Marine Cove Playground

One of the latest happening places in Singapore has to be Marine Cove. Since its opening about 3 weeks back, thousands of families have already been there, either to eat or for the playground or just to check out the place.

We are the same. And the playground has indeed wow us.

Just a note for all parents, some of the slides are made of metal, so it’s not advisable to bring your kids to play when the sun is very hot in the afternoon. And of course, bring lots of water!

As you can see, there are some spots of shade for waiting parents or my personal suggestion is to just chill out at CoffeeBean or McDonald’s while the children play (if they are old enough to take care of themselves).

This gentle slope with the molehill pattern is a playing place for younger kids who are learning to climb and to enhance their motor skills.

Some of the usual stuff you will find in playgrounds.

Spiderman ropes.

Futuristic see-saw. You can adjust the black balls in the middle so that even an adult and a child can play with better balance.

The favorite for Joey has always been the swing. There is even a chair-swing for the younger ones.

Maze.

For Jayne, her current favorite is the rock-climbing wall. Looks like I can plan a trip to the rock-climbing place at Kallang Wave Mall, maybe she can inspire me to overcome my fear-of-heights.

One of the best part is the availability of the changing room and wash up restrooms just beside the playground.

The playground will be crowded on the weekends for sure. So if you have the time, make a trip on the weekdays, that way the kids can enjoy more and you won’t be so stressed out too.

Father’s Day Gift

I gave myself an early Father’s Day gift. Spending time with my precious daughter.

Took a day off from work just to bring Jayne out for a 1-to-1 date.

After having a simple lunch, we headed to Gardens by the Bay FEO Children’s Park. We had practically the entire water play area to ourselves.

It’s such a joy to see how she enjoys the simple things, like standing in wait for the water bucket to pour down the water.

   

 

Totally in love with her expressions.

  

 

Swings at the dry area.

  

Suddenly the song changed at the water play area, to one of Jayne’s favourite song – Let it Go. Immediately she was back at the waters dancing all over the place to the music. So cute!

And she did a series of jump shots for me right at the end.

  

Bath, changed and she cleverly asked me to bring her to a café.
Jayne: Papa, do you want to drink coffee?
Me: Hmm.. Why do you ask?
Jayne: Let’s go to a café, so that you can drink your coffee.
Jayne: I can also drink my ice milo… and play games on the phone, ok?
Me: (so that’s the real reason).

Proof that she got what she wanted. Ice chocolate and mobile game time.

 

Well, since it was my Father’s Day gift, I had the best deal in the end.

Gardens by the Bay - War of Roses & Sun Pavilion

Garden Angels’ Media Invite

Till 6 April, Gardens by the Bay celebrates the beauty and romance of the Rose with a new floral display in the Flower Dome that showcases one of the world’s most popular blooms. Entitled “War of the Roses”, the floral display draws inspiration from an event of the same name that took place in 15th century England. The historical “War of the Roses” was a series of civil wars between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that were vying for the throne of England. Its name drew reference to the emblems associated with the two Houses – the Red Rose of Lancaster and the White Rose of York.

 

Transporting visitors to medieval times, the floral display at Gardens by the Bay features two armour-plated knights on horses amidst a battlefield of roses in different colours, shapes and sizes. A battle between the Red vs White.

 

Other flowers complementing the display include Hydrageas, Pansies, Bellis and Alyssums. The “War of the Roses” floral display, which features some 60 varieties of England’s national flower, is part of the Europe leg of the “Gardens by the Bay Goes around the World” series for 2014.

 

 

LATEST PRICKY ADDITION!

With an amazing variety of prickly plants on display, the Sun Pavilion continues the efforts of the Gardens to introduce plants from various regions so that visitors can enjoy a botanical tour of the world. Visitors to the free attraction can marvel at cacti and succulents from semi-arid regions such as Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar.

The Sun Pavilion presents an unusual group of plants that may not be the most visually appealing in the conventional sense, but is no less fascinating. Together with our existing collection of succulents in the Flower Dome, it forms one of the largest cacti and succulent collections in Southeast Asia, and adds on to our horticultural mosaic of plants from different regions of the world.

 

Look out for this special Dwarf Turk’s Cap Cactus when you are walking round the pavilion. It starts off as a green and shiny ball but when it is about to flower, a special structure resembling a cap develops on top of the plant, hence its name.

 

If you still have not noticed, it is my personal favourite to shoot cactus.

And since we are there, we visited the officially opened Far East Organization Children’s Garden too. It’s a 1-hectare fun-filled family element to Gardens by the Bay. The Children’s Garden seeks to encourage interaction with nature in a venue for fun and interactive play through integrated play equipment, water play features and educational programmes in a garden setting.

  

 

You can read more about our prior visit to FEO Children’s Garden here.