Last weekend, I brought Edison to National Museum of Singapore for the first time, and we had such a delightful time there. The weather is SO warm to stay outdoor these days, but yet the malls are often too packed for our liking. And so, visiting the museum sounds like a perfect idea! 🙂
Singapore is blessed with a wide variety of museums, be it big or small. They teach families about science, arts, history, culture, and so much more. They also offer opportunities for families to enjoy quality, fun time together. Especially for children, the educational benefits of visiting museums go beyond reinforcing the lessons they learn in school.
National Museum of Singapore is more than just historic artefacts and school excursions. Much to my surprise, the museum has SO much more to offer. It’s informative for the adults, interactive for the kids, and certainly a vibrant space where history comes alive. Here are 5 good reasons why you should visit National Museum of Singapore.
1. It’s FREE!
I’ll be honest – what’s more attractive than free admission, haha! 😉
Since 18 May 2013, National Heritage Board (NHB) offers free admission for Singapore citizens and PRs to 8 museums and Heritage Institutions all year round. Through free admission, NHB hopes to give us greater access to our National Museums and Heritage Institutions.
For special exhibitions where there is an admission fee, NHB will continue to offer free admission for citizens and PRs who are students, teachers, senior citizens and NSFs as well as children of 6 years of age and under. You just have to bring your NRIC / staff pass / student pass as proof of identification.
2. Great introduction to Singapore history
On Level 1, there’s a permanent gallery called Singapore History Gallery that showcases artefacts and development of Singapore through 4 time periods – Singapura (1299 to 1818), Crown Colony (1819 to 1941), Syonan-To (1942 to 1945), and Singapore (1946 to present).
At the entrance, you’ll be greeted by Singapore Stone that contains some Sanskrit words that have never been fully deciphered. The stone was dated from the 10th to 14th centuries. Then, you’ll be transported to the Crown Colony where Sir Stamford Raffles and Major William Farquhar arrived in Singapore in 1819.
This night-soil bucket caught Edison’s attention. After this visit, he knew how people used to dispose their poop before the first sewerage scheme was started in Singapore.
Syonan-To marks the fall of Singapore to Japanese troops, and it’s also one of the darkest periods in Singapore’s history. There’s a Japanese tank on display at this area. Even though it’s just a replica, it never fails to excite Edison who is a huge fan of tanks.
A 1-1 scale replica of a Type 95 Ha Go Japanese tank used during World War II. It was constructed for Tom Hanks’ and Steven Spielberg’s television mini-series, The Pacific (2010)
He spent the longest time here, trying to read and analyse how strong the Japanese army was as compared to their allies.
At the last time-period, it covers highlights of our history from 1946 to present day. Here, you can watch one of the most iconic moments in our history where Mr Lee Kuan Yew cried on national broadcast as he spoke about the separation of Singapore from Malaysia.
An old trishaw on display
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3. Enjoy the new digital experimental space at Gallery10, Level 1
From now till 31 Jul 2017, the National Museum of Singapore presents the artworks of Yip Yew Chong, whose life-sized murals seek to express the romance of places and moments that blend sights, sounds, smell and taste.
Visitors can savour the moments of our tangible and intangible heritage, such as barbers in back lanes and fortune tellers, traditional kopi-making and road-side communal satay-eating, as they come alive through animation, soundscape and projection in Gallery10.
It was such a fun time relaxing on the ultra-comfy doob bean bag while enjoying this beautiful gallery.
4. Catch the spectacular multimedia journey at Glass Rotunda, Level 2
Artist impression of Story of the Forest by teamLab
The Singapore History Gallery has been enhanced by two new immersive art installations. The first work is a digital art installation inspired by the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings, entitled Story of the Forest. Visitors can experience the treasured collection of the National Museum brought to life through a spectacular digital presentation, and be transported to 20th century Malaya as viewed through the eyes of artists of that time and reimagined today by interdisciplinary art collective teamLab.
5. Discover more Singapore’s history and national collection that have never been displayed before
On Level 2, visitors can find the Life in Singapore: The Past 100 Years galleries and the Goh Seng Choo Gallery. I always feel that a grasp of history is important to help our children to appreciate how our country has evolved to its current state. Through the Life in Singapore gallery, we can see the historical context of Singapore’s early years as a young nation, till now as a global city.
Learning how to use the old phone
Planning Your Museum Visit
Before visiting the museum, it’s good to check whether there’s any special exhibition or family activities on the day you plan to visit. Do check out the timing as certain galleries may close earlier.
National Museum of Singapore
Opening Hours: Open daily from 10am to 7pm
Admission: FREE admission for Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents and visitors aged 6 years and below. Others: Adults $15 | Students & Seniors (aged 60 and above) $10
Address: 93 Stamford Road, Singapore 178897.
Nearest MRT: Bras Basah, Dhoby Ghaut
Official Webpages: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Very interesting museum, I like history very much!