Time flies! It’s the middle of the June Holidays already.
Running out of places to bring the kids out?
Thinking of an outing that is both fun and educational of the kids?

A good place I have discovered recently is the Singapore Arts Museum. I went there for a school excursion with my kids to learn about “shadows”. To my surprise, I saw a number of exhibits there they are very useful in imparting science to kids.

On level 1, there is a large glass tank that contains numerous green plants. The self-sustaining environment of this exhibit captures at least 3 scientific principles:
1. Photosynthesis: In the presence of light, green plants take in carbon dioxide and water to produce oxygen and food.
2. Respiration: Green plants are living things and will take in oxygen to support life processes and carbon dioxide and water are by-products.
3. The water cycle: Loss of water through evaporation and transpiration to produce water vapour which condenses on the cooler glass surface to form water droplets.
The above three concepts are highly interlinked as the products (waste) of one process is a necessary reactant in another process. For example, the carbon dioxide produced in respiration is a necessary reactant in photosynthesis. This exhibit brings to life a typical structured question in science exams.

On level 2, real rubber seeds are show-cased. Visitors can learn about the dispersion process of rubber seeds as well as the different varieties of rubber seeds. It is a good starting point to introduce young kids to the concept of dispersion in plants and the different types of dispersion methods.
Other exhibits related to science worth mentioning are:
1. Animal traps: different types of animal traps are on display and visitors can understand the different mechanisms present in these traps.
2. Exhibits made of iron nails and graphite: these exhibits exposed kids to different types of materials and uses. It was very refreshing to see the innovative and beautiful art pieces made from these materials which typically are highly functional type of materials.

It was indeed an eye-opening trip for me as I never did expect to see so many scientific displays in an ART museum. The exhibitors were ingenuous to synergise science and art together to create highly educational art pieces. If you have the time, it is definitely a good idea to make a trip to S.A.M where your kids can be exposed to Science, Art and have fun at the same time.