Vol 4 No 2
Aug 97
June Vacation Workshop
for children
Mangrove Crabs of Sungei Buloh
Timberland
Earth Day Programme
List of Common Migrant Birds
at Sungei Buloh
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Come Experience
the
Wild Side of Life
The June Vacation Workshop
Children of urban Singapore studying science in a vacuum.
Failure to relate textbook materials with reality.
These are but some problems we discovered while bringing our school
children around the Park.
To
address these issues and to bring children closer to nature, one-day nature
workshops based on the theme, "Adaptation in Nature" were
conducted on 3 and 5 June for the 11- to 12-year olds.
Each day, 20 children were at the Park from 9 am to 5 pm for a complete
nature study experience, with opportunities to take part in activities they
would usually not have time for during their school excursions.
Their day of learning consisted of games and nature rambles, based on the
theme, "Adaptations in Nature". The children enjoyed themselves
immensely, especially the nature rambles.
For many of them, it was the first time they had the chance to get up close
and personal with unusual but interesting creatures like mudskippers,
horseshoe crabs, archerfish, creeper shells and changeable lizards.
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Collen Goh
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Dawning Rendezvous
Linda Goh
23 February 1997
7.00am Grey Skies threatened the day...With fingers crossed, I made my
way to Singapore's only remaining patch of primary rainforest to meet up
with our Park volunteers.
7.30am The sky cleared. Our guide, Mr Eugene Tang had already
arrived. Eugene conducted a short briefing before setting off with the
group. My sister and 1 stayed behind to 'catch' the late corners.
As we made our way up to
catch up with the rest, we were greeted by a chorus of cicadas. We were
excited with the experience of the hilly wonders. The whole forest was
pulsating with life!
Eugene took time to introduce the Dipterocarp family, a
characteristic species of the primary forest. Towering above us were the majestic Shorea
curtisii, the most common member of the
family. Treading on the Kruing Path, we spotted
the Bat Lily, named for its resemblance to bats with ears sticking out.
Growing below the canopy layer , many species of
fungi flourish. The Bracket fungus grew in layers on dead tree trunks.
With much heaving and panting, we managed a steep rocky path. Lactic acid
had started accumulating in our muscles and we decided to take a break and
to have a group picture taken.
Cool breeze. Beautiful sights. The summit provided a breath-taking view of
Singapore. Unfortunately we did not spot any birds.
11.00 am
We quickened our footsteps to get back to the Visitor's Centre, where food
awaits. Upon reaching the bottom of the hill, we proceeded to the seminar
room and, through a well-produced slide presentation, were once again taken
along the trails of the reserve. The whole event ended at about noon and we
were all looking forward to our next gathering in September. Destination? Pulau Ubin.
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Our
next series of workshops will be held in December, based on the theme
"Bird Migration". Participants (aged 11-12) will have a choice of
either 9 or 12 Dee 1997. The workshop will be held at the Park from 9.00 am
to 5 pm. The fee of $40 will include meals and relevant materials required
for the one-day workshop (transportation not included).
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