immersive experiences and contextual artefacts to present a multi-faceted look at Bukit Chandu and Pasir Panjang, while inviting visitors to reflect on our nation’s wartime experience and the brave sacrifice of the soldiers.

Programmes by Children’s Museum Singapore

March School Holidays 2023

Venue: Children’s Museum Singapore (CMSG)
Date: 11 to 26 Mar 2023
Fee: Admission to the museum is free for all until 31 Mar 2023.

• Art Viewing: Look to Learn & Learn to Look

Venue: CMSG, Discovery Room (Level 2)
Date: 11 Mar 2023
Time: 3pm to 4pm
Fee: $10 per parent-child pair | Register here

Ever wondered what your children are thinking of when they look at artworks? Join us for an art viewing session and observe children in action as they respond to artworks with their eyes, mind, and body. Pick up helpful tips in using artworks and visual thinking strategies to support your children in developing in their perceptual and conceptual skills. Apart from an art viewing session, your children will also create an artwork inspired by what they have seen.

This programme is helmed by Dr. Jacqueline Chung, Academic Director of Anglican Preschool Services. Jacqueline holds a PhD in early childhood education with a focus on the visual arts, and has 25 years of experience in the sector.

Recommended for children aged 5 to 6.

• Spice is Nice

Photo Credit: CMSG

Venue: CMSG
Date: 11 & 16 Mar 2023
Time: 11am to 1pm
Fee: $10 per child, free for accompanying adult | Register here

Discover more about the spice trade in early Singapore with our facilitators, Chilli and Pandan, as they bring you through the galleries and learn important values such as resilience from our early settlers.

Each participant will receive a Discovery Kit for self-exploration.

Recommended for children aged 5 to 9.

• The Enchanted Garden Party

Photo Credit: CMSG

Venue: CMSG
Date: 12 & 17 Mar 2023
Time: 11am to 1pm
Fee: $10 per child, free for accompanying adult | Register here

Explore the galleries with our facilitators, Ang Ku Kueh and Kueh Dadar, as they invite you to a garden-themed birthday party to discover the flora and fauna in Singapore and various local food enjoyed by different communities in Singapore during birthday celebrations.

Each participant will receive a Discovery Kit for self-exploration.

Recommended for children aged 5 to 9.

• The Adventurers of Mousedeer

Venue: CMSG, Discovery Room (Level 2)
Dates & Times:

• 12 Mar 2023: 10am to 11am
• 16 & 17 Mar 2023: 3pm to 4pm 

Fee: Fee: $10 per adult, free for children | Register here

Found in Southeast Asia, the mousedeer is the world’s smallest hoof animal. He may be small and food to larger animals, but he is clever and knows how to get himself out of trouble. The adventures of Mousedeer will delight young and old with his wit and songs.

Recommended for children aged 3 to 8.

• Let’s Bond!

Photo Credit: Centre for Fathering

Venue: CMSG, Discovery Room (Level 2)
Date: 18 Mar 2023
Time: 2pm to 5pm
Fee: $10 per father-child pair 

Come learn the importance of communication and the important values of family through play! This workshop is specially put together by Centre for Fathering, targeted at families with primary school going children. Centre for Fathering is a charity responsible for the DADsforLife and MUMsforLife movements in Singapore.

Recommended for children aged 7 to 12.

• Drop-In Activity: I Can Be a Water Hero!

Photo Credit: CMSG

Venue: CMSG, Discovery Room (Level 2)
Dates & Times: 

• 4 & 5 Mar 2023: 11am to 12.45pm
• 14,15, 25 & 26 Mar 2023: 2pm to 3.45pm 

Fee: $5 per child, payment to be made onsite

In celebration of World Water Day, join WonderBot on a mission to discover different water sources and its uses in our galleries with an explorer sheet. Upon completion, head to the Discovery Room and make-your-own water droplet pledge band! You can be a Water Hero too!

Recommended age: 4 to 8 years old

For more information and to book tickets in advance, please visit this link. 

Photo Credit: Children's Museum Singapore

Bricks Fundraising - Own a Part of History

Date: Ongoing
Cost: $500 per brick, while stocks last

Make a donation to Children's Museum Singapore and contribute towards the museum's projects, educational and public programmes.

Patrons who donate $500 will be able to obtain an old handmade brick* which was originally part of the extension block for Anglo-Chinese School constructed around 1907.

These bricks were obtained while revamping Children's Museum Singapore's building.

All proceeds will be put into our Education Fund.

Visit this link for more details.

*Bricks are while stocks last.