National Museum of Singapore

Original Building

Building, 1887

The front block of the museum building dates back to 1887. It features an elegant neo-Palladian design, a European style of architecture characterised by a highly symmetrical façade and the use of pediments above windows.

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Children’s Season at the National Museum 2021: Get Curious! Stories of You & Me

20 Nov 2021 - 26 Dec 2021
Various Venues,
Various Timings
Varies with Programmes
Get ready for fun-filled school holidays at the National Museum! Get Curious! invites families to explore our galleries and discover the exciting stories of our artefacts. Titled “Stories of You & Me”, this edition of the festival also invites different generations within the family to exchange stories and experiences with each other!

Families can look forward to opportunities for bonding, fun and learning through:

  • Two interactive installations, “Our Home” and “Our School”
  • Exciting on-site and online programmes: Artefact hunt, Character Tours, interactive performances, virtual gallery tours, and more!

A note on safe management measures:

  • Under the vaccination-differentiated safe management measures (VDS) applicable to all museums from 22 November 2021, individuals can be allowed entry into museum premises in group sizes of up to 5 persons if all are vaccinated. Children aged 12 years and below, recovered individuals, and unvaccinated individuals with a negative pre-event test (PET) result, can be included in the group of 5. For more information, please visit https://go.gov.sg/nhbsmm. Please note that each child must be accompanied by a separate adult for participation in any Children’s Season installations and/or programmes.
  • Please bring along your own colouring materials if you would like to participate in drop-in activities such as our installations and What’s Your Toy Story? Campaign, as we are unable to provide shared stationery due to the COVID-19 situation.
  • With regular sanitising and safe distancing measures in place as well as pre-registered time slots for the installations, you can be assured of a safe and enjoyable experience at the museum.

    The National Museum of Singapore is grateful for the support received by Hong Leong Foundation and Plano Pte Ltd towards selected programmes during Children’s Season 2021.

Livestream Programmes

Click here for Children’s Season online programmes!


Online_Calendar_F

Childrens Season 31

Installations and Showcase

Our Home and Our School
20 Nov – 26 Dec | 10.15am – 5.45pm daily (30-minute slots for each installation, 12 pax per slot)
Glass Atrium, Level 2 | Free, but $10/pair deposit collected upon registration | Recommended for age 3 – 12

What was it like growing up for children in the past versus the children of today? Visit our specially created installations to explore how home and school experiences have changed over the years. Play games, write to a special senior pen pal, design your dream uniform and more in this interactive experience for the whole family!

To enhance your experience, you may wish to purchase a Story Collector Starter Pack at $6, which contains stationery and more fun activities complementing the installations! Click here to see a list of the contents within the pack.

Visit installationscs2021.peatix.com to book your time slot to the installations and packcs2021.peatix.com to purchase a Story Collector Starter Pack.

Things to note:
• Admission to the installations is free of charge, but a $10 deposit is collected for each adult-child pair, which will be refunded after your slot upon verifying your attendance.
• Please book a ticket for each family member, regardless of age.
• Each child below the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Siblings must each be accompanied by a separate adult.

Childrens Season 57
Otterly Famtastic Day Out at the National Museum! Video + Museum Roundtable “Fantastic Critters” Activity Booklet
20 Nov – 26 Dec | On loop from 10am – 6pm (Video duration: 2.5 mins) | Donor wall, Level 2 | Free

Meet Dennis the playful otter and his parents in the video below, and find out how to have a wonderful family day out at the museum!

From 24 November, pick up a copy of the Children’s Season 2021 “Fantastic Critters” activity booklet produced by the Museum Roundtable (MR), complete the National Museum’s activity based on our Otterly Famtastic video, and redeem a unique “Fantastic Critter” sticker at our Redemption Counter (The Platform, Level 2). Collect all 15 critter stickers at participating MR museums and stand to redeem a limited-edition prize!

This video was produced in support of the accessibility initiatives at the National Museum. Versions with subtitles in Mandarin, Malay and Tamil are accessible on our YouTube channel.

 
Childrens Season 267
Inter-generational Showcase: Our Home – Singapore
20 Nov – 26 Dec | Glass Atrium (beside the “Our Home” installation), Level 2 | Free

What is “Singapore” to our seniors and children?

Visit our showcase of artworks created as part of a virtual inter-generational programme! Inspired by conversations on selected museum artefacts covering topics related to Singapore’s identity and housing in the 1970s and 1980s, seniors and children designed their own currency notes and co-created mini HDB flat dioramas together with artist Joanne Lio.
Childrens Season 302
Our Childhood
20 Nov – 26 Dec | Outside Growing Up gallery, Level 2 | Free

Have you ever played with a wind-up toy or a gasing? Spot four big standees featuring popular children’s toys from the 1950s and 1960s. Reminisce about the good old days by taking a photo with the standees!

(We would love to see your pictures, so remember to tag us on social media – @natmuseum_sg on Instagram and @national.museum.of.singapore on Facebook!)
I Spy
I Spy
20 Nov – 26 Dec | Glass Atrium (beside the “Our Home” installation), Level 2 | Free

Stop by this cheery mural featuring 13 of our favourite old-school games. Can you name each of them? (Psst… If you need some help, the answers are in the mural itself!)
NMS_Postcard_Individual2

“Dear Senior,”: A Digital Inter-generational Pen Pal Corner
From 20 Nov

In this specially curated digital showcase featuring questions posed by children to their senior pen pals, find out what life was like for our seniors when they were young! Click here to view the showcase.

Enjoy the illustrations? You can download them as colouring templates here!

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Programmes

Artefact Hunts with Dennis and Family!
20 Nov – 26 Dec | Estimated duration: 45 mins| Various locations | Age 4 and up

You’ve met them in our Otterly Famtastic video. Now join them on two fun Artefact Hunts! Explore the galleries, solve riddles to discover little-known facts behind the mysterious artefacts, and complete the hunt to redeem a prize sponsored by Plano at the end!

(1) Dennis the Otter’s First Day of School
$8 per adult-child pair | Themes: Alphabet, Numbers and Colours
It’s Dennis’ first day of school, and he needs your help! Join Dennis, Mama Binturong and Papa Sunbear as they go around the museum in search of 8 items that Dennis will need to prepare him for his very first day!

Each ticket includes a set of Early Learning Resources (3 ELR booklets: ABCs/123/Colours) which are the key to helping you along the way!

Limited spaces available. Visit dennisschoolcs2021.peatix.com to register.

(2) Dennis the Otter’s Little Day Out
$6 per adult-child pair | Themes: Shapes and Opposites
Dennis is going to a party with Mama Binturong and Papa Sunbear! To get ready, they are going to need 8 of their favourite things – but they will need your help to find them.

Each ticket includes a set of Early Learning Resources (2 ELR booklets: Shapes and Opposites) which are the key to helping you along the way!

This is a self-facilitated treasure hunt. You will need:

  • To obtain your gallery admission tickets at the Visitor Services counter on Level 1
  • A mobile device with Internet access
  • Your ELR booklets to refer to during the hunt

Limited spaces available. Families who have previously purchased the ELR booklets may also register for this Artefact Hunt at no cost. Visit dennisdayoutcs2021.peatix.com to register.

Toy Story CS 2021

What’s Your Toy Story? Campaign
20 Nov – 26 Dec | All ages

Do you have a toy with an interesting story to tell? Share your story with us and the top 20 entries stand to win attractive prizes sponsored by Plano! Your toy may even be displayed in our Growing Up gallery!

Head to the drop-in corner outside the Growing Up gallery to pick up a physical entry form or submit your entry online here from 20 Nov to 26 Dec. Remember to include a drawing or photograph of your treasured toy!

Click here for the terms and conditions.

Click here for a sneak preview of the prizes*!

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All I Have To Do Is Dream In-Gallery Performance [SOLD OUT]
21 Nov (Sun) | 11.30 – 12pm & 3.30 – 4pm 
25 Dec (Sat) | 10.30am – 11am & 2.30 – 3pm
Meeting point: Outside Growing Up gallery, Level 2. Participants should obtain their gallery admission tickets at the Visitor Services counter on Level 1 before proceeding to the meeting point | $15 per adult-child pair | Suitable for ages 5 and up

What does the 2021 Singapore Dream look like to museum docents Judy and Harry, a senior and a young man living with Down Syndrome respectively?

A mysterious figure wakes up in the National Museum of Singapore. He exists to collect dreams and has the ability to draw out deeper knowledge behind objects and people. Using sign language and sculpting meaning in the air with his fingers, he journeys through the Growing Up gallery with the audience, collecting dreams of the past and present.

Singapore Sign language (SGSL) interpretation and audio description (English) are integrated into the performance. A visual story of the performance is available.

Each $15 ticket admits one child (regardless of age) and one adult only. Limited spaces available due to safe management measures. Visit AIHTDIDcs2021.peatix.com to register.
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Building Tour for Families [Sold Out]
4, 11 & 25 Dec (Sat) | 11.30am – 12.15pm & 3.30 – 4.15 pm
Meeting point: Rotunda, Level 1 | Free, but $10 deposit per adult-child pair collected upon registration | Age 7 – 12

Join us on a learning journey around the museum and discover interesting gems about this 134-year-old building!

This programme is free of charge, but a $10 deposit is collected for each adult-child pair, which will be refunded after the session upon verifying your attendance. Limited spaces available due to safe management measures. Visit buildingtourcs2021.peatix.com to register.
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Character Tours: Majie [SOLD OUT]
20 Nov (Sat) | 10.30am – 11am & 2.30 – 3pm
27 Nov (Sat) | 2.30 – 3pm
12 Dec (Sun) | 11.30am – 12pm & 2.30 – 3pm
25 Dec (Sat) | 3.30 – 4pm
Meeting point: Outside Modern Colony gallery, Level 2. Participants should obtain their gallery admission tickets at the Visitor Services counter on Level 1 before proceeding to the meeting point | $10 per adult-child pair | Age 5 – 10

It is a busy day for this majie as there is a huge party to prepare for in her employer’s mansion! Follow her as she shows you around the mansion and learn about all the work this hardworking woman does in a day!

Each $10 ticket admits one child (regardless of age) and one adult only. Limited spaces available due to safe management measures. Visit majietourcs2021.peatix.com to register.
Mama shop owner thumnail
Character Tours: Mama Shop Owner [SOLD OUT]
27 Nov (Sat) | 11.30am − 12pm & 3.30 – 4pm
5 Dec (Sun) | 3.30 – 4pm 
26 Dec (Sun) | 11.30am – 12pm & 2.30 – 3pm
Meeting point: Outside Growing Up gallery, Level 2. Participants should obtain their gallery admission tickets at the Visitor Services counter on Level 1 before proceeding to the meeting point | $10 per adult-child pair | Age 5 – 10

Follow this mama shop owner as he takes you back in time to discover the stories behind his toys!

Each $10 ticket admits one child (regardless of age) and one adult only. Limited spaces available due to safe management measures. Visit mamatourcs2021.peatix.com to register.
Badang Storytelling
Interactive Storytelling: Badang and the Singapore Stone [SOLD OUT]
20 Nov (Sat) | 11.30am – 12pm
21 Nov (Sun) 2.30 – 3pm
4 Dec (Sat) 2.30 – 3pm
5 Dec (Sun) 11.30am – 12pm
The Salon, Level 1 | $10 per adult-child pair | Age 4 – 9

Come hear the story of Badang and the Singapore Stone, which is documented in the Sejarah Melayu (or Malay Annals), a chronicle of the Malay courts of Singapore and Melaka from the 14th to 16th centuries. After the storytelling session, head into the Temasek section of the museum’s Singapore History Gallery to see the actual Sejarah Melayu manuscript and a fragment of the Singapore Stone!

Each $10 ticket admits one child (regardless of age) and one adult only. Limited spaces available due to safe management measures. Visit badangcs2021.peatix.com to register.

This programme is presented by the National Museum of Singapore in collaboration with World Scientific Education.
Tales of Old Singapore
Inter-generational Workshop: Tales of Old Singapore
20 Nov (Sat) | 3.30pm − 5pm
18 Dec (Sat) | 10.30am – 12pm & 2.30pm − 4pm
The Salon, Level 1| $20 per adult-child pair | Age 5 – 12

Discover toys that your parents and grandparents used to play with and local places of interest that they would frequent. Roll up your sleeves and create your very own Snakes and Ladders board game as a family!

Each pair will be given 1 set of craft materials, “My Family’s Stories” Kit and NMS Easy Guides.

Limited spaces available due to safe management measures. Visit TOOScs2021.peatix.com to register.
Otah and Friends
Otah & Friends: Camp Stardust
15 Nov 2021 – 20 Mar 2022 | 55 minutes per session
During school holidays season: 10am – 7pm daily
Outside school holidays season: 1pm – 7pm on weekdays (closed on Tuesdays), 10am – 7pm on weekends & public holidays
Exhibition Gallery, Basement Level
$24 per pax for a regular ticket (2 – 4 pax) and $19 per pax for a group ticket (5 pax)
Suitable for all ages, but please note that children under the age of 12 will require an accompanying adult

Otah & Friends is a family entertainment brand featuring original characters inspired by Singapore's wildlife. Following three successful runs at Gardens By The Bay and Suntec City, Otah & Friends is back with its fourth edition – Camp Stardust!

A forest adventure awaits you at Camp Stardust! Complete exciting challenges and navigate mazes with Otah, while collecting courage badges to become a Stardust Scout! Keep a lookout for our new character Sambal, who will be making his debut!

Look forward to elaborate multi-room sets, imaginative storytelling and interactive game technology, designed to encourage family bonding and to introduce values education through play.

Register for Camp Stardust here!
CS2021 ONLINE

Online Programmes

Click here to participate in our Children’s Season 2021 online programmes and live-streams from the comfort of your home!

Family Time

Visit our permanent galleries with your little ones and play spot-the-artefact! Our colourful Early Learning Resources introduce pre-schoolers to our artefacts according to the themes of Numbers, Colours, and ABCs. Available at $8 per set from the Museum Label shop. For more children's activity booklets, click here.

Museum guide

Download our museum guide (English, Chinese, Bahasa Melayu, Tamil) to find out about the many treasures in our various galleries. In this guide, you will also find the floor plan for easier navigation. Enjoy your visit!