What's on this week for nature activities in Singapore

WHAT'S ON THIS WEEK?!
Nature activities and events happening this week

11-17 Jun 07

12 Jun (Tue): Trees & Me at the Singapore Botanic Gardens

Suitable for K1 & K2. Includes an outdoor tour on Trees in the Gardens and an indoor planting session or My Mini Garden.

More details on the Singapore Botanic Gardens website

Time: 9am-1pm
Cost: $50.00 per child (includes all materials, refreshments and lunch)
Contact: Singapore Botanic Gardens 6471 9961

13 Jun (Wed): Young Animals Lover!

Puppies, kittens and little bunnies make adorable pets. But these cuties require a lot of time and effort to take care of. Find out more about the responsibility it takes and how you can make sure that your furry friend will be a happy pet. A cuddly mystery pet will be making an appearance. For 7-12 years old!! Presented by Selina Sebastian, SPCA.

Time: 1-2 pm
Venue: Geylang East Community Library
Contact: National Library contact page

14 Jun (Thu): Singapore Botanic Gardens - Our Heritage

Come re-discover the Singapore Botanic Gardens! Tour our newly re-opened and re-developed Gardens in this 1- hour walk through the Tanglin/Heritage Core. Highlights of this tour include the new Main Gate, the Heritage Trees, the Saraca Stream Walk and the new Public Reference Centre. Participants will be given the opportunity to access reference materials and advice on plant care in this new facility of the Gardens! Suitable for family groups (including children of Primary 1 to Lower Secondary Levels)

More details on the Singapore Botanic Gardens website

Time: 9.30-10.30am
Cost: $5 per child/parent
Contact: Singapore Botanic Gardens 6471 9961

15 Jun (Fri): Flower Trail at the Singapore Botanic Gardens

Come discover the beauty of flowers in the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Increase your understanding of flowers; their roles, their forms and functions! Learn also about pollination; the birds and the bees! Suitable for family groups (including children of Primary 1 to Lower Secondary levels)

More details on the Singapore Botanic Gardens website

Time: 9.30-10.30am
Cost: $5 per child/parent
Contact: Singapore Botanic Gardens 6471 9961

16 Jun (Sat): Snakes in Singapore - Know Them and You Will Love Them!

Mr Chim Chee Kong gives this talk. Most people fear snakes, understandably at times but illogically in most cases. The myths and stories surrounding the slithering cold blooded snake have perhaps contributed to this instinctive fear. It is in fact possible for us to appreciate snakes and co-exist with them, if we try to know these amazing animals better. There are more than 60 species of snakes in Singapore, but only a handful of them are considered to be potentially dangerous to us. Besides cobras and pythons, this tropical city is also home to other snakes such as flying snakes, crab-eating snakes and whipsnakes. Join us at this informative talk and discover interesting facts and stories about the often "misunderstood" animal.

More about Chee Kong on the habitatnews blog
See also Chee Kong's Singapore Snakes blog aka Slog

Time: 3-4pm
Venue: Tampines Regional Library
Contact: National Library contact page

16 Jun (Sat): Pulau Semakau Intertidal walk

Let the volunteer guides of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research introduce you to the amazing seagrass meadows, coral reefs and other natural marinelife on Pulau Semakau.

More about the intertidal walk on the RMBR website
More about Pulau Semakau

Time: 6-10.30am
Cost Cost per child (age 12-18): $39.90. Children between 7 and 11 are allowed only when accompanied by their parents. Fees apply. All costs are inclusive of GST. Booking is on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Contact: Luan Keng dbswlk@nus.edu.sg

16 Jun (Sat): Plant Walk @ Hindhede Nature Park

Do you know that we have a Brazil Nut Tree in the park? Do you also know that the wood of Jelutong is used to make pencils? Let our volunteers share with you stories about our green allies in Hindhede Nature Park.

This activty is conducted by the Building and Environment Green Volunteers from Ngee Ann Polytechnic?s School of Engineering and the Central Nature Reserve volunteers.

Time: First walk: 10.00am Second walk: 10.30am Meet us 5 minutes earlier in front of the information counter at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Visitor Centre.
Contact: Genevie Chua at 6554 5127 or mailto:Genevie_Chua@nparks.gov.sg

16 Jun (Sat): Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve free guided walk

You'll see the fabulous plants and animals of the mangroves and freshwater wetlands. Besides the abundant bird life, there is also other fascinating wildlife in the Reserve. more

9.30am: Marine Fish Tour, a 30-minute tour introducing the fascinating fishes of Buloh.

Time: 9.30 am and 3.30pm for walk in guests, register at the Visitor Centre. Those coming with large groups are advised to pre-register.
Tour duration: one to one and a half hours. Easy trails, some suitable for young children.
Entry charges: $1 per adult, 50cents per child/student/senior citizen.
Contact: sbwr@pacific.net.sg or call 6794 1401

16 Jun (Sat): National Orchid Garden Tour free guided walk

Explore the beauty and diversity of orchids at the Singapore Botanic Gardens with volunteer guides in this one-hour tour. Please register 15 minutes before the tour. Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis at the Visitor Centre. more

Time: 9am, 10am, 11am and 4pm. Register 15 mins beforehand at Visitor Centre
Contact: Visitor Services (6471 7361)
Admission fees to the National Orchid Garden applies. Adults - $5; Students - $1; Senior Citizens (Above 60 years) - $1; Children (Below 12 years) free.

17 Jun (Sun): Dive Hantu with the Hantu Bloggers

Join the Hantu Blog for a unique and educational dive experience in our local waters. Discover what is truly, uniquely Singapore!

For reservations and enquiries, email hantublog@gmail.com
RSVP with the following:
1. Your name
2. IC/Passport number
3. Your email address
4. Your handphone number, and
5. Any rental equipment required incl number of weights.

Your support helps us monitor and document Hantu's reef on a regular basis! Let's see what's waiting for us out there this time!

Venue: Keppel Marina, Bukit Chermin Road
Time (Departure): 0930 hrs
[Dive 1] 1st Surface Interval + Lunch [Dive 2]
Departure ETA: 1500 hrs

Time: 0930 hrs
Venue: Keppel Marina, Bt. Chermin Rd map
Cost: S$80.00 (excl gear rental) Cancellation fee $40.00

17 Jun (Sun): MacRitchie - Bukit Timah briskwalks by the Habitatnews blog

Sunrise in MacRitchie and breakfast in Bukit Timah!

The 2-hour walk is a chance to experience the ambience of the morning's sounds and fresh smells and a beautiful sunrise. Led by a group of regular walkers on these trails, this walk is unusual for us as it is not a nature observation walk (which is a much longer walk), but rather, a chance to exercise amidst a pleasant, natural setting that we should treasure in Singapore. Everyone is welcome, but you should be used to taking short walks at least and wear a proper pair of walking shoes. And, critically, be able to wake up early enough to reach MacRitchie carpark at 6.45am, since we leave on time! We hope to reach the foot of Bukit Timah hill by 9.30am, leaving you rejuvenated with your whole Sunday still ahead of you.

Visit the MR-BT briskwalk webpage to register and for details about the route, preparation, trail etiquette and photos from previous walks.

Time: 6.45am, at MacRitchie carpark
Contact: MR-BT briskwalk webpage

17 Jun (Sun): Kusu Island Reefwalk with the Blue Water Volunteers

Have a Lunary New Year outing with BWV! Check out the corals and other intertidal creatures at Kusu Island. The vacancies are on a first-come-first serve basis, so don't wait and register NOW!

To register, email reefwalk@bluewatervolunteers.org with the following info: full name, contact number, email, total number of participants, contact of next-of-kin, age of children (if any)

More about Blue Water Volunteers and Kusu Island.

Time: 5-9am
Meeting Venue: To be confirmed
Cost: $15 per person

17 Jun (Sun): Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve free guided walk

You'll see the fabulous plants and animals of the mangroves and freshwater wetlands. Besides the abundant bird life, there is also other fascinating wildlife in the Reserve. more

Time: 9.30am subject to availability of volunteer guides; for walk in guests, register at the Visitor Centre. Those coming with large groups are advised to pre-register.
Tour duration: one to one and a half hours. Easy trails, some suitable for young children.
Entry charges: $1 per adult, 50cents per child/student/senior citizen.
Contact: sbwr@pacific.net.sg or call 6794 1401

19 Jun (Tue): Nature's IR at Sentosa: family shore walks with the Naked Hermit Crabs

At Sentosa, nature has had an integrated resort for a long long time! And tucked away in a corner of Sentosa, is a marvellous natural shore.

The Naked Hermit Crabs have specially designed this easy one-and-a-half-hour walk to introduce kids 9 years and above to this shore during low tide. No need to swim or dive! Come with the whole family!

Some of the amazing NATURAL sights include spectacular cliffs, a lush coastal forest and a natural lagoon with living corals, seagrasses and lots of marine life. There will be a little bit of climbing, and you will get your shoes wet when we explore part of the lagoon.

For the more hardy and fool hardy, the Naked Hermit Crabs have also designed an Adventure Trail on this shore! This trail is much longer and more physically demanding than the Family Trail. It takes about two and a half hours and is suitable for kids 13 years old and above.

Registration is required, places are limited.

Who are the Naked Hermit Crabs? Why are they naked? How do we sign up? How to get there? What do we prepare? All naked details on the Naked Hermit Crabs blog

Time: Starts 7.30am for both walks
Meeting point: will be advised to those who register
Duration: Family Trail=1.5 hours, Adventure Trail=2.5 hours.
Cost: $5 per person (does not include Sentosa entrance fees and charges)
Contact: nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com