No slides or see-saws at the new Nature Playgarden at HortPark but it's a must-visit for pre-schoolers!

There is a new playground playgarden at HortPark but you cannot find a single seesaw or slide here. Rather, the Nature Playgarden at HortPark is designed to encourage kids to spend more time outdoors and reconnect with nature.

Built with pre-schoolers in mind, the playgarden is best for kids aged between 3 and 6 years old. And already, the sign at the entrance of the playgarden had won me over before I stepped into the garden.

"Creative and nature play may entail some risk-taking"

How very true! The Nature Playgarden at HortPark is exactly that, as it utilizes natural terrain and about 99% of the 0.35 ha area is made out of recycled material, keeping in tune with its nature theme.

Courtesy of NParks

The first thing that struck me when I ventured into the playgarden was how everything was kept as natural as possible. With wood chips and dry leaves covering the floor of the playgarden, it reminded me of the playgrounds that we visited in Australia.

In fact, this playgarden is NParks' first Biophilic Playgarden, which integrates play features with more natural elements such as trees and sand. Biophilia refers to the innate emotional connection humans have with nature, and the playgarden was conceived to encourage children to spend more time outdoors to enhance their overall well-being, increase their self-confidence and creative expression and let them connect with nature.

In all, there are a total of nine play features at the playgarden.

The Building Huts

These two zones - Gravel Play and Sand Play - feature three teepees, and the ground is filled with sand and gravel respectively. All teepees have open sides, so children can build upon it with twigs, branches, or big dried fronds found in the play areas.

Kids can also work together to build houses and castles using natural materials such as timber cookies, wooden poles and tools provided at the Tool Board next to The Building Huts.

The Singing Seeds

This area for musical play is made up of hanging bamboo poles of different sizes, creating different pitched chimes as children move the poles, or when the wind blows.

There are also hollow musical seesaws and wheels filled with seeds from the Saga Tree, Rubber Tree and seed pods of the Rattleweed, where children can rock and spin to listen to the percussion of the rolling seeds.

The Big Fig Adventure

This log play area within a grove of Fig Trees features a collection of logs that are made into steps, a table for gatherings, and a log hill.

The stepping stones allow the children to challenge themselves as they climb, balance, or jump to their hearts' content.

The Stream

Here, children will encounter water flowing through a series of channels carved from logs. They will be able to manipulate the flow of water as they construct their own dams in their imaginative play.

The Kitchen

This area for kitchen play has a table surrounded by fruit trees in The Treasure Trail where children can pretend to cook with some cooking tools. Loose materials such as dried fruits and leaves are placed in boxes as “ingredients”, for the imaginative play of children.

The Log Valley

This is perhaps the most physical portion of the playgarden. Children can explore the valley made from logs, by climbing, balancing or even going under the logs. After clearing the Log Valley, they will find themselves at...

The Secret Den

Children can take shelter from the elements, or to spend some quiet time individually or bond in small groups under a grove of bamboo.

The Tresure Trail

Conssiting of the Frutiy Trail and Forest Trail, kids can go on a short hike around the playgarden and keep a lookout for fruit trees and other plants.

I have to say the trails are absolutely made for young kids because the trails are short and easy to navigate, with colourful signs along the trails to pique the interests of the young hikers.

The Magical Woods

The Magical Woods is home to a series of tunnels and hideouts for children to explore, or just simply to seek refuge (from parents).

 Overall, I think the Nature Playgarden at HortPark is an excellent place to bring the kids, especially if they are aged 6 years old and below. There are none of the usual slides, seesaws or even climbing structures that one usually associates with playgrounds but I love how the playgarden has ingeniously blended play activities with nature... along with plenty of hideouts for kids to explore.

The playgarden does not cover a large area, which is great for small kids as well since they can play in a contained area. Together with the many elements of sensory and nature play, this is one 'playground' that all parents with pre-schoolers should head to! PLUS, it's FREE entry for everyone!



Useful Information

Nature Playgarden at HortPark
33 Hyderabad Road (off Alexandra Road), Singapore 119578
*Closed on Mondays for maintenance.
*The playgarden is lit by natural sunlight only. For your own safety, please refrain from entering at night or during bad weather.

Lakeside Garden is now open, with a massive Playgarden that allows kids to mimic animals' movements & an unbelievable Water Play Area with tides!

A part of Jurong Lake Gardens finally re-opened today and let me just say it now - it is the BEST  park in Singapore by far!

The 90-hectare Gardens comprises Lakeside Garden (formerly Jurong Lake Gardens West), Chinese and Japanese Gardens (formerly Jurong Lake Gardens Central) and Garden Promenade (formerly Jurong Lake Gardens East). Lakeside Garden is already open for visitors, while Chinese Garden, Japanese Garden and Garden Promenade will be completed from 2021 onwards.

But trust me when I say the 53-hectare Lakeside Garden will be more than enough to offer a day of fun and activities whether it is for families, couples or individuals. Did you know that there is even a swimming complex within the park???

First, let me show you the areas of the park which will be definite hit with the kiddos!

FOREST RAMBLE
(Nearer to North Carpark)
*Open from 8am to 10pm, Closed on Mondays except for Public Holidays

Make no mistake, Forest Ramble is the largest nature playgarden in the heartlands. The 2.3-hectare playgarden is HUGE and comprises of 13 adventure stations for kids to explore, while being set in a natural environment consisting of streams and plants.

Most interestingly, the playgarden's stattions are designed to emulate the movement of animals which inhabit a freshwater swamp forest. What this means is the play structures are designed to allow kids to mimic the movements of a monkey, frog, heron, crab, squirrel and even an otter!

Heron Play

There are 2 gliders of different lengths which enable kids to soar like a Grey Heron from one platform to another.

Children can also climb up structures mqade of logs resembling heron nests, which are connected by a rope bridge.

Frog Play

The play area is set smid grasses and enables kids to hop from one 'lily pad' to another. The pads are actually small trampolines that are set in the ground.

Crab Play

Kids can 'burrow' in this wodden maze like a swap forest crab scurrying to safety. This series of tunnels and hidouts allow kids to explore, along with transparent bubbles along the upper-side of the wooden maze. Expect lots of hide-n-seek play here!

Ant Play

Depending on programme availability, giant building blocks will be provided in this sheltered play area and kids can use them to build castles and houses based on their imagination - just like how ants build their homes below the ground.

Birdwing Play

This play area consists of 9 swings of varied designs - rope swings, a bucket swing, basket swings, and a seesaw swing. The last one is the most fun of the lot!

In addition, kids can head to the Hammocks area which comprises of numerous hammocks of different heights, and they can just chill the day away.

Otter Play

Now this is the most ingenious play area of the lot, in my opinion!

Here, there are logs and boulders that re-create the habitat of the otter and it is also where kids can hone their balancing skills as they climb, balance of jump over the logs.

There is also - and kids will love this - a water play feature next to the log pile where kids can activate a lever to allow water to flow down a series of wooden channels and platforms.

There is sand covering the platforms, and kids can dig and shift the sand to uncover the buried channels, or build their own channels to manipulate the flow of water. VERY FUN!

Monkey & Spider Play

Got monkeys at home which cannot stay still? Bring them to this net structure and watch them climb and swing away - just like how the Raffles' Banded Langur moves through a forest canopy.

Squirrel Play

This play area consists of log seesaws, balancing log and rope obstacle courses, balancing springboards and ramps that connect to a wooden structure resembling a squirrel's nest. Love this!

Snake Play

The tallest play structure at Forest Ramble allows kids to climb all the way up, just like how a Paradise Tree Snake scales a tree. The steps in the structure are fashioned from logs, and the climbing tower is surrounded by climbers, which is the host plant for the caterpillars of the Common Rose Butterfly.

Once at the top, kids can feel the adrenaline rush from gliding down of the three slides, mimicking the actions of the Tree Snake!

CLUSIA COVE
(Nearer to North Carpark)
*Open from 8am to 10pm, Closed on Mondays except for Public Holidays

Be sure to bring a set of change clothes when you head down to Lakeside Garden with the kids because of THIS:

There is a huge water play area here!

Located in the north-eastern section of the park, Clusia Cove features a water play area, an eco-pond, a pavilion and a cafe.

The water play area for kids is divided into the Tidal Play Pool and Sand Play Pool.

Kids can enter the Tidal Play Pool by walking down a gentle slope. Periodically, water will gush out from the steps, making the water level rise (up to 30cm in depth) which gives kids the opportunity to learn about natural tide cycles!

As the water from the Tidal Play Pool flows into the Sand Play Pool, it mimics the surface ripples and directional currents similar to those found at coastal shores. Kids can experience the various movements of water by interacting with the levers and gates located at the mouth of the pool. Yes, it's not just all play at the water play area, you know. Heh.

At the Sand Play Pool, kids can experience the varying textures of sand while observing how water movements create wave-sculpted ripples in the sand.

There are shower facilities and vending machines located next to the play pools. Hungry after all the playing? Head to the cafe which sells a variety of Asian and Western cuisines at the eco-pond.

THE LOGS TRAIL
(Nearer to South Carpark)

This nature trail feature is made from materials recycled from fallen trees and are held together to form a series of adventurous paths of different elevations. How do they know that kids will love hopping from log to log?

RASAU WALK
(Nearer to South Carpark)

A 300-metre meandering boardwalk along the water’s edge, Rasau Walk enables visitors to get up close with nature.

Plants along Rasau Walk thrive in the riparian zone, where parts of certain plants are constantly submerged underwater. Many of these plant species have evolved mechanisms that allow them to cope with constant inundation.

Or it is just a great place to relax. 🤣

ALSTONIA ISLAND
(Nearer to South Carpark)

Alstonia Island is a man-made island which conditions are greatly influenced by changes in the water level of Jurong Lake, and the plant species on Alstonia Island were chosen to reflect the natural history of the area - swamp forests and wetlands that were the original habitat prior to the development of Jurong.

GRASSLANDS
(Nearer to South Carpark)

This 3.5-hectare area is dominated by tall grasses and small hills - AND this is made for Instagram! 😂😂😂

Well actually, this is the area where visitors can appreciate and observe birds up close as the Grasslands are an important habitat for many small bird species that feed on grass seeds and seek shelter amidst the area which is surrounded by tall grasses.

But I think both adults and kids alike will love the vast open space that the Grasslands offer, including climbing up the many small hills that dot the area.

Do go search for the Lone Tree too - you can't miss it.

From afar, it looks like a bare tree but it is actually a metal sculpture made entirely from recycled iron bars salvaged from old park pathways! It really looks amazing!

ActiveSG Park @ Jurong Lake Gardens
(Nearer to South Carpark)
*Opens Daily, 7am to 10pm. Admission charges apply.

Remember I mentioned there is a swimming complex within Lakeside Gardens too?

Located next to the South Car Park, ActiveSG Park offers an indoor gym and lap pool operated by Sport Singapore. Visitors can take a refreshing dip in the lap pool or relax on a lounge chair, while enjoying the peace and serenity of the surrounding greenery. Guests can get their exercise fix at the indoor gym or head to the roof-top for a great view of the garden.

Planning to head down with the kids? Here are some things to take note and a handy map:

Click to enlarge

- There are 2 carparks at Lakeside Garden, accesible from yuan Ching Road. The North Carpark is nearer to the playgrounds and water play area while the South Carpark is nearer to the Grasslands and Rasau Walk.
- If you don't drive, the Gardens is accessible from Chinese Garden or Lakeside MRT stations, and also by bus services 49 and 154 from Jurong East or Boon Lay Interchanges.
- A walk between the 2 carparks takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
- There are toilet facilities, together with water coolers and vending machines at the major attraction areas.

We spent about 3.5 hours there, and probably could have stayed even longer.... which means that we will be back really soon! 😁

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