Vol
4 No 2
Aug 97
June Vacation Workshop
for children
Mangrove Crabs of Sungei Buloh
Timberland
Earth Day Programme
List of Common Migrant Birds
at Sungei Buloh |
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Come
Experience the
Wild Side of
Life
The June Vacation Workshop
Children of urban Singapore studying science in a vacuum.
Failure to relate textbook materials with reality.
These are but some problems we discovered while bringing our school
children around the Park.
To address these
issues and to bring children closer to nature, one-day nature workshops
based on the theme, "Adaptation in Nature" were conducted on 3 and
5 June for the 11- to 12-year olds.
Each day, 20 children were at the Park from 9 am to 5 pm for a complete
nature study experience, with opportunities to take part in activities
they would usually not have time for during their school excursions.
Their day of learning consisted of games and nature rambles, based
on the theme, "Adaptations in Nature". The children enjoyed themselves
immensely, especially the nature rambles.
For many of them, it was the first time they had the chance to get
up close and personal with unusual but interesting creatures like
mudskippers, horseshoe crabs, archerfish, creeper shells and changeable
lizards.
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Collen
Goh
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Dawning
Rendezvous
Linda Goh
23 February 1997
7.00am Grey Skies threatened the day...With fingers crossed, I
made my way to Singapore's only remaining patch of primary rainforest
to meet up with our Park volunteers.
7.30am The sky cleared. Our
guide, Mr Eugene Tang had already arrived. Eugene conducted a short
briefing before setting off with the group. My sister and 1 stayed
behind to 'catch' the late corners.
As
we made our way up to catch up with the rest, we were greeted by
a chorus of cicadas. We were excited with the experience of the
hilly wonders. The whole forest was pulsating with life!
Eugene took time to introduce the Dipterocarp family, a characteristic
species of the primary forest. Towering above us were the majestic
Shorea curtisii, the most common member of the family. Treading
on the Kruing Path, we spotted the Bat Lily, named for its resemblance
to bats with ears sticking out. Growing below the canopy layer ,
many species of fungi flourish. The Bracket fungus grew in layers
on dead tree trunks.
With much heaving and panting, we managed a steep rocky path. Lactic
acid had started accumulating in our muscles and we decided to take
a break and to have a group picture taken.
Cool breeze. Beautiful sights. The summit provided a breath-taking
view of Singapore. Unfortunately we did not spot any birds.
11.00 am
We quickened our footsteps to get back to the Visitor's Centre,
where food awaits. Upon reaching the bottom of the hill, we proceeded
to the seminar room and, through a well-produced slide presentation,
were once again taken along the trails of the reserve. The whole
event ended at about noon and we were all looking forward to our
next gathering in September. Destination? Pulau Ubin.
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Our next series of
workshops will be held in December, based on the theme "Bird Migration".
Participants (aged 11-12) will have a choice of either 9 or 12 Dee 1997.
The workshop will be held at the Park from 9.00 am to 5 pm. The fee of $40
will include meals and relevant materials required for the one-day workshop
(transportation not included).
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