Hi parents, I am a mom of a 2 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.

I am so excited to share that Tiny Play Club is collaborating with Hundred Paths to host a forest school experience for toddlers and preschoolers aged 18 months to 6 years old and their adult caregivers. The sessions will be guided by two Forest School Level 3 practitioners and educators with years of experience working with children who aim to support children in making connections with nature.

Children will be invited to interact with different textures and elements offered in nature and will get to engage with different activities at each session. There will be a mix of familiar and new materials offered to the children to support their exploration at each session.

Event details

Where: Hindhede Nature Park, Hindhede Dr

Meeting point: Second floor of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Visitor Centre*, in front of the Exhibition Hall. We will head over to Waringin Hut to set up base camp for exploration.

*Note: The second floor of the Visitor Centre is not stroller-accessible. Strollers have to be parked on the ground floor of the Visitor Centre so please bring your personal belongings and everything you will need for the entirety of the session along with you to the meeting point (see below for what to apply and bring).

Next Tiny Forest Explorers dates:

Thurs 16 Feb 4.30-6pm

How long: 1.5 hours for the forest school experience, and everyone is welcome to stay on to socialise and enjoy outdoor play and exploration after the session.

What's on?

Safety briefing
Guided nature walk by Forest School Level 3 Practitioners
Child-led nature exploration
Open-ended nature play
Nature sensory play
Unstructured free outdoor play

What is Hindhede Nature Park?

Hindhede Nature Park is a family-friendly park beside Bukit Timah Nature Reserve located at the foot of Bukit Timah Hill with fairly easy and short hiking trails suitable for children and beginners. The hiking trails includes a mix of paved trails, wooden platforms, and dirt trails.

With gentle inclines, wide paths, a picnic area (with a kid-sized picnic table) and a nature-inspired play area, Hindhede Nature Park is designed for families with young children, even those with strollers, to take a pleasant and easy walk through the park.

There are also little forest paths that lead downhill from the main path into the jungle. Although not paved, the paths are well-marked and easy to follow and leads back to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve car park.

The Hindhede Nature Park playground includes swings made of tires, climbing nets, two sand pits, climbing poles designed to look like trees and even a zip line on an open lawn.

There is also a quarry at the Nature Park where children can observe terrapins, fish and spot exotic birds from the lookout point.

Hindhede Nature Park is home to a rich plethora of wildlife. Popular among bird enthusiasts, Hindhede Nature Park hosts exotic birds like the Oriental Darters, Banded Woodpecker and the Straw-headed Bulbul. Other animals that can be found at the park include the Banded Woodpecker, Clouded Monitor Lizard, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo and Plaintain Squirrel.

How do I get to Hindhede Nature Park?

By MRT: Alight at Beauty World MRT Station, Exit A (not stroller-accessible, many stairs) or alight at King Albert Park MRT Station and walk 1.8km to Hindhede Nature Park via the Rail Corridor (stroller-accessible route)

By Car: Park at the large carpark at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and access Hindhede Nature Park from the bottom left of the car park. Note that this path is not paved but is fairly flat.

By Bus: 67, 75, 170, 184, 852, 961, 961C. Alight at Jalan Anak Bukit Road, opposite Beauty World Centre bus stop (Bus stop ID: 42109) or

67, 75, 170, 184, 852, 961, 961C. Alight at Upper Bukit Timah Road, opposite Bukit Timah Shopping Centre (Bus stop ID: 42091)

What happens if it rains?

Tiny Forest Explorers is a rain or shine event for the children to experience the outdoors even when it is raining, in appropriate rain gear (see below for what to bring). The session will still go on if it’s raining and with no lightning alert.

I will notify attending families an hour before the session if it is expected to rain according to the weather forecast and observing the current weather conditions and whether the session will proceed or be cancelled (if it's already raining).

Families who prefer not to meet in the rain are welcome to attend a future Tiny Forest Explorers session without extra cost as a one-off make-up (subject to space capacity limits, please reach out to me privately to discuss).

What should we wear?

Long sleeved t-shirt
Long pants
Hat
Covered shoes

What should we apply?

Insect repellent
Sunscreen

What should we bring?

Backpack (highly recommended as parents will be carrying their bags with them to the hut where children will be playing)
Water bottle (at least 500ml)
Change of clothes for child
Insect repellent
Healthy food items for potluck snack time*

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

Umbrellas
Rain gear with hoods
Waterproof shoes (Aqua shoes are recommended because they provide flexibility, feels close to the ground, promotes balancing skills and strengthens the legs)
Change of clothes
Wet bags / plastic bags for wet clothes, umbrellas, rain gears
Rain stroller cover (if bringing a stroller)

Cost: $35 per child, which is an exclusive price for the TPC community (U.P. $48 for a Forest School trial/adhoc session)

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.

Unconfirmed tickets will be automatically cancelled after 12 hours as I am not able to reach out personally to everyone to confirm their attendance.

Is there a minimum age to join?

18 months old. Beginner walkers are welcome too because being out in nature can strengthen their muscles.

Can my younger child accompany us?

Yes, younger siblings below 18 months can join an attending older sibling (18m+) without payment.

Can I bring our dog along?

No pets are allowed in Hindhede Nature Park according to NParks.

Adult-accompanied event

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

Cancellation policy

As the cost of hiring the facilitators is fixed per Tiny Forest Explorers session 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).

About the host

Led by two Forest School Level 3 Practitioners and educators Aminah and Sabrina, Hundred Paths offers Forest School programmes, personal coaching for parents who are keen on providing developmentally appropriate child-led experiences at home, workshops for parents and consultation services in developing a play space at home for children.

Through their programs, Hundred Paths strives to support the community towards holistic growth and learning, and building a caring and respectful space for children and families.

Aminah and Sabrina were brought together by their love for nature and their shared experience of the positive and holistic impact on children’s development and growth created by the Forest School approach to education.

Aminah has been a Forest School Level 3 Practitioner for two years. She was a former preschool educator with 15 years of experience and has taught in both local and international settings. She understood and embraced the Reggio Emilia approach through her teaching experiences in international schools and her career journey evolved as she learnt about the Forest School approach. She was intrigued by how child-led learning and nature can create a powerful impact on children’s development and growth. Aminah is also part of the Chapter Zero team, where she is an advocate for play and movement in children. Aminah is also a mum to two boys who are 10 and 7 years old.

Sabrina has been a practicing Level 3 Forest School Practitioner for about 2 years and was a lower primary educator with 10 years of experience. She has witnessed the Forest School approach creating a positive and holistic impact on children and has never looked back. She is intrigued by the calming presence of nature and its benefits on children.

They can be found on @hundredpaths on Instagram.

Perks for the TPC community:

Hundred Paths also runs weekly Forest School Accompanied Sessions for children aged 18 months to 3.5 years old at Tampines Eco Green. Term 1 will commence on 5 January 2023 and will run on every Thursday from 9.30-11.30am for 10 sessions.

They have kindly extended the TPC community $5 off a trial session at $40 (U.P. $45) with the discount code TPC5, redeemable by contacting @hundredpaths on Instagram or via WhatsApp at 9150 5986.

⁣Notes:

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). There are no membership fees to join the community. As this is an in-person community, I want to make sure that I personally know every attending family to keep the community safe.

Please WhatsApp me at 87266246 before booking tickets if you have not attended the play sessions before, or tickets will be automatically cancelled.
These play sessions are adult accompanied. Parents, grandparents and/or helpers are welcome.
A maximum of 2 adult caregivers per family so as not to crowd the play space
*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!