Make the most of Earth Day 2016 by celebrating Singapore’s most beautiful outdoor spots with your kids, mama
Breathtakingly beautiful and culturally diverse, Singapore has so very much to offer its residents, along with extending these wonders to a multitude of regular business travellers and vacationers. April, in particular, is the time of year when we highlight and celebrate the other important Sassy Mama in our lives: our own Mother Earth.
This is the time we set aside in order to honour our planet, but there are literally hundreds of ways we can educate our children about the importance of saving energy, participating in recycling programes, becoming more eco-friendly and reducing our carbon footprint on the earth.
One way of sharing this unique green experience with our kids is to share some of Singapore’s most beautiful parks and recreational areas with them. While we’re connecting with Mother Earth, we’ll also educate them, create beautiful memories with our children and have fun at these top six recreation spots found in Singapore:
MacRitchie Reservoir is the oldest park in all of Singapore and home to ruins of a Shinto Shrine that was built during the Japanese occupation of this area. These forested grounds have a number of meandering, shady (!) trails and paths that hikers and nature lovers continue to trek and enjoy. With distances from three to eleven kilometers, novices and expert walkers alike, both young and old, can enjoy the scenery.
One of the largest and most popular outdoor recreation areas found in Singapore is at East Coast Park. With the word “coast” in it’s title, expect to see stunning views found on a 15-kilometer stretch of sandy beaches with swaying palm trees. Bonus points for the many local restaurants along the way as well as easy access to many enjoyable activities within the park like rollerblading, bicycling, volleyball, barbecues and more.
Read More: Singapore’s Best Outdoor Parks and Playgrounds
#3 – Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve
Sungei Buloh Nture Park is home to a vast multitude of over 500 different species of animals and natural wildlife. Be sure to visit during the morning hours when you’re more likely to see the most activity from crabs and sea otters! Keep your camera close at hand for some unforgettable picture possibilities in this bustling outdoor environment.
#4 – Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
Located on one of the tallest hills in the Republic, Bukit Timah offers some truly breathtaking views of the Upper Peirce Reservoir and is also home to one of the most “challenging” trails in all of Singapore (you might have to do a few laps to get a truly good workout, mama!). You’re almost sure to spot some long-tailed macaque monkeys along the way, although it’s best advised you not feed these suburbanites, mama.
Super central and close to the MRT, Fort Canning is also rich in history, creating the perfect opportunity to educate kiddos while adventuring with them in the great outdoors (it’s where the British ultimately surrendered to the Japanese during World War II). Be sure to check out the Spice Gardens and Gothic gates, which give way to lush lawns and gardens that draw many picnickers and nature lovers along with popular venues for concerts and musical productions.
Read More: Sassy Mama’s Guide to the Best Picnic Spots in Singapore
This lavishly landscaped layout lands on a majority of number one spots for the most beautiful places to visit in all of Singapore. With over 100 hectares of horticultural wonders to explore, it takes more than one visit to absorb all the grandeur — lucky for us we live here! Older kids are sure to love the world-renowned “Super Trees” that stretch over 50 meters into the sky with panoramic views of the city and the park itself, while the younger ones will almost certainly be content to frolic in the fountain-laden Children’s Garden.
These beautiful parks, gardens and green sites are the ideal way to share memorable outdoor adventures with our children while also showing them the glory of what Mother Earth has to offer. Have a wonderful Earth Day, mama!