Latest news with #MandaiWildlifeReserve
CNA
16-05-2025
- General
- CNA
New ZooSchool at Mandai Wildlife Reserve to offer children immersive learning programmes
Children aged three to 12 can now look forward to immersive learning programmes at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve. The new ZooSchool is borne from a partnership between Mandai Wildlife Group and educational services provider NTUC First Campus. Programmes range from 45 minutes to three-day camps. The target is to welcome 50,000 children annually by 2030. Rachel Teng reports.
Straits Times
16-05-2025
- General
- Straits Times
Animal interactions and outdoor adventure camps: New ZooSchool for children opens in June
ZooSchool features indoor spaces modelled after rainforest, freshwater, and savannah habitats as well as a multi-level outdoor playground. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG Animal interactions and outdoor adventure camps: New ZooSchool for children opens in June SINGAPORE – Starting in June, children aged 3 to 12 will meet animals up close and develop life skills through a new programme at Mandai Wildlife Reserve aimed at fostering a deeper appreciation for nature. Set up by Mandai Wildlife Reserve together with pre-school operator NTUC First Campus, ZooSchool's 1,300 sq m campus features indoor spaces modelled after rainforest, freshwater, and savannah habitats as well as a multi-level outdoor playground. Children will pick up life skills such as knot-tying, map reading, and first-aid skills aimed to build resilience, critical thinking and fine motor skills. To complement their classroom learning, children will venture on-site at Mandai's five wildlife parks, which serve as open-air classrooms. Guided by veterinarians and animal care experts, they will have close-up animal encounters and go behind the scenes to learn about wildlife conservation and animal behaviours. 'The world is running out of time,' said Ms Belina Lee, deputy chief executive (transformation and growth) at Mandai Wildlife Group, at the launch of ZooSchool on May 16. 'We need our next generation to grow up, not just thinking of the traditional sense of success, but that success also means being responsible to the environment.' ZooSchool is set up by Mandai Wildlife Reserve together with pre-school operator NTUC First Campus. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG ZooSchool is a new addition to Mandai Wildlife Group's ongoing efforts to create wildlife learning programmes for children. The group hopes to scale up ZooSchool's reach to engage 50,000 children annually by 2030. More initiatives are in the pipeline, including an overnight camp and a Parent-Tots Programme, which will offer nature play sessions for parents and their toddlers. The latter is set to start in 2026. At the launch, The Straits Times had a glimpse of one of ZooSchool's key offerings, WILD Rescue Rangers - a three-day camp featuring survival skills, animal interactions and conservation activities. After learning how the zoo cares for animals, children learnt about animal habitats and tried their hand at building an otter exhibit inside the school campus. Children bandaging an orangutan stuffed toy at ZooSchool during its on May 16. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG They later visited the Fennec Fox exhibit at Singapore Zoo , where they filled eggshells with mealworms and tore strips of newspaper to bury the food - part of an enrichment activity designed to mimic how foxes dig for food in the wild. Five-year-old Lawrence Lin, from Little Skool-House (Alexandra Hospital Branch), rated the day a five out of five. 'I love to prepare the food for the fox because I get to put the worms in the eggs,' he said. Ms Natalie Teng, 47, centre manager for ZooSchool, said: 'We build on the children's creativity, asking them questions about how and why these things happen.' Children will pick up life skills such as knot-tying, map reading, and first-aid skills aimed to build resilience, critical thinking and fine motor skills. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG WILD Rescue Rangers is priced at S$520 from July onwards. The fee includes all meals and guided wildlife interactions. While June sessions are fully booked, camps for July to September are available for signups via the Mandai Wildlife Reserve website. Other programmes include Wild Wonders, two-hour add-on adventures at either the Singapore Zoo or Bird Paradise. Participants will uncover animal 'superpowers' and conservation mysteries during the experience. The activity runs from June to July 2025 and costs S$70. Programmes for pre-schoolers will begin in July 2025. These include 45- minute guided tours of the Singapore Zoo, Bird Paradise or River Wonders, which cost S$25 per child. For a deeper dive, a 3.5-hour wildlife exploration programme will take children through Rainforest Wild Asia or the Singapore Zoo, where children will learn survival skills. This is priced at S$70. Friends of Mandai and NTUC Union Members can enjoy further discounts. For more information, visit Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
CNA
08-05-2025
- CNA
Mandai Wildlife Reserve to add overnight camping experience and a ZooSchool for kids in coming months
Mandai Wildlife Reserve is getting yet another upgrade with new experiences set to open in its eastern cluster in the second half of 2025. These include the Colugo Camp, an overnight stay experience; more dining options in the Dining Alley; Green Canvas, a new venue for meetings and exhibitions; two nature-themed indoor attractions, Exploria and Curiosity Cove; and a ZooSchool for children. The latter is a partnership between Mandai Wildlife Group and preschool NTUC First Campus. It will offer an immersive nature-inspired wildlife education programme across the wildlife parks for children from preschool to 12 years old. Set to open in June, the programmes are designed to tap into children's sense of adventure and motivation for outdoor play and physical exploration, where they will acquire essential survival skills such as basic first aid, knot tying and navigation – all while having fun and discovering the wonders of nature. ZooSchool will launch with three-day holiday programmes, in time for the June holidays, allowing young explorers to enjoy curated outings at the Singapore Zoo and Bird Paradise. Bookings can be made for ZooSchool at Additional programmes, including those tailored for preschools, will be introduced in the coming months. Meanwhile, the new Colugo Camp will open in the third quarter of the year. Available for year-round bookings, the permanent site features 20 safari tents with views, supported by communal dining and shower facilities. Each tent accommodates up to four people for an all-inclusive camping experience, which will include meals and guided tours within the wildlife parks. The Colugo Camp will continue to be complemented by seasonal glamping favourites Glamping in the Wild at the Singapore Zoo and Glamping with the Penguins at Bird Paradise. All camping experiences will also include programmes to ensure that every stay will be both fun and educational. Interested individuals can register their interest and receive updates at For those seeking a unique venue for corporate gatherings, Green Canvas, adjacent to the newly opened Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree, is a versatile forest-themed event space spanning 2,800sqm. Its Exhibition Hall can accommodate more than 500 people, which makes it ideal for various events such as trade shows and product launches. The venue also features a 187-seater auditorium and flexible meeting rooms for smaller discussions and presentations, perfect for hosting multi-day conferences in a distinctive wildlife and nature destination. Interested parties can visit Mandai Wildlife East will also soon host a cluster of new restaurants operated by known brands at the Dining Alley. Opening progressively from May 2025, these will include New York's iconic wood-fired pizza Roberta's Pizza, Japan's Sushiro with its first Digiro concept (a virtual conveyor belt) in Singapore and Watami Group's unique dining and bar concept. Joining them are Song Fa Bak Kut Teh, Xiang Xiang Hunan Cuisine and a few more. In addition, a new restaurant, The Courtyard, will open in the evenings from Thursday (May 8) and offer Asian and Indian buffets. It will also progressively offer all-day dining, with its a la carte menu in the coming months. 'We kicked off the year with the opening of the Mandai Boardwalk, which has attracted over 200,000 visitors in just four months,' said Mike Barclay, group chief executive officer of Mandai Wildlife Group, in a press release. 'We now look forward to adding more exciting features to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve in the months ahead, including a dedicated education facility for children, dedicated campsite with immersive tours, engaging event spaces and vibrant new dining options.'
