WEST PLAYGROUNDS
Choa Chu Kang Ave 7 Playground
1 March 2017 (visited Nov 2016)
J and I took the LRT to Keat Hong station at Choa Chu Kang to explore the tank themed vertical playground. J enjoyed himself even though he was playing alone and making friends as usual in playgrounds. He especially enjoyed the vertical playscape at Blk 815C and spent quite a bit of time there improving his climb timing to complete the run/climb. I reckon this is meant for kids at least 6 years old because there are gaps between the platforms which require the child to jump so toddlers should not be climbing on this playscape. There was a small slide built into the slope ground near it and a round flat swing which gave him great fun.
Jurong East playground
27 September 2016
*******************************
Zoom Trampoline Park
Visited 20 June, reported 9 Aug 2016
We visited Zoom Park twice in the last 6 months as it was great fun for active kids to expand their energy. Went with a group of friends on both occasions and J enjoyed himself tremendously. We chose Zoom Park as it was not as busy as the others we knew. You can see from the pictures that even on a school holiday weekday morning, it can be not crowded. You will have to wear non-slip socks or buy a pair at $2 from the counter. You can call or book ahead online for slots if you are planning to go down, just in case it's closed at certain timings or booked out. Kids play in 1 hour slots (actually with the amount of energy needed, 1 hour is usually sufficient to tire them out).
The park is sprawling, with an open area in the middle (see top pic) lined with trampolines, when you first enter the park you will see a 'tight-rope' area filled with sponges (see below pic, this was last closed when we visited 2 months back). Near the entrance is the large rock climbing wall (see pic above) filled with sponges, J and friends jumped on the trampoline, did a somersault or back flip and landed up in the sponge pool. Great fun. There is also slam dunk basketball and dodgeball areas that were cordoned for these activities.
Opposite the rock climbing wall is a line of smaller high performance trampolines for individuals to jump as high as possible , one trampoline per person. This park is suitable for ages around 6 and above, it's popular with school going kids and teenagers. There's parking in the park premises (industial building) and nearby HDB. We went to a nearby coffeeshop for lunch thereafter.
200 Pandan Gardens, #01-14, 609336
Phone:6334 4615
*********************************
Civil Service Club - Bukit Batok
Visited 3 March, reported 9 July 2016
Infinity pool and tunnel slide (background)
We have been visiting the Civil Service Club on and off for the past few years. We like it that it's usually not crowded on a weekday or even sometimes on a weekend it's not packed with people.
The above pool is half shaded with a cover at one end of the pool but it's quite deep at 1.5m throughout. My 70 year old mum loves to go for a dip and swim here so she can do her leisurely laps in the shade. This pool is located up steps on the higher level of the club premises. You can see the brown tower structure behind the pool, it's the twisted tunnel which you can use a big tyre float (must hire at $2) to go down very fast, the tunnel ends up in a small pool that is connected to the lazy river on the lower level of the grounds.
Just left of the infinity pool is a nice sized jacuzzi and in between the 2 pools is a slide that does not slide very fast down to a pool below, next to and connected to the lazy river. There is also a kids play pool with a playground structure and a merry go round swing for toddlers to ride on in the wading pool.
The lazy river moves not too fast with a pretty strong current, it goes through 2 mini waterfalls and sprays along the way.
J loves the wave pool that comes on only at 5pm on weekdays on the hour and on weekends.
Kids wading and playground pool
Wave pool (no waves on weekdays mornings)
Slide ends in a plunge pool next to lazy river at background
You can see nicer pics of the swimming pools grounds here in this link.
http://www.cscbukitbatok.sg/swimming_pool.html.
Admission is via members who can bring in up to 5 guests. Besides civil servants, members of the public can take up membership too. There are 3 clubhouses and this one has bowling alley, jackpot room, tennis courts, childcare centre, artzone, spa but we usually only head for the nice pools.
http://www.cscbukitbatok.sg/index.html
location: 91 Bukit Batok West Avenue 2, 659206
******************************************************
Labrador Park and Bukit Chermin Coastal & Nature Walk
20 May 2016
Mid year exams are over, school is almost out! Time to hit the outdoors....we did an evening stroll with J's godparents' family not too long ago at the Bukit Chermin & Labrador Coastal Walk. It was paved all the way and a pleasant short walk of maybe 500-600m one way and back. We walked from the carpark of the Labrador Park all the way to the Bukit Chermin boardwalk where Reflections by the Bay condominium was, passing through the interesting mangrove swamps at low tide behind Keppel Club, seeing various marine life like Monitor lizards and Kingfishers. You can continue the walk all the way to Harbourfront but we were content staying at the Reflections side watching yatches and sail boats past us.
You'll have to pass the Dragon Teeth gate stone to link the Coastal walk to Labrador Park itself. Ended the walk at the sandy playground and field to play frisbee. Some people were fishing and the kids loved to see the catch of the day. The playground was rather traditional with swings, old-fashioned see saw and merry go round. There was a historical fortress and canon platform site and machine gun post too. Kids can view the relics and learn about World War 2.
Check out the map at Nparks
https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/parks-and-nature-reserves/labrador-nature-reserve
You can reach this place via the Labrador Park MRT station.
IMM shopping mall Playground
8 April 2016 (Update)
IMM Shopping Mall's playground at Level 3 has just opened after renovations.
The good:
Water area seems improved with new fittings and play activities.
The bad:
J's beloved Treehouse slide has been removed, he is so disappointed :(
***********************************************
JURONG WEST SWIMMING COMPLEX
6 SEPT 2015
This complex also houses a nice kids' playground for younger kids, the slides are not steep, I believe this playground is catered to under 12 years old. There is a bucket of water that empties from the top now and then when filled up, which the younger kids love to sit or stand under to get fully drenched. The big tunnel slide of a few stories high is also not threatening or fast as it winds down quite gradually , going faster only towards the end into a shallow pool. You may hire a tire float for $2 if you wish to use in the lazy river or the big slide. As at Sept 2015, the big slide is still closed for repairs though.
There is also an outdoor training pool that is Olympic sized (about 1 m throughout with a slope entry for wheelchair access into this pool) opposite the indoor Olympic pool. The only snag is that this pool doesn't have a wave pool.
There is plenty of changing rooms and toilets located at the two ends of the complex.
The photos were taken on a weekday morning, so you can see it's rather empty.
This public pool is located at 20 Jurong West Street 93, nearest mrt is Pioneer.
http://www.singaporeswimming.com/pools/jurong-west-swimming-pool/
************************************************
WEST COAST PARK
3 MARCH 2015
Set in 50 hectares of park land, West coast park has been
dubbed the ‘Play Centre in the West’.
We used to bring our bikes or scooters here on weekends when
we were staying quite nearby years back. We even attended one of NTUC’s inaugural Kite
festival held in this park a some years ago.
This park stretches along
West coast highway in a linear fashion so it’s a long park divided into two
parts – Carpark 1 on the west has a big pond in the middle and ends where the
Dog Run is (J loved to come here to see the dogs exercising when he was a
toddler). Carpark 2 and 3 is where the
BBQ pits, sand bed, Marsh garden (bird watching), fitness areas and the huge
Adventure Playground (highlight of the park for J) is flanked by 2 canals.
One nice feature here is you can run, ride or scoot a
stretch along the breakwaters next to the sea, enjoying the sea breeze
especially on a hot and sunny day. That seaside path ends at the boardwalk
leading into the Marsh land where you can do bird watching (see the Nparks
website for a guide). The cycle and walking paths stretch for at least one to
two kilometres so you can get a decent workout here.
The Adventure playground is huge and has equipment for tots
from 2 to teenagers. For the pre-schoolers and toddlers, there is the regular
playground equipment with small slides and climbing structures, even a Viking ship
and a little fire engine. There are swings, see saws and merry go round.
For school going kids, there more to do especially the climbing and balancing equipment are a plenty. J liked the flying fox and the equipment that allowed him to roll.
We saw groups of children having picnics on the large lawn grounds and people pitching camping tents though you'll need a permit for the latter if staying overnight.
A nice reminder sign to keep myopia at bay, one should go
out to play!
NParks website for West coast park:
************************************
KIDS STOP SCIENCE CENTRE
16 Dec 2014
We thought Kid Stop @ Science Centre may be too kiddy for my 8 year old (it was built for 2-8 years children) but there were some interesting things that J learnt and experienced at Kids Stop.
He liked the tall netted climbing structure that led from the ground floor to the next level where you could experience different sound-making structures. For make believe play, this place was really good as it had a kid sized supermarket complete with items to purchase on shelves, you could play cashier. There was a aeroplane pilot cockpit where you could fiddle with some controls, there was a doctor's surgery theatre set up and a construction site where tots can become Bob the Builder for the day.
J was interested in the Dino bones digging pit but he decided he won't spend time in the sand and get himself all sandy when there were some more interesting things like the Gravity fall structure where he was pulled up to a high level for a free fall slide down - I tried it too, rather thrilling :)
*******************************************************
WESTGATE Wonderland
Visited March 2014, posted 1 June 2014.
There were lower playing small structures that were suitable
for toddlers (yes, I saw some although the sign said 5-12 years old). We were
greeted with a series of flower musical bells which was a nice touch, there was
a long fish with stepping stones to challenge kids’ motor and balance skills. J
sat in a large twirling petal swing.
There were the usual climbing structures
with obstacles, ropes, rings, fireman pole.
The climbing structures led to a
tall treehouse or a big flower pot. One can see that the designer of this
playground strove to tickle the kids’ senses and imagination with the larger
than life plants and garden items. One could feel like Alice in the wonderland
around here.
There was a rock climbing station and a wet play area with a
huge watering can, the place was quite deserted when we were there although it
was a sultry afternoon.
Westgage playground is situated on the 4th level
of Westgate mall in an open terrace and is free admission. See http://www.capitamallsasia.com/en/corporate/media-centre/press-releases/2014/westgate-wonderland-singapores-largest--thematic-outdoor-playground-in-a-mall-opens-tomorrow
**********************************************
KIDS AMAZE@ Jurong Safra
Visited Dec 2013, posted Feb 2014. updated 1 June 2014.
After winning a free ticket to Kids Amaze at the last Halloween party, Jerome decided to invite his godbrothers to join him for a playdate at Jurong Safra Kids Amaze, which according to him, is the best Kids Amaze for their age group (7s). This is because it has super loooo…ng slides which you go down really fast. If adrenaline pumping slides is what you are after, then Kids Amaze Jurong Safra is the place to go.
The playstructure is arguably the tallest in Singapore
spanning 5 levels and 3 storeys high. Standing at the top floor of the
structure, I get a bit dizzy myself. This round, I chose not to pay $2 to
accompany the 3 boys as they are rather old and can more or less take care of
themselves, besides I will be too slow to catch them moving through the
structures. The play structure has the usual climbing soft pads, obstacles and
tunnels though not as many in the big space as compared to others like Go Go
Bambini which is more compact. This structure is spread out because of it’s
height.
It starts at the ground floor where there is a ball shooting
structure just like in other Kids Amaze. You can load balls into a big machine
and shoot it up in the air. You can also help to load balls into another
cauldron machine which transfers the balls to a second level bucket and when it
is full, the bucket will tip spilling all the balls out at the same time, with
kids gathering at the bottom level and squealing in delight as the balls land
on them. As you enter the play structure, there are disinfectant hand wash
dispensers around, which is good hygiene.
As you climb up there are target guns all over, so the boys
love this activity of gathering ‘bullet’ foam balls in small baskets provided
and climbing to a shooting point where they will shoot out at each other or at
targets provided. Some small ‘gangs’ of children will team up to shoot at each
other inevitably.
The super tall slide spans 5 levels and is thrilling to ride
but do take note to fold your arms in or your arms can get burnt from the sheer
speed of the slide if it scrapes the slide. I got ‘burnt’ once going down this
slide. There are instructions signages to remind riders to fold in their arms
at the start of the slide. There are smaller wave slides and a twirling one
which spans only 2 levels, so those may be more suitable for younger kids.
SAFRA JURONG
| CATEGORY ( PlayMaze ) | KIDZ AMAZE MEMBER | SAFRA MEMBER | NON- MEMBER | |
| Child (18mnths ~ 18 yrs old) | MON - FRI (Excluding PH & Sch Holidays) | $7.50 | $9.00 | $12.70 |
| SAT, SUN, PH & SCH HOLIDAYS | $10.70 | $12.85 | $18.00 | |
| Per Accompanying Adult | $2.15 | |||
| Family Package (2 Adults & 2 Children) (only applicable during weekends, PH & Sch Holidays) | $23.00 | $26.75 | $38.80 | |
- Adult Rates at $5.35 each is applicable to adults (above 18 Years Old) who did not come with a child. A minimum of 2 adults are required in order to be allowed admission.
Update: J held his 8th birthday party at Jurong Safra Kids Amaze inviting his whole class and the kids had a blast. The parents gave feedback that the place is huge and could keep 25 eight year olds occupied well because of the long slides, 5 level sof obstacles and shooting guns at every level. We booked Beetle room which looked small at first but could comfortably fit the kids and some parents, we played J's favourite One Direction and Big Time Rush hits throughout the party. The staff stationed during the 3-hour duration were helpful and pleasant although there was no party host or food option available this time for our event. We had to bring in our own food which was quite troublesome.
We gave The Rink a miss this round because we figured that J was the only one amongst his classmates that enjoyed ice skating, we didn't want to have a situation where all his friends were falling over on the ice and hurting themselves, didn't think they would enjoy the party as much, maybe when everyone is slightly older and more can skate.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
THE RINK @ JCube
Visited 27 June, posted 12 August 2013
Individual lesson on J's bday
We first visited The Rink at JCube on the morning of J’s
birthday on 1 June. He wanted to try ice-skating. Although walk-in lessons were
not conducted on weekends or school holidays, we were grateful and impressed
with the staff of The Rink for making an exception for J because it was his birthday.
He had a 15-min introductory course (cost $26) on the basics of ice-skating
with an instructor one-to-one, he was thrilled. He learnt how to fall safely
and to get up, how to maintain balance and glide off. He later stayed and
skated with me in tow (or was it J in tow of mum?) for another hour and I must
say that within the hour, J was able to skate a full round without falling on
the ice.
As you know, when we learn to ice-skate, falling on the
ice is inevitable. So it’s better to learn while you are younger, lest you
suffer some broken bones. If you know how to roller-blade, ski or do in-line
skating, you will be in a better position to learn ice-skating. I had attended
lessons before way back when Kallang was the only ice rink around, so I’m quite
comfortable on ice and could not wait for J to learn how to skate faster so
it’ll be more fun to skate rounds with him.
Skating Camp Level 1
The Rink is an impressive Olympic size ice-skating rink
and it’s well maintained. It’s situated on the 3rd level of JCube
and spectators can actually feel the cold from outside the rink as you eat
alongside the glass walls of the ice rink in one of the many eateries that
surround the rink on one side. If you go to the higher levels where the movie
theatre is, you can also eat at Fish and Co or KFC and have a fine view of the
rink from above, J and I did that a few times and it was fun.
In fact, J was so
hooked on that birthday treat that he asked to sign up for the ice-skating camp
for kids. And so we were back at the Rink on the last week of June where I paid
$171.20 for a 4-day camp for J to learn to better his skills at ice-skating.
The camp comprised of a 45 min lesson, followed by 2 hours of ice skating fun
on the rink including rental of skates. You’ll have to buy gloves at $2 a pair
and bring your own socks. J loved the
feel of the cold air as he learnt to gain speed and confidence on ice. He wants
to come back for stage 2 of the camp during the next hols.
For beginners, you can rent a penguin (for younger kids) or a seal (see pic above) to support you as you try to learn to balance.
Guess where J wants to hold his next birthday party? Yep,
The Rink is it.
************************************
PLAYFUL ELVES
30 April 2013
I chanced upon this indoor playground that is quite new
(opened 2012), tucked away in a corner at West coast plaza. The whole
playground area is not big compared to others like Fidgets, Polliwogs or
Amazonia. This one is quite cozy - a main 2-storey low indoor structure with
a jungle forest theme with the usual climbs and tunnels. This one has a 3-wave
slide and a shaky bridge plus an observation deck. It has a ball dump where
kids send foam balls through a pipe to a ‘dump’ and when the dump is filled,
the balls are released overhead and rain down on them. J would have preferred a
shooting arena for the balls instead.
photos from website
There is a smallish bouncy castle with a
small slide next to the play structure. This playground has a rather decent-size
area for ride-on cars to go, built on a F1 theme race track, suitable for
toddlers and younger pre-schoolers. Toddlers also have role play toys like
cooking sets, doll houses and a wooden train track to play with. At 6, this
place couldn’t really sustain his interest for long, perhaps younger kids 2-5
years would have more fun than J here.
riding zone & bouncy castle
154 West Coast Road,
West Coast Plaza, #02-02/03/04
Singapore 127371
West Coast Plaza, #02-02/03/04
Singapore 127371
Operating Hours: 10am to 9pm (Daily)
Mon-Thur $20 for 2 hour-playtime, $20 for 1 hour playtime on Fri-Sun
Mon-Thur $20 for 2 hour-playtime, $20 for 1 hour playtime on Fri-Sun
Website: www.playful-elves.com.sg
***********************************
HINDHEDE QUARRY PLAYGROUND
Jan 2008 (written on Feb 2013)
I realised I did not include in this blog a playground that
we used to frequent when J was a toddler because it was at our doorstep – the Hindhede
Quarry Adventure playground. These photos were taken when J was a toddler but
the playground still looks the same when we visited last week. My mum still
lives at the foothills of the Bt Timah hill so we drop by now and then for J to
have a go at the flying fox now that he can do it on his own.
The entrance to this playground is on the left of the
information centre at Bt timah hill, there is a boardwalk with directions
pointing you to the Hindhede Quarry. It is not a long walk to the quarry, maybe
10 mins on a leisurely stroll, good time to get in touch with nature and the
dense forest, I found it very therapeutic and come out refreshed after each
visit. Halfway into the walk, you will find directions leading you to 2 play
areas. One is the picnic grounds where there is an open area of grass and a
flying fox. When J was younger, we had to carry him up on the seat and push him
along the flying fox which was great fun for him. Now that he is no longer a
toddler, he can get onto quite easily and push himself off, although a push
from mum would send him ‘flying ‘off faster, which is quite a thrill for him. Definitely
to be played with adult supervision to avoid mishaps.
Further along there is an outdoor playground with a horizontal
climbing web (pic above) where little ones can jump up and down safely like a muted
trampoline (the ‘ground’ does not move that much even with vigourous jumping so
it’s safe). There are swings for toddlers (see pic below) and for older ones (made of
rubber tyres) where the kids can stand and swing (again with adult supervision).
There are some balancing bars and ropes for kids to walk on and a triceratops
in the middle of the area. The whole playground is covered in sand so J used to
engage in some digging and sand play here too, but watch out for big ants which
appear at times.
I was initially very excited when I saw the long metal
slides built into a slope. But the slides were abandoned and not used because
ants were crawling all over and they were filled with many fallen leaves and
small branches and twigs. I guess the guys who planned this playground had good
ideas incorporating the slides into the hill, being part of the nature
landscape but building such slides in a forested area meant that ants and bugs
would make the place their home if it were not cleaned and used regularly, so I
was sorry to see the slides being neglected and not in use for the years I
visited the place. Pity.
When J has gotten his fill at the playground, we will continue
the path towards the scenic lookout point of the quarry. You will find walkers,
joggers, hikers resting at the hut and enjoying the view of the quarry – a most
tranquil spot.
Sometime back, I was toying with the idea of opening up a café
at this nature reserve area as many joggers and walkers would appreciate a pit
stop and cool refreshing drinks/snacks but with the many monkeys lurking around
the area, this may not be such a great idea after all, recalling how my fruits
were often found half eaten on my kitchen floor by these ‘not so welcomed’
visitors.
***********************************
See also my blog on infant-toddler and preschooler child development - sharing from my doctoral studies on early childhood education and my product reviews on kids stuff
Infant-toddler resource blog
Infant-toddler resource blog
*************************************
KIDDY FUN @ turf city
Nov 2012
The place did not look big although the play structures were similar to those of the Singkids japanese play system (these japanese systems are popping up everywhere in Singapore!) with motorised merry go round with the coconut theme, another merry go round in swings, a helicopter that moved from side to side, wind blown vortex balloons in a net structure, spinning cups on a rotating plate . Aside from the merry-go-rounds, bouncy platform, ball pit and perhaps the balloon vortex, there didn't seem to be many things for pre-school kids age range. The website said this place was for kids up to 8 years but I seriously doubt the older kids will be entertained for long here. Jerome mentioned that there was a lack of slides save for a wooden gentle slide and a softer structure low one for younger kids, he was not very impressed with the place possibly because it looked like it catered to younger children (maybe 4 and below) and the place was not big as we could see the entire playground from the front entrance. He didn't ask to go into play, which was quite unusual.
Perhaps a toddler or a younger child will find this place fun (there was a little maze below one of the balloon vortex structures and a water bed), I doubt the 5-7 years range kids will find much to amuse themselves aside from the few things metnioned. They may be better off at Fidgets the other side of turf city. Entrance fee is $18 for 3 hours of play (weekday), 2 hours on weekends for kids above 18 months, kids below 18 months pay $12. Price, I reckon is a bit steep but I guess the motorised stuff requires high cost to run the equipment. Two adults per child are allowed in. Members (can be shared) can buy a $90 voucher for 6 times use ($50 for kids under 18 mths). See www.kiddyfun.com.sg.
good for: toddlers and younger kids maybe up to 4-5 yrs old.
good for: toddlers and younger kids maybe up to 4-5 yrs old.
Update: I brought J and a friend’s child into Kiddy Fun,
thanks to some BigDeal coupon promotion. The children had a good time especially
with the carousels but their play lasted about an hour plus. My friend
commented that for older children like ours (5-6 years), this place is a bit small
to keep them occupied for long but agreed that it is suitable for the under 4s
as the play items are very toddler friendly.
*********************************************
HAPPY WILLOW INDOOR PLAYGROUND
July 2012
Happy Willow opened in March 2012 at Fusionopolis, B1-06. It looked small from the outside but you can walk straight in and it's quite spacious and deep inside, with a reading and party room, a pantry and the Willow Lounge where parents can enjoy some rest watching over their kids over a cuppa.The Play Garden consists of a Kids' Den and a Toddler's Turf with soft play structures.
Jerome skipped school during the June vacation period to meet up with a classmate for a playdate here and the kids had a blast at the Kids' Den, though they got rowdy at times.
The Kids' Den had a huge ball for kids to push around, a climbing structure (2 storeys) that ends with a slide into the ball pit. It had various net and obstacle course-like playscape although in does not go very high like Fidgets or Go-go bambini. There is a flying fox like horizontal pulley where the kid sits on the ball (see above) and glides across horizontally. Jerome had great fun with that. We went on a Monday morning and were the only people there. 2 assistants were diligently wiping the area and sanitising it. That was reassuring, given that HFMD was still actively making its rounds.
The kids liked the pretend play corner too with a kitchen set, a supermarket
set, wooden train set. They also pretended to be a cowboy rodeo on the soft
bull! Entry was $18 for 3 hours of play for 2 yrs and above on a weekday and 2
hours of playtime if it was the weekend. $10 for kids under 2.
Good for: toddlers and kids up to around 7 yrs old.
********************
FIDGETS INDOOR PLAYGROUND (now called 'Fidgets World')
Jan 2012
Said to be the largest indoor playground in Singapore, it is located at #04-05 Turf City . Turf City is undergoing renovation (2012) and it may not be easy to locate this place given the renovation works and you have to access it via a dimly lit lift access to the lift lobby. But Fidgets boasts of a ongoing ball cleaning system (see pic) where a machine sucks up the balls in the pit, cleans them and throws them back into the pit and this is ongoing throughout.
This place is on a sprawling site with a toddler play area (ride ons, soft structure and a mini climbing and sliding structure, see pic below), 2 big playscape structures for older kids and 2 party rooms. Kids entry fee is $15 and tots under 2 at $8. Babies and adults go in free. They have a nice cafe with sofas and lounges with magazines for adults. The good thing about the place is that parents can sit on benches inside the playscape area and watch their kids to keep an eye on them. There are also CCTV screens at the cafe area where you can also watch your kids at play. Good for age: toddlers and kids up to around 7 yrs old.
My little boy is celebrating his birthday here next week. I will update this blog on how it went :-)
*********************************
BUKIT BATOK NATURE PARK
June 2011
Jan 2012
Update: The 16 children had a blast at Jerome's party in Fidgets, we're happy with the service which was prompt , attentive and professional. Will recommend birthday parties at Fidgets.
Further UPDATE June 2013: Fidgets is now called 'Fidgets World' and it has been renovated. The playscape structures are still the same but the reception and shoe area has more space and more modern, they have replaced the benches with comfy sofas along the playscape area for parents and caregivers to keep a watchful eye on their charges. The café has been remodelled to include facilities for wifi access etc, there is a tie up with JAM (Junior Academy of Music) for music programs and a catwalk cum stage area (called Star Studio)has been installed for your little ones to walk out to stage via a star shaped entrance on the catwalk and try their hand at stardom and performances. This includes a 'make-up' or 'make-over carousel-like counter. There is also a room dedicated for baking and cooking called Little Baker's Cottage. I haven't a chance to step into the renovated area, only managed some shots from the outside, will update further when I next get a chance to visit the renovated interiors.
Further UPDATE June 2013: Fidgets is now called 'Fidgets World' and it has been renovated. The playscape structures are still the same but the reception and shoe area has more space and more modern, they have replaced the benches with comfy sofas along the playscape area for parents and caregivers to keep a watchful eye on their charges. The café has been remodelled to include facilities for wifi access etc, there is a tie up with JAM (Junior Academy of Music) for music programs and a catwalk cum stage area (called Star Studio)has been installed for your little ones to walk out to stage via a star shaped entrance on the catwalk and try their hand at stardom and performances. This includes a 'make-up' or 'make-over carousel-like counter. There is also a room dedicated for baking and cooking called Little Baker's Cottage. I haven't a chance to step into the renovated area, only managed some shots from the outside, will update further when I next get a chance to visit the renovated interiors.
*********************************
BUKIT BATOK NATURE PARK
June 2011
Located near the Hillview area, the Bt Batok Nature Park was built on an abandoned quarry site in 1988. The entrance to the carpark is at Bt Batok East Ave 2. This is a place I hang out quite often as its near our home and I like the serene feel and picturesque surroundings although it can be sometimes a little crowded with joggers in the evening. Jerome and I sometimes pack some snacks and enjoy our little picnic sitting on the rocks beside the waters, enjoying a peaceful quiet bonding time. Jerome would ride his Strider (now he rides Kinderbike as he is bigger) run/balance bike and I usually have to run after him as he zips very fast along the track towards the playground where he enjoys some time of sand play.
Jerome prefers playing with sand here (some patches of sand flies) rather than climb the structures at the playground because its usually sandy, he prefers his playground structures 'clean'. Fun-factor rating 7/10 (largely because of the availability of sand play and biking activity)
IMM PLAYGROUND
Aug 2011
I am at IMM shopping complex ever so often because my warehouse and office is located there. The playground located on the 3rd level is quite large, for a shopping mall playground. It has 3 sections - a) the regular outdoor playground (shaded by a canopy, thank goodness) with slides, tunnels, flying fox, climbing and balancing activities (see above) like an obstacle course (good at training gross motor skills and balance for kids), see saw, merry-go-round; b)a water play area (see pic below) and c) a treehouse area with 2 slides, a green short one and a yellow long one that twists down. During festive periods, Capital malls may set up a free ice-skating rink in the vicinity for people to try ice-skating (saw it twice, once during June hols and the other during Christmas). Good place to take a break from shopping and let your kids explore and play - can be very hot during afternoons though. Good for age: preschoolers.
HIGHGATE WALK PLAYGROUND
June 2010
June 2010
Features: We were attracted to a web-like climbing structure . Jerome had fun climbing around the circumference on the web, good for building balancing skills, problem solving (how to get to the next segment of the structure). Such activities improve the kids' spatial and psychomotor co-ordination skills. This structure has rock climbing features too as seen in the pic but there are too few of the 'rocks' to climb much which is such a waste, it's neither here nor there, like a half hearted attempt to introduce some rock climb.
There were swings that were low enough for 3-4 year olds to feel safe to get on and off on their own, so I was quite happy with these low swings. The metal chains that hold up the swings need upgrading though, they look old but still secure.
There is a big climbing structure, not that many features but it has a nice metal slide which Jerome complained did not let him go down fast enough since it is not steep but on the gentle side (our friend likes steep slides so he can go down fast giving him the thrill he seeks). There was a smaller slide structure with a small double slide for younger children (suitable for toddlers and 2 year olds). 
Cons: The equipment (like swings and structure) are in need of a face lift and refurbishment. The slide structure was being upgraded when we were there so part of it was out of bounds. It's not that easy to get to and you must park outside people's homes so there's not that much parking too.
Jerome's fun factor rating: so-so, 5 upon 10(do take note that this rating is largely based on whether the slides were fun so it's biased)
See also my blog on infant-toddler and preschooler child development - sharing from my doctoral studies on early childhood education and my product reviews on kids stuff
Infant-toddler resource blog
