MONUMENTS PMB EDUCATORS’ NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1/2013 Ali ve! DEAR EDUCATORS,

e recently commemorated Total For the March holidays, come Defence Day on 15 February, and check out My Monumental Wthe day when the British Playground – a day of fun activities at surrendered to the Japanese at the , designed for children Ford Factory 71 years ago. Even as to interact with the Esplanade we reflected on the importance of Memorials on various levels. If you’re bravery, sacrifice and unity in the looking for ways to liven up learning face of adversity, the challenge of during the school term, book one of making this milestone event relevant our interactive storytelling sessions for to the younger generation continues The Fearless Twins and the Magical to grow every year. This is because Kaleido or bring your students out commemoration often harks back to on a Monumental Walking Tour in significant events that have shaped the historic neighbourhoods such as the present, but that have also become Civic District, Kampong Glam or distant to us over time. Telok Ayer. More details are available in this newsletter. How can we be mindful of our shared history, such that it is not “just” Also look out for special discounts on another event in a textbook? Likewise, books about our national monuments, how can our national monuments, or participate in our quiz and you such as the Ford Factory, help to bridge could win a pair of complimentary the gap in time and demonstrate that tickets to a walking tour! the lessons of the past can still be applied today? If you have ideas on how we can make stories about our national One approach we enjoy at PMB is to monuments more accessible to you offer a creative reinterpretation of our and your students, drop us a note at history. Whether they appear as the [email protected]. supporting cast in a sprightly children’s We’d love to hear from you! book (The Fearless Twins and the Magical Kaleido) or as the highlights of our specially designed Monumental Best wishes, Walking Tours, our monuments have many gripping stories about The Education Team noteworthy events, as well as the everyday lives of generations past. Win a pair of tickets to Interactive Storytelling Monumental Walking Tours Sessions for The Fearless Twins by taking part in our quiz! and the Magical Kaleido Suitable for: Students (lower primary) ame one national monument that can be found along Telok his year, our lively storytelling ONGOING NAyer Street. programme for the first PMB children’s book, The Fearless Email your answer to nhb_ T Twins and the Magical Kaleido, is [email protected] travelling to schools! Watch our together with your name, contact professional storyteller fire your number, school, and the subjects and students’ imagination in a high-energy levels you teach. 30-minute storytelling session, while The storyteller was very engaging. she enlists their help to assist Toby The Q&A session helped pupils to Closing date: 31 March 2013 and Tammy, the two lead characters recall what they had seen during the Only 5 pairs of tickets are up for grabs of the book, on their time-travelling assembly programme.” on a first-come, first-served basis! EVENTS adventure around ’s national – Ms Felicia Toh, Bukit Panjang monuments. Primary School Monumental Walking Tours You can also create a meaningful Book a storytelling assembly package Suitable for: Students (upper primary, experience for your students for My elder son really enjoyed trying to and receive: secondary and JC) and teachers International Friendship Day, Racial place the buildings and name them. • 20 copies of the book which (training programmes) Harmony Day and National Day with It was really interesting to find out one of our walking tours. Help them you can read with your students that what are national monuments in class hisk your students or colleagues to imagine what Singapore was like in now, were schools or used for other • 5 copies of PMB’s limited edition off on a learning journey earlier years and to appreciate how purposes in the past.” education kit (for teachers) with a difference! The PMB the struggles of the past have helped – Ms Tina Bhandan, parent W • Specially designed sticker activity Monumental Walking Tours will to build the Singapore of today. kits which will be given away as bring you up close to some of our prizes during the session less visited national monuments and reveal the inspiring and heart- Interactive Storytelling Optional add-on: Order a minimum of warming stories behind them. Monumental Walking Tours Sessions 2013 Dates: Tours for the public 50 additional copies at a special price Duration: 30 minutes of $12 per book (retail price $16)! Visit the monuments in Singapore’s are conducted weekly Cost: $600, inclusive of a For schools that book the storytelling historic districts – such as the Civic (visit the PMB website storytelling session package and place a bulk order, the and Cultural District, Kampong for listings) (worth $350), 20 books will be delivered to the school Glam and Telok Ayer Street – and Duration: 1½ hours copies of The Fearless free of charge and will be specially hear fascinating stories about the Cost: $5 (adults), $3 Twins and the Magical autographed by the author! This can-do spirit of Singapore’s early (students); for every Kaleido (retail price special offer is limited to the first 5 immigrant communities, the beautiful 20 paying students, $16 per book), 5 schools only. architecture they were inspired to 1 complimentary ticket copies of PMB’s create and the secrets of World War will be provided for limited edition the teacher education kit and Two that some of them concealed. Sultan Mosque at Kampong Glam and Thian Hock Additional: Activity sheets for Keng at Telok Ayer Street sticker activity kits to students are available be given away as prizes for a nominal fee Email: nhb_ Email: nhb_ nationalmonuments nationalmonuments @nhb.gov.sg @nhb.gov.sg to make a booking or to enquire or make enquire about the a booking storytelling package This attractive, Victorian-style cast iron fountain was made in England and unveiled in 1882 at Fullerton SPECIAL Square to commemorate Tan Kim Seng’s generous donation to building waterworks for the city. It has called Esplanade Park its home since 1925. The memorial is decorated with 4 sculptured figures of the Muses who can be identified by the items they hold. Note down the items on your next visit to the fountain and find out EVENT who they are! My Monumental Playground (23 March 2013)

ndulge your students in an • Performances by Tanjong Katong What can you and your Cenotaph afternoon of special programmes Girls’ School Drama Club (4.45 p.m., students see at Esplanade Park? Modelled after the Whitehall Iat the Esplanade Park Memorials 6.15 p.m. at the Cenotaph in London, this imposing for the March holidays at My Memorial): skit performances splanade Park is home to 3 granite memorial commemorates Monumental Playground on 23 March inspired by the life of Lim Bo Seng memorials that were gazetted as soldiers who died in the two World 2013 (Saturday). • Movie screening of Madagascar 3 national monuments in December Wars. The bronze tablets bear the at 7 p.m. E names of those who died in World 2010. Each memorial – dedicated to Programme highlights: an individual, a group and/or an event War One, while the steps marked with • Treasure hunt (3 p.m. – 6 p.m.): Other fun activities to look out for: – holds a story or a lesson which may the years 1939 to 1945 were added hands-on activities where • Sketching tour (3.30 p.m.) be meaningful for us to remember. after World War Two. students will look out for clues organised by NParks to Singapore’s past at the • Bouncy castles (3 p.m. – 6 p.m.) various memorials Unveiled in 1954, the memorial • Storytelling sessions for Visit http://www.pmb.sg for the latest commemorates Lim Bo Seng’s bravery The Fearless Twins and the programme details. and sacrifice as he fought against the Magical Kaleido (4 p.m., 5.30 p.m. Japanese during World War Two. at the Lim Bo Seng Memorial; The meditative memorial takes the see page 8 of this newsletter for form of a pagoda guarded by 4 bronze more details on the story) lions, with plaques recording Lim’s life in 4 scripts (English, Chinese, Tamil and Jawi). In the area, you can also visit For more information on our national other national monuments and monuments, visit http://www.pmb. historic sites such as: sg/?page_id=6 or check out PMB’s National Monuments of Singapore education kit, also available on Edumall. BOOKS ooking for useful resources My Monumental Playground to teach your students Organised by PMB and supported Labout Singapore’s history by NParks and national monuments Date: 23 March 2013 in English, History or Social Former Empress Place Building (Saturday) Studies lessons? Check out (now Asian Civilisations Museum) Venue: Esplanade Park these books by PMB, with Located next to the , Duration: 3 p.m. – 9 p.m. special discounts available for the former Empress Place Building Cost: FREE teachers who sign up for our used to house government offices Email: [email protected] if mailing list! FOR SALE from the early 1900s till the 1980s. you plan to bring your Gazetted on 15 February 2013, the It was designed by Colonial Engineer students – we will Civilian War Memorial is Singapore’s JFA McNair, who also designed the prepare special activity latest monument and is also Istana (also a national monument). kits for them! commonly known as the “Chopsticks”. Dedicated to the civilians who died Padang during the Japanese Occupation This grassy historic site has witnessed (1942-1945), the Memorial’s many important events in Singapore’s four pillars represent the shared history, such as the Japanese experiences of the Chinese, Malays, surrender at the end of World War Indians and other races in Singapore. Two and numerous National Day Every 15 February, a commemoration Parades. Designed as a recreational service is held here for civilians and space under the Raffles Town Plan, the war veterans. Padang continues to host events such as rugby matches, Singapore Biennale events and even a Cirque du Soleil performance once.

Resonance: Songs of Our Forefathers The Fearless Twins and This colourful, lively children’s book Photographs by Kwek Leng Joo et. al. the Magical Kaleido can be used to introduce primary Hardcover, 183 pages Story by Shekinah Linn school pupils to national monuments Published in 2009 Illustrations by Tan Seow Wei and encourage them to explore the Retail price $85.60 Paperback, 46 pages history behind these places. Published in 2012 This photography book contains Retail price $16.00 Discounts available! an awe-inspiring collection of Sign up for our mailing list to qualify photographs of 24 national Take a ride with Toby, Tammy for a 20% discount on either book (up Former Parliament House monuments, from the iconic and their fun-loving Uncle Al, as to 2 copies per teacher). Email us at (now the Arts House) to the lesser known. A team of a time-travelling device swoops [email protected]. Possibly Singapore’s oldest photographers, led by Kwek Leng them back to Singapore in 1935. sg with your name, school and the surviving colonial building, the Joo, set out to capture these national The twins’ adventure takes them subjects and levels that you teach, former Parliament House was landmarks with a fresh perspective, around landmarks that have become together with your order. Your books first constructed as a residence placing special emphasis on their Singapore’s well-loved national can be collected from the PMB office. for a Scottish merchant, before architectural features. Use this book monuments. Will they solve the Offer ends on 24 May 2013! the government used it as a court to introduce Singapore’s landmarks mystery of the spinning clock tower? house and office building. It became to your students, or inspire Can they fight off the fierce flames of Note: This offer cannot be combined Parliament House when Singapore them to create their own artistic a huge fire? Will they escape in time? with the special price offered for gained independence in 1965. responses to the buildings and to The Fearless Twins and the Magical Singapore’s history. Kaleido at the storytelling session or the storytelling package. Preservation of Monuments Board Address: 61 Stamford Road, #03-08 Stamford Court, Singapore 178892 Tel: 6332 7953 Fax: 6332 3590 Email: [email protected] Website: www.pmb.sg

Download the previous issues of the Educators’ Newsletter from our website: http://www.pmb.sg/?page_id=1059.