Affordable and fun places for the March holidays

With the March holidays approaching, coupled with lack of cash and time to think of destinations to bond with Ivan, my 7-year-old nephew, I decided to let him do the choosing; he has to think of 3 places and activities in Singapore he'd like to visit and do, with me as his guardian, chauffeur, and walking ATM, but they must be affordable and take place in Singapore. That's, strictly speaking, homework but its something he'd enjoy doing.

Ivan's wish list for this March holidays is as follows:

Sentosa

Ivan loves the Sentosa Luge & Skyride. The luge is a cross between a go-cart and a toboggan, which relies on gravity to navigate through the course. The instructor checks that the rider is properly geared, and learns how to operate the brakes, before he starts to zip downhill. If money is not an object, Ivan likes being in control of the luge and the gush of speed in his veins, and will ride on until the tires go bare or I'm broke (whichever first). The Skyride is similar to ski lifts; it transports the riders back to the starting point, and provides a scenic aerial view of Sentosa on the way up.

He also gets to indulge in building sand-castles at the Sentosa or Palawan Beaches. His skills, imagination, and artistic flair come to play, and Ivan can concentrate for hours without interruption, preparing a firm sand structure requiring a right combination of water and sand to lay a solid foundation for the castle. (I'm not even aware of this myself!) This is one of the rare activities that cultivate his patience.

Zoo

A child's perennial favourite; Ivan never tires of going several times in a year (mind you, he holds a Friends of the Zoo membership card that entitles him free entry and tram rides at the zoo). He usually checks out the Australian Outback exhibit, where he can go up, close, and personal with the wallabies and kangaroos. A trivial snippet: The late Steve Irwin, together with Australian High Commissioner Mr Miles Kupa officially opened Singapore Zoo's Australian Outback in March 2006.

Besides the cuddly-looking marsupials, the exhibit also houses several reptiles such as the carpet python and frilled-neck lizard – understandably Ivan is not one of their fans. To wrap up the day, Ivan chills out with a meal in KFC, enjoying his comfort food of cheese fries and Coke.

Prawn Fishing in Bishan Park

Ivan has never even tried peeling prawns, much less go prawn fishing. But he has heard of interesting prawn fishing activities from his classmates, and would like to have a go at it. Apparently, Bishan Park offers two fishing spots, and prawns are added to the ponds on 30-45 minute intervals, and sometimes, one can get a pretty decent haul of about two dozen prawns, depending on one's luck and skill.

A peek at Ivan's essential items for any big day out:

His trusty pink Nintendo DS to keep him occupied on the road
2 slices of wholegrain bread with healthy low fat cheese and butter spread; he gets hungry easily when having fun outdoors, and he likes cheese and butter
A pack of biscuits, in case the 2 slices of bread aren't enough
His favourite WALL.E milk shaker, permanently borrowed from his 2-year-old brother, to fill in his daily intake of chocolate-flavoured GROW SCHOOL milk to meet some of his daily nutrient needs
A bottle of plain water and filled to the brim as he perspires easily and needs hydration

Do drop us an email at family.sg@abbott.com, subject header 'Prawn Fishing' if you have tried prawn fishing at any of the parks in Singapore, and what your experiences were like.

Where are the best holidays to bring your family? Tell us!

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