25 ways to exhaust your kids in Singapore

June. It's the month parents both love and dread.

The little ones aren't in school which means parents have to find new ways to challenge, occupy, distract and exhaust the little tykes.

With three weeks left to the end of the holiday month, here are 25 ways to keep your child busy.

Head outdoors

1. Head down to Palawan Beach for Sandy Good Times. During the school holidays, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., professional sand sculptors will be on hand with their buckets and shovels to teach your kids how to make the sandcastle of their dreams.
Every Friday and Saturday. Sentosa Island, +65 6736 8672; www.sentosa.com.sg

2. Exhaust the little tykes with a hike to see city views over Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park and Kent Ridge Park on the Southern Ridges walk. If the nine-kilometer stretch seems ambitious, pick specific parts of the route. Maps with detailed information are available here.  Mount Faber Park, 1800 471 7300

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3. Let the gregarious Ivy Singh-Lim of Bollywood Veggies whip the kids into line. They’ll learn a spot of organic farming at the Kranji farm among the vegetable patches and fruit trees. The on-site Poison Ivy Bistro provides delicious cheap homemade local meals. Drive if possible, as cabs are scarce.
100 Neo Tiew Road, +65 6989 5001; www.bollywoodveggies.com

4. Nurture your kid’s green thumb at the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden. This free park allows children to interact with the botanicals so they can learn (smell and touch) all about plants and nature.
1 Cluny Road, +65 6465 0196

5. The Singapore Zoo is always a popular weekend/school holiday favorite. Explore it in a different way this June and hire an Adventure Scooter. For S$9 you can zip past the other bedraggled families and see all nature has to offer from the comfort of your motorised vehicle.
80 Mandai Lake Road, +65 6269 3411; www.zoo.com.sg

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6. While the rink is actually made of molecular weight polyethylene, the Marina Bay Sands Skating Rink looks and is supposed to feel like a real ice skating rink, so give it a whiz and your little one could be the next Michelle Kwan.
S$7 (adults), S$6 (kids under 12), S$3 (skate rental per hour.) Redeem your carpark fee when you spend over S$20. Canal Level, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Ave., +65 6688 8868; www.marinabaysands.com

7. It’s an oldie but a goodie -- hire a bike or strap on some rollerblades at East Coast Parkway. The whole family can have fun and maybe even get in some exercise.
East Coast Park

8. Show your commitment to the Dads For Life movement by organizing a special day just for dad and the kids. They’ll get to bond, while mum will get to have a massage.
Go to www.dadsforlife.sg for more information.

Music, art and culture

9. All kids will be mesmerized by the stage spectacular “The Lion King.” Disney’s musical about the wildlife of the Serengeti Plains is a delightful and innovative stage production that is enjoyable for adults too.
S$65, kids under three enter free if they sit on your lap. Tickets from www.sistic.com. Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Ave., +65 6688 8868; www.marinabaysands.com

10. Oooh, this is a goodie, enrol your attention-seeking kid in a five-day course at Centre Stage School of the Arts. They can do a Bollywood Bonanza dance course (ages six to nine, June 20, S$365) or be part of the ballet "Peter and the Wolf" (five to seven years; June 27, S$365). Otherwise, there’s a whole range of music and drama workshops on offer.
Block 15 Woking Road, +65 6732 7211; wwww.centre-stage.com

11. Cultivate your child’s creativity by learning how to make surrealist sculptures out of sticky tape or mimicking the art of Vincent Van Gogh. Free workshops will run throughout June at the ArtScience Museum.
Until the end of October save S$40 on the price for a family package of four (S$80). Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Ave., +65 6688 8868; www.marinabaysands.com

12. Encourage a craft that doesn’t involve messy paints and lots of turpentine inhalation for parents. Every weekend for the month of June, the Jurong Bird Park will host Save the Colour, an origami extravaganza where kids will learn how to make paper flowers, fish and cranes.
2 Jurong Hill, +65 6265 0022; www.birdpark.com.sg

13. As part of Children’s Season 2011, Singapore Art Museum will run Art Garden, a program to get children interested in contemporary art. Some 30 kids will be exposed to artworks that have been carefully selected for their creativity and ability to trigger interest in a young mind.
Until August. 71 Bras Basah Road, +65 6332 3222; www.singaporeartmuseum.sg

14. The National Heritage Board and Museum Roundtable have organized a series of events under the Children’s Season 2011 (until July 31) at museums all round the country. Programs include the Little Soldiers at Army Museum of Singapore or Face to Face -- Fashion Portraits at the Peranakan Museum.
For more information go to www.museums.com.sg/cs11.

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