Category: playground

Young kids, Old Dragon

A few Sundays ago, we pop by Toa Payoh’s Dragon playground with our friends from CheekieMonkies. Someone from NTU is doing their thesis project and they have decided to document the old playgrounds of Singapore πŸ™‚

Not many families bring their young kids to the old playgrounds anymore, that could explain why Daddy Kelvin and Andy were involved (Read our Old Playgrounds exploration from 2011).

While the old men yak about their childhood memories and heritage, the kids are more interested on the slides πŸ™‚

Daddy wonder what were the questions posed to the kids?
How would they relate to 30-years old playgrounds?
Would the kids prefer old or new playgrounds?
How would today’s kids define their own childhood memories?
.

It is not all serious business, kids are free to roam around the Dragon’s lair πŸ™‚
Remember how Xin use to hate the sand, she has grown more adventurous.

Video : With six kids around (+1 dozing Diva), Toa Payoh Playground is never QUIET !

Surprisingly, recording was very smooth, and we did not have any NGs :p

Look at the video above, kids even stockpile their own ammunition on the top of the Dragon! They will then ambush those walking below !

Thank you team NTU, for approaching our families. Besides sharing our passions about old playgrounds, the kids had fun in each other’s company.

During our two hours recording, we spotted at least 5 different groups (including families) dropping by the Dragon. Seems like our Old-School playgrounds are still getting a lot of attention πŸ™‚

More Photos can Stories can be found at the links below :
.
– Lorong 6 Block 28 Toa Payoh Playground
– Project Playground (when young kids meet old playgrounds)
– photos – Toa Payoh Dragon with CheekieMonkies
– photos – 8 playgrounds around Singapore

** updated 2013Apr10 – Team NTU’s Final video is up πŸ™‚

nParks’ Nostalgic Playset @Raffles Place

Imagine Daddy’s surprise when he pops out from Raffles MRT today, to see his childhood Swings, See-saws and even Merry-Go-Round !

Curious passer-by were already trying out the sandy playground, relieving their memories, and getting a dose of nostalgia.

If the boss is not around, Daddy does not mind lazing on the couch.
In the twilight, couples can indulge in each other’s company.

After picking their grandchildren from nearby childcare centers, Grandparents might visit the playsets too. Playgrounds are for everyone young-at-heart πŸ™‚

** snap finger and wakeup **

Daddy suddenly remembers we are not talking about the playgrounds in the usual parks or gardens, we are at Raffles Place Park, the heart of Singapore CBD (Central Business District). We played with the Tongkang sculture back in 2009 πŸ™‚

This year, nParks is celebrating 50 years of Greening.
In 1963, former PM Lee Kuan Yew lay the seed for our Tree-planting culture, starting the campaign to “GREEN” Singapore.

Raffles Place is the stage for “Playsets of Yesteryears”. The old playground hopes to invoke a sense of nostalgia, and relive some of our memories from the 70s and 80s.

In the weeks ahead, you can participate in Yoga, picnic and other activities. Hey, we can even signup to plant 1,963 trees from Jun to Nov !

During our media tour, Ms Latif told us more about each garden’s history. Please pop by Singapore-Memory’s section on irememberParks for more stories πŸ™‚

Video – Raffles Place playground

Go on, fly that paper-eagle, kick that shuttlecock or even munch the kacang-puteh πŸ™‚

There is even a biscuit-tin lookalike letterbox to deposit your memories.

From now till 31Mar, snap yourself having fun at Raffles Place’s playsets and stand to win a limited edition Nets FlashPay card.

Create your own cute and endearing experience, at Raffles Place Park.
(Cute models in photo below are not included)

While roaming around the park, we can compare Raffles place today and yesteryears.

You do not have to rush down to Raffles Place, as the roving exhibit will be at Raffles Place Park for the next two months, before rotating to another park πŸ™‚

We love this “creative and fun” initiative by nParks, engaging the community in shared memories πŸ™‚
Checkout which other parks SengkangBabies have explored over the years, click “Parks and Gardens“.

More information :

– Click for more photos of Raffles Place playset
– More about nParks’ 50 years of Green Singapore campaign
– A new app from nParks, sParks (apps) makes it easier to connect with our parks
– Singapore Memory project
– nParks fanpage

We have covered some old school Dragons, Seals and Elephant old playgrounds too, click for photos.