PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release CHILDREN‟S SEASON 2011 – IT‟S PLAYTIME FOR THE YOUNG AND YOUNG-AT-HEART! Take your pick from over 80 activities at museums and outdoor play spaces this Children‟s Season Singapore, 18 May 2011 – The young and the young-at-heart are in for a treat this school holiday as the fourth run of Children’s Season returns – bigger, bolder and better. Jointly presented by the National Heritage Board (NHB) and Museum Roundtable, Children’s Season 2011 will involve more than 20 participating museums and offer over 80 activities to inspire, engage and educate children. This year‟s events will feature two anchor events at the National Museum of Singapore and Singapore Art Museum (SAM) as well as larger-than-life adventures and family-sized fun at participating museums island-wide. The new children‟s exhibits and installations, and the sheer number and diversity of programmes have been developed to inculcate an appreciation of heritage amongst the young while facilitating bonding between participating families. Children’s Season 2011 will kick off with the launch of The PlayDome at the National Museum where kids can create their own artistic works while learning more about Singapore‟s heritage through activities inspired by the Museum‟s iconic Dome and collection in its Singapore Living Galleries. The launch at the National Museum will also feature the international debut of Museum of Dreams – an enchanting performance that promises to transport the young on flights of fantasy. To add to the excitement, SAM will transform its grounds into an Art Garden that has blossomed with more installations compared to its inaugural edition last year. From June – August 2011, visitors to SAM will be treated to an array of interactive contemporary artworks specially created for children by local and international artists to explore and appreciate the world in new and different ways. Kids can welcome the return of Walter, the curious colossal bunny, shop at Fruits, a lively paper fruit market or watch fun animations from around the world. Other Children’s Season offerings include the Malay Heritage Centre‟s heritage hunt for the Sultan‟s stolen royal regalia around Kampong Gelam, role-playing activities involving Chinese warrior Hua Mulan at the Asian Civilisations Museum, culinary workshops for children at the Peranakan Museum, miniature toy making workshops at the MINT Museum of Toys, aviation and rabbit themed games and activities for children at the Singapore Philatelic Museum, and a whole lot more activities offered by HealthZone, Land Transport Gallery, S‟pore Discovery Centre and more! For the first time, Children’s Season 2011 will venture outdoors with a Children‟s Season Hub @ Orchard Road offering visitors information about all participating museums and their 1 programmes as well as children‟s workshops and activities. The Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB) joins in the fun for the first time with its My Monumental Playground programme which leads children on a treasure hunt to unravel the rich history of the memorials at Esplanade Park. Likewise, this year‟s Children’s Season will offer an exclusive range of Made By Me D.I.Y. kits produced by NHB and available for purchase at selected museums as well as promotional premiums which can be redeemed through participation at Children’s Season programmes, at the Hub @ Orchard Road. Children’s Season 2011 will also feature the launch of a new children‟s heritage book entitled Mighty Men which offers the tales of nine real-life heroes in world history and their connections to Singapore while educating young readers about historic places of interest in Singapore. With so many children-centric and family-friendly activities for the months of May, June and July 2011 and free entry offered by NHB museums1 to students and teachers, visitors can expect fun-filled adventures and outings as NHB museums and participating Museum Roundtable members transform themselves into educational playgrounds for the young and young-at-heart! Please refer to the following attachments: Annex A for details on Mighty Men publication Annex B for a line-up of Children’s Season 2011 activities Annex C for details on outreach activities, Children’s Season Hub @ Orchard, promotions and other products Annex D for a list of participating museums for Children’s Season 2011 For more information, visit www.museums.com.sg/cs11. For photos, please download from www.museums.com.sg/cs11_photos.zip - END - For media enquiries, please contact: Antoinette Hendricks Stephanie Aw Yong Associate Associate Manager Communications DNA Communications DNA Tel: +65 6327 7122 Tel: +65 6327 7121 Mobile: +65 9653 0565 Mobile: +65 9112 8701 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] 1 To make museums more accessible to the young, NHB museums have offered free entry to all Singaporean and PR students and teachers since June 2010. This promotion applies to the following NHB institutions: Asian Civilisations Museum, Memories at Old Ford Factory, National Museum of Singapore, Peranakan Museum, Reflections at Bukit Chandu, Singapore Art Museum (including SAM at 8Q), and Singapore Philatelic Museum. Over the course of nine months, it was estimated that more than 150,000 students have took up the promotion, which allows them free access to all permanent exhibitions. 2 About the National Heritage Board The National Heritage Board (NHB) champions the development and promotion of a vibrant cultural and heritage sector in Singapore. It makes heritage enriching, relevant and accessible to all through staging innovative programmes and forging partnerships. NHB leverages on technology and refreshing new approaches to make heritage more dynamic, alive and exciting. It also manages both national and public museums, the National Archives of Singapore, the Preservation of Monuments Board and the Heritage Conservation Centre. NHB was formed on 1 August 1993 as a statutory board under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA). Please visit www.nhb.gov.sg for more information. About Children‟s Season Children’s Season 2011 seeks to inspire, engage and educate children through experiential exhibits and educational children‟s programmes. Jointly organised by the National Heritage Board and Museum Roundtable, the fourth Children’s Season will be held from 14 May to 31 July 2011. This year‟s Children’s Season will feature two anchor events at the National Museum of Singapore and Singapore Art Museum as well as children‟s exhibits and programmes at more than 20 Museum Roundtable members! Interested participants can visit the Children’s Season hub at the heart of Orchard Road or www.museums.com.sg/cs11 to find out more about programmes offered by participating Museum Roundtable members as well as special Children’s Season promotional premiums. 3 Annex A Mighty Men KEY FACTS Publisher: Education and Outreach Division, National Heritage Board Availability: Available in Kinokuniya from 18 May 2011, and all good bookstores from 20 May 2011 onwards Retail Price: S$22.90 (excluding GST) Readership: Families with children aged 8 and above Author: Low Jat Leng Illustrators: Lui Yiling & Budi H. Heru Launch of NHB‟s Second Children‟s Heroes Publication, Mighty Men (In conjunction with Children‟s Season) Launched by the National Heritage Board (NHB), Mighty Men is NHB‟s second series of children‟s heroes‟ book, following the first book (titled Someone Like You... Titans of Our Time) which was published in 2009 and featured 10 Singapore heroes. The fully illustrated Mighty Men highlights nine heroes who are revered by their people and who had visited Singapore or had some form of historical ties with us. The stories not only celebrate these heroes but also illustrate the close ties Singapore has had with other countries, even before Singapore gained independence in 1965. The stories also showcase interesting anecdotes about the heroes and humanise them for the children. Every story comes with a section about some form of permanent reminders of these people that exist in Singapore. For example, there is a story about King Chulalongkorn, the King who modernised ancient Siam (Thailand today) and children will find out that his links with Singapore and the friendly ties we have with Thailand were cemented through the presentation of a black elephant statue that still stands in front of the old Parliament House (Arts House). In this way, Mighty Men can serve as a guide for children and families to visit these historic places of interest in Singapore, which are connected to these men, and learn more about Singapore and her ties with the global community. Features that Children will Love Fully illustrated in rich colours that puts a face to the heroes and helps children visualise situations and places they were in. “Did you know” sections provide highly palatable nuggets of information and fun facts related to the personalities and their stories and environments. Three empty “Journal” pages for children to pen down their own aspirations and thoughts after reading the book. 4 ANNEX B CHILDREN‟S SEASON 2011 Venue: Various museums and galleries Date: 14 May – 31 July 2011 Jointly presented by National Heritage Board and Museum Roundtable The popular Children’s Season returns on a larger scale this year, to inspire, engage and educate children. With more than 20 Museum Roundtable members involved for the first time, expect a fantastic time with your little ones as the National Heritage Board and Museum Roundtable invite families to play at and explore the diversity of our museums. Be thrilled by an array of children-centric programmes, engaging family activities as well as interactive installations and exhibitions. Also look out for free entry to selected museums on 29 May as part of International Museum Day. So gather your family and friends for a fun day out! For more information, visit www.museums.com.sg/cs11.