Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden -Asia's First Children's Garden
Bukit Timah Core
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Singapore

Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden Aims to Cultivate an Appreciation for the Environment among the Young)

The Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden was officially opened by Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, at the Singapore Botanic Gardens on
Children’s Day.

Dedicated to all children of Singapore, the Children’s Garden aims to provide a place for children to play, explore and have fun in. It will cultivate an appreciation for plants, nature and the environment among the young. It is created as a unique and interactive garden where children up to 12 years of age can discover that plants are wonderful and provide for their daily needs. This is captured in the theme for the Garden: ‘All Life On Earth Depends on Plants’.

“Within the Garden, our young children can learn about botanical processes such as photosynthesis through interactive displays. There will also be thematic gardens to teach them about plants that grow on trees, plants that provide us with food, and plants that interact with our senses through smell, taste and touch,” said Mr Ng Lang, Chief Executive Officer of NParks.

The Children’s Garden is designed to encourage curiosity, imagination, creativity and a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world among the young. Through interaction with the plants, children are also given an introduction to the life sciences – an important branch of science as Singapore embarks on life sciences research as a new thrust for economic growth.

Some of the features of the Children’s Garden include:

Fantastic Forest – A forest of adventure where kids learn about the tropical rainforest as they explore the Tree House and Suspension Timber Bridge, play hide-and-seek around the gigantic trunk from a 100-year-old Pometia pinnata tree, huddle through the cave and Tunnel of Frangipani, learn about nutrient cycling and decomposition in the Mushroom Shelter, and get up-close with many unusual plants.

The Magic of Photosynthesis – An interactive exhibit where children discover photosynthesis and why this magical process is fundamental to all life on earth.

A-Maze-ing Play – A unique maze garden that changes configuration so that kids experience different twists and turns each time they visit the Garden.

Coffee, Tea or Chocolate – An introduction to plants that provide beverages like coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

The ‘Living’ Classrooms – Four classrooms where more intensive learning is encouraged. The classrooms are open for rental by schools who want to conduct nature education in a garden setting.

Complementing the Children’s Garden will be a rich selection of educational activities and programmes to offer children an exciting, guided learning experience.

This is the first time that the Botanic Gardens has created facilities specially for young visitors as part of its redevelopment masterplan. Located at the Bukit Timah Core of the Botanic Gardens, the Children's Garden was developed at a cost of about 7 million dollars with the support of the Jacob Ballas Estate, Dr Rosslyn Leong and Reef Holdings.

For more details, please kindly visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens website at http://www.sbg.org.sg or call 64717138 / 64717361.

Text & Photographs Courtesy of NParks. All Rights Reserved.