The weather has been very unforgiving in recent weeks and there are only that many water play trips we can make before the kids threaten to catch a cold or get totally bored of it. So we decided to make our way all across the island to Jurong where you will find Kidsstop within the grounds of the Science Centre.
For those who are familiar with Kidzania, I would say KidsStop is a little like Kidzania but probably in a slightly less structured set-up. Kids get exposed to various occupations such s builder, doctor, pilot, archaeologist, chef etc and they get to play and explore these occupations with some lessons in science throw in.
We weren’t sure if Jah would take to the place or be totally lost and we were even more unsure or actually had no expectations when it came to whether Bella might enjoy the place. But both kids were absolutely blown away. They were very happy with all the larger than life structures and we’re happy to roam about and move from ‘station’ to ‘station’.
First stop – totally fascinated with being a builder and playing dress up
Our pilots for this flight
Archaeologists hard at work
Doing some grocery shopping on his own
Dealing with the check-out process
Time for our little chefs to do some cooking
I’m scared so I’m just going to sit outside the space shuttle and let my brother do his thing
Ostrich Syndrome
How many teddy bears do I weigh?
Trying their hands at being surgeons (no pun intended)
Reinforcing what we learnt at the dentist
Kidsstop sessions are split into a morning and afternoon session. We were there for the morning session which lasted from 10am to 130pm. We figured they would last till about 1130 or so before we would grab lunch somewhere. While they did last till 1130am before we dragged them out to grab lunch, Jah and Bella also requested for an encore session after lunch before we finally had to drag them home with promises of another trip soon.
Round 2 – getting the hang of things and decided to wear the costume as well
Meimei you can sit here and be my co-pilot
Thankfully food is available just outside the entrance of Kidsstop which meant that the adults did not have to put up with another Macdonalds meal and the kids didn’t have to deal with a car ride to the nearby malls. Food at the Kids Cafe was pretty decent, given that the mains were coming from the Chinese restaurant next door. Yet it offered a child friendly environment which made it less daunting for parents with hungry and tired kids. :p
So if you are looking for a place to beat the heat but yet you don’t want to be crawling around an indoor playground then Kidsstop might be worth a drive to. Especially so after they lowered their admission price which makes it a lot more affordable for big families or for return visitors. Do remember to bring your IC though as there are different rates for Singaporeans and Foreign visitors.
Jah woke up from his nap that evening and the first thing he asked was “mummy can we go to Kidsstop again? It’s so fun, I really like it!” 🙂 so yes I guess we will be going back soon..
A long time ago, back in the day when my only child was just starting to explore the wonders of indoor playgrounds and when our old bones were just being introduced to this unfamiliar concept of crawling on all fours for more than 5 seconds, I heard about Amazonia. However my research led me to believe that this particular indoor playground was not suited for my 1 year old child (yes Jah was a really early walker/ runner so we took him to indoor playgrounds really early). I read it consisted of huge structures (3 storeys high) and steep slides and well that was all it took to deter me then.
So when we were brainstorming really hard for a new place to bring the kids on a weekend without help, we thought maybe we could finally give Amazonia a shot. Jah is a lot older now and well Bella is the 2nd kid and we know how parents get abit more relaxed and ‘complacent’ after the first :p It also helped that we found two Amazonia discount vouchers in the house (don’t remember how we got them).
To be honest, I found the place to be alittle on the pricey side but I suppose that also explains the crowd levels which made it rather pleasant. There were 3 areas for play – 1 area for pretend play/ masak masak near the entrance, a toddler area for under 3s (which I never got close to because Jah just refused to play there) and the huge 3 storey playground structure.
Actually the huge 3 storey structure was pretty forgiving on our adult bones. Given its height and higher ‘ceilings’, I found that I was on my fours a lot less and also because I refused to crawl through tunnels now. It was alittle less forgiving on my knees though, because the distance between steps were pretty wide. While I would say that the structure is probably safer for the older kids, Bella didn’t have much issues getting around as long as we were with her to ensure her safety.
My favourite part about the entire place was actually their café and the fact that they served proper food. A lot of indoor playgrounds which we have been to, would serve the usual nuggets, fries, hotdogs, snacks and the occasional pizza. However we got to order a substantial meal – a hot plate of Beef Rendang and Nasi Goreng which at least meant that we didn’t have to go home hungry after all that activity. Yes, Joel and I were working quite hard for our meal!
Kids Menu – Spaghetti
Kids Menu – Fish and Chips (I apologise for the half eaten pic – there was at least 4 slides of the fish) 🙂
While the place and some of its facilities/ toys seem alittle dated, it is generally a nice place to bring the kids if you are looking for something alittle less crowded or rowdy. Having a café with a good menu also helps and its location in a mall also makes it good for running errands or finding alternate food options. 🙂
JahBella have been to several indoor playgrounds before but they have never visited Hokey Pokey. So when we found out that they had open an outlet near to us and even nearer to our upcoming new place, we were keen to find out if it could become one of our regular spots.
We arrived at the newly opened Seletar Mall at 10am and there was no lack of parking space (although I heard from my sister that the parking gets very full towards the evening). Hokey Pokey is an indoor playground for babies from 6 months old to young kids up to 6 years old. None of the tedious climbing and crawling through tunnels for us old bones but I was worried that the activity level would be too mild for my active 3 year old.
The entry fee on weekends are $26 for 2 hours of play and upon a quick survey of their environment and facilities, we decided to ‘invest’ in a member’s package. The annual package cost $58 and it consists of 2 free sessions (day of purchase and during birthday month). It also included 1 free soft drink per visit (perfect for the thirsty parent) and discounted rates of $16 on weekends for 2 hours of play. We were also given a sibling discount for our 2nd package at $38! As we signed up during their Christmas promo, we bagged an additional session + a free Christmas goodie bag and a nice box of cupcake and Christmas cookie. It was a really really nice gesture!
JahBella were the first kids there and they were blown away by the variety of toys there! There was a section with huge trucks, cars and Starwars characters which Jah could not tear himself away from. He alternated between that corner and another section with cars and ramps. Bella, on the other hand was all over the place, from the ball pit to the princess corner, from Thomas the train ride on a ramp to the kitchen corner. She played with everything!
Not a huge space but the variety was huge and the toys were so new!
Jah’s favourite area – he picked an orange Porsche from there and it never left his sight until we left
A wonderland of car ramps
His own Star Wars Battle
Boys can play with doll houses too 🙂
Whee!!
Where’s the baby?
Spoilt for choice
There were so many rides available – personally I find this Crayola ride super cute!
For the hungry parent or kids, there is a small café with a few tables and bar counter that overlooked the play area so you are never too far off from your child.
The two hours past really quickly and while the kids were not totally exhausted and thank goodness neither we were, they really enjoyed themselves. The ‘mild’ activity level was not a concerned because they were kept so occupied. The only problem would be prying them away from their newfound favourite toy or finding a way to say no to their request to buy a certain toy.
Jah declared that he would like to come back soon and yes I am pretty sure we will be.
Fun @ Giggles is an indoor playground located at Marine Parade, directly opposite Parkway Parade and it is also where we celebrated Bella’s 1st birthday party.
This Christmas, Fun @ Giggles is proud to launch their Rainbow Love Charity Drive to help raise funds for Rainbow Centre. All proceeds will go to the Rainbow Centre Building Fund for their campus at Margaret Drive. The new extension facility would be able to serve more children in early intervention, special education and vocational training.
How can you help?
1) Bring your kids down to Fun@Giggles and flash the image below. Kids will then enjoy $2 discount off their single admission ticket.
2) The Playcrew will teach the kids how to make a 3D Heart. With every heart that they make, Fun@Giggles will be donating $1 to Rainbow Centre Building Fund.
3) After making the heart, the children will then help paste it on the GIGGLES logo, in hopes of creating the Largest Giggles Logo (7m x 2.5m) filled with Rainbow 3D Hearts in the Singapore Book Of Record.
4) You can also pledge the number of hearts you wish to make and help in this good cause. Donations from parents and corporations are also welcomed.
5) The charity drive ends on 21st Dec 2014.
Here’s a link on how the 3D heart is made –
So let’s help to spread the word this Christmas!!! If you would like to contact Fun@Giggles directly to make a donation or for more information, you can call them at 6345-4947 or info@funatgiggles.com.sg
GIVEAWAY
To thank our readers for helping to spread the word, Fun@Giggles has very kindly agreed to sponsor 2 pairs of Fun@Giggles admission passes valued at S$48 per pair. Each pass is valid for weekday/weekend unlimited play for 1 child up to an age of 12 years old.
To join the giveaway, just complete all the steps on below.
Copy this link – http://wp.me/p4Wg2R-dg to your Facebook Status Update to Share and Tag A Friend. Make sure your post is public!
Likeand commenton the Facebook post so that I can note your participation
The giveaway will end on 16 December 2014 2359hrs.
Good luck!!
Winners of the Fun@Giggles Giveaway! Congratulations to our winners..
1) Robert Sim
2) Liang JingXian
About Rainbow Centre
The Centre runs two Special Education (SPED) schools and two Early Intervention Programme (EIP) centres at Rainbow Centre – Margaret Drive School campus and Rainbow Centre – Yishun Park School campus for children with special needs.
Holistic developmental curriculum in the areas of language and communication skills, cognitive skills, social and emotional skills, fine and gross motor skills, and adaptive daily living skills.
Special Needs Children are children with: Development delay, Intellectual disability, Physical disability, Multiple disabilities or Autism spectrum disorder.
The nice people at The Playhouse have very kindly offered to give away a 2 Day Art Camp package to 2 lucky readers of Growing Up with JahBella.
Congratulations to the 2 winners of our 2 Day Art Camp package giveaway, kindly sponsored by The Playhouse @ Rochester.
1) Jaime Chan
2) Robert Sim
We will be contacting you shortly, for your details to claim your prize.
We will also be conducting a series of giveaways with The Playhouse @ Rochester in the coming months. So Watch This Space! 🙂
The Playhouse @ Rochester is a playhouse featuring an outdoor garden playground including a small water play area and an indoor playground which is unlike your typical indoor playground. The playhouse is also home to the Rochester Café which serves a super yummy brunch menu on weekends. Continue reading →
JahBella 