Outdoor Mandarin-Immersion Playgroup @ Singapore Botanic Gardens Eco-Lake

This is a private event only for the Tiny Play Club community. To join the community, please WhatsApp me at 87266246 to introduce yourself and your child(ren) before booking tickets. There are no membership fees to join the community. As this is an in-person community, I would like to personally know every attending family to keep the community safe.

Hi parents, I am a mom of a 2.5 year old toddler and I have been hosting play sessions, playgroups, swim clubs, talks, parties and other private events for a growing community of parents with young children aged 0-6 years old who meet regularly to play, socialise and have fun together.

Check out @tinyplayclub on Instagram, where I share reels and snippets of our community events and play sessions and play ideas that the kids loved.

Based on the popularity of our outdoor Mandarin-Immersion Playgroup @ Bukit Timah Railway Station held on Wednesday afternoons over the last few months, I am so excited to share that Tiny Play Club is now hosting outdoor mandarin-immersion playgroups in Botanic Gardens (Bukit Timah / Botanic Gardens MRT gate).

The playgroups will be facilitated and guided in mandarin by Zhen Zhen laoshi and Min laoshi, with whom I have been collaborating with for our community Mandarin-immersion playgroups and is loved by the children.

Zhen Zhen laoshi is a certified preschool Chinese teacher with 12 years of experience teaching Chinese, local and international children while Min laoshi has 11 years of early years teaching experience including at Chengzhu Mandarin Centre and an international kindergarten. She specialises in guiding young children in learning mandarin through cultural arts and drama performances.

Wee will host outdoor playgroups on occasional Saturday mornings for a maximum of 14 kids with 1-2 spots open for children attending a drop-in or make-up playgroup (see cancellation policy below) to keep the playgroup cosy and for the teachers to give each child attention.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣

Event details

Where: Singapore Botanic Gardens Eco Lake, 469C Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 259772

Meeting point: Picnic lawn near the Eco Lake

Next playgroup dates:

Sat 1 April 10-11am (plant life cycle)

How long: 1 hour for the playgroup, but everyone is welcome to stay on to socialise and enjoy outdoor play and exploration after the Chinese teacher leaves.

What's on?

• Greetings 问好⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
• Music activities 音乐游戏⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
• Storytelling 绘本分享⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
• *Potluck snack time 点心时间⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
• Sensory play 感官游戏 ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣/ Process art activity 艺术创作⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
• Teacher-guided outdoor exploration 老师指导户外探索
• Goodbye 道别⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
• Outdoor free play and hangout 户外自主游戏
• Post-playgroup reflection 活动记录

How do I get to the Eco Lake?

The Eco Lake is a short walk from the Botanic Gardens MRT Station. Enter via the Bukit Timah gate. For families driving, Melati Gate car park is the nearest to the Eco Lake.

What happens if it rains?

Outdoor playgroups will be cancelled in the event of wet weather and rescheduled. See cancellation and make up policy below.

I will notify attending families before the playgroup if it is expected to rain according to the weather forecast and observing the current weather conditions.

What should I bring?

• Picnic mat
• Water bottle
• Change of clothes for child
• Healthy food items for potluck snack time*
• Wet wipes and/or hand sanitiser to clean hands
• Mosquito repellent (optional)
• Sun hat (optional)
• Sunscreen (optional)

and in the event of rain for both adults and children:

• Umbrellas
• Rain gear with hoods
• Waterproof shoes
• Change of clothes
• Wet bags / plastic bags for wet clothes, umbrellas, rain gears
• Rain stroller cover

What is a post-playgroup reflection?

The Chinese teachers will prepare a post-playgroup reflection of what was covered during the playgroup, with song links and book titles so parents can continue to extend children's learning and exposure of the topic and vocabulary at home.

Cost: $35 per child

How to make payment?

I am using Eventbrite as a platform to automate event bookings so the event is free to book to avoid incurring booking fees. Please PayNow $35 to 87266246 after booking and WhatsApp me the payment screenshot to confirm your spot.

Is there a minimum age to join?

It is never too early to be immersed in language in a natural, fun and engaging way! The chinese teachers will engage with each child individually based on their age and level of mandarin. We will prepare age-appropriate activities for all the children coming at each playgroup session.

Will there be a progressive mandarin-immersion playgroup term?

No, there is no fixed schedule for this playgroup so there will only be drop-in tickets for now subject to availability.

Term tickets are currently offered for the indoor mandarin playgroups @ 1 King Albert Park on Thursdays and outdoor mandarin playgroups @ Bukit Timah Railway Station on Wednesdays 4.30-5.30pm.

Do caregivers need to speak mandarin to join?

No

Parent-accompanied event

This is a adult-accompanied community event for both children and caregivers to socialise - strictly no drop-offs!

What is the difference between the indoor and outdoor mandarin playgroups?

The experience of an indoor and outdoor playgroup is very different due to the environment and activities. Generally, outdoor playgroups are more explorative with teacher-guided outdoor exploration, messy outdoor play and interacting with nature while indoor playgroups are more cosy with role play, games and playing in a prepared environment.

Both indoor and outdoor mandarin playgroups will have music, storytelling, sensory play / process art, potluck snack time and socialisation. Activities will vary at each playgroup.

Cancellation and make up policy:

As the cost of hiring the mandarin teachers is fixed per playgroup and split among families who have booked to attend, tickets are non-refundable but can be transferred to another child. Alternatively, families are welcome to attend a future playgroup without extra cost as a one-off make-up (subject to space capacity limits, please reach out to me privately to discuss).

⁣Notes:

• This is a private event only for the Tiny Play Club community. Tickets will be automatically cancelled for bookings I do not recognize. Please WhatsApp me at 87266246 before booking tickets if you have not attended Tiny Play Club events before.
• All Tiny Play Club events are adult accompanied. Parents, grandparents and/or helpers are welcome.
• *Please bring healthy food items such as fresh or cooked food for the kids to share during snack time. The food will be placed on a picnic mat for the kids to serve themselves. I kindly request parents not to bring puffs or packaged snacks as my child has a weakness towards these addictive snacks and those snacks will affect his appetite for meals and worsen his picky eating :-D
• Feel free to WhatsApp me at 87266246 if you’d like to join us or if you have any questions!