Much Fun for Everyone | MND Link | Ministry of National Development

Much Fun for Everyone

Looking for new forms of rest and recreation? Here are three new developments for you to enjoy! In March 2019, the National Parks Board (NParks) unveiled a refreshed area in East Coast Park that provides respite from the hustle and bustle, a playgarden in HortPark for children to revel in nature through play, and new ways to rediscover Singapore on foot and bicycle.

Respite at Raintree Cove

Raintree Cove at East Coast Park has re-opened and it offers expansive vistas of the sea and plenty of areas for visitors to rest and lounge – perfect for those seeking a more tranquil experience in the park. Mr Goh Chok Tong, Emeritus Senior Minister and Adviser to Marine Parade GRC, opened Raintree Cove with a tree planting ceremony.

(From left) Mrs Bharat Mekani, Mr Tan Jack Thian, ESM Goh, Mr Gavin Gareth Chan, Mr Edmund Tang and NParks CEO Mr Kenneth Er plant a Yellow Rain Tree (Samanea saman) together to commemorate the opening of the Raintree Cove.

Raintree Cove includes many new features, such as two open lawns and nine garden swings painted by students from seven schools and two youth organisations. The Garden Swings community project was made possible by a donation from Mr and Mrs Bharat Mekani through the Garden City Fund, NParks’ registered charity and an Institution of a Public Character.

Visitors of all ages can try out three other types of swings – two hammock swings, two saucer swings and three traditional swings.

Salvaged wood from African Mahagony trees (Khaya senegalensis) are made into seats, also serving as biophilic play features for visitors to challenge themselves to balancing acts.

A revamped pavilion with a green roof overlooks the sea, where relaxing group activities can be conducted. There is also a cosy area near the C3 carpark with five terrazzo seats for groups of two to three to lounge, read, and relax.

Revel in the Nature Playgarden

Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for National Development, opened the Nature Playgarden at HortPark as part of the NParks Biophilic Playgarden Plan. Specially conceived with preschoolers in mind, the Plan includes design guidelines for developing biophilic playgardens to encourage children to spend more time outdoors so that they can enhance their overall well-being, increase their self-confidence and creative expression, and reconnect with nature.

Minister Lee waters a Hill Tristania Tree (Tristaniopsis merguensis) during a tree planting session at the Nature Playgarden opening, with preschoolers from NTUC-My First Skool at 505 Yung An Road and PCF Sparkletots Preschools at Joo Chiat Blk 15 and Radin Mas Blk 18.

The 0.35ha Nature Playgarden at HortPark contains nine different play features which incorporate biophilic design principles, such as sensory elements that allow children to connect directly with nature. Natural materials such as wood, bamboo, sand and gravel are used in all the play features. Click here for more information about the Nature Playgarden.

The Building Huts are two zones of sand and gravel where there are three open-sided teepees for children to build upon the structures with twigs, branches, or big dried fronds, and play with the ground material.

The Singing Seeds is a musical play area that encourages children to move hanging bamboo poles of different sizes to create different pitched chimes, and rock or spin hollow musical seesaws and wheels filled with seeds and seed pods to produce sounds.

At The Big Fig Adventure, children can challenge themselves with stepping stones of logs as they climb, balance, or jump, and develop their motor skills and physical fitness.

NParks plans to introduce more of such biophilic playgardens in other parks and gardens over the next two years. Plans are also in place to enhance existing playgrounds to incorporate biophilic playgarden elements.

Rediscover Singapore through the Coast-to-Coast Trail and the Round Island Route

The 36km Coast-to-Coast (C2C) Trail and Rower’s Bay along the Round Island Route (RIR) creates new opportunities for people to rediscover Singapore. Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance, graced the launch of the C2C Trail and Rower’s Bay on 30 March.

Minister Wong unveils the tenth checkpoint of the Coast-to-Coast Trail.

The C2C Trail spans the island of Singapore and takes visitors through a variety of parks, nature areas, and places of interest. It is complemented by the C2C mobile application, which makes use of interactive augmented reality (AR) elements to provide users with a curated walking experience as well as an online trail guide. The C2C app’s features include interactive AR characters that provide interesting information about native flora and fauna as well as the surrounding points of interest. You can download the NParks Coast-to-Coast mobile app from the Google Play Store (for Android users) or App Store (for iOS users), and access the online trail guide here.

Map showing the Coast-to-Coast Trail

Rower’s Bay is a new node along the RIR, a continuous 150km green corridor that will go around Singapore connecting existing natural, cultural, historical, and recreational sites, thereby linking different communities together. It is part of the 60-km first phase of the RIR. The RIR will be progressively completed by 2035.

Map of recreational connections, including the RIR

Serving as a rest and gathering point for park users along the RIR, it features a new boardwalk to bring visitors closer to the water, a lookout pavilion, swales, and a wetland.

Rower’s Bay is also part of a future Park Connector Network (PCN) loop around Lower Seletar Reservoir. A new 1.5 km park connector next to Rower’s Bay will be completed by end- 2019, and the rest of the loop will be progressively planned and completed in the future.

With all these new things to try out, it’s definitely time for you to plan a relaxing day in nature with your friends and family!