Fun With Kids: Free sport workshops, fairy tales retold
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Youth from 16 years old can join free workshops in various sports, including skateboarding, at the Singapore Sports Hub on Aug 6.
PHOTO: SPORT SINGAPORE
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SINGAPORE – Make family time all the more special with these ideas and activities.
Sports festival for youth
If your teenager wants to pick up skateboarding, register for a free 90-minute workshop under the new Youth@Play festival on Aug 6.
Organised by Sport Singapore, the line-up includes classes in dragon boating and street dancing, and is open to those aged 16 to 27.
There are multiple classes for each sport, from noon to 9pm, at the Singapore Sports Hub. All activities are free and available for sign-ups on a first-come, first-served basis.
Participants also stand to receive a $10 eCapitaVoucher and win admission tickets to Universal Studios Singapore. Find out more at str.sg/kPtT
Once Upon A Green World book series
(From left) Janice Khoo, Lianne Ong, Sarah Ang and Pauline Loh are among the five authors behind the picture books from the Once Upon A Green World series. Charlotte Barkla was not at the photo shoot.
ST PHOTO: RYAN CHIONG
The next time your kids ask you to read The Emperor’s New Clothes again, introduce them to The Emperor’s Gazillion New Toys. Or regale them with the story of Sustain-erella instead of Cinderella.
These are two of the four familiar fairy tales retold with an environmental twist in the Once Upon A Green World children’s book series.
The other titles are The Little Mermaid Saves Our Seas, inspired by The Little Mermaid; and Three Little Sheep Build A Better Future, fashioned after The Three Little Pigs.
Sarah Ang, 43, who wrote Three Little Sheep, says: “I love the storyline of Three Little Pigs, of them not listening to advice and paying the consequence of their houses being destroyed. It’s such a well-loved moral tale with a lot of famous lines to play with.”
Her story sees the sheep building eco-friendly homes in their effort to fight climate change.
She adds: “I hope that children can come up with creative solutions to reduce our waste and energy use.”
Lianne Ong, 48, and Janice Khoo, 49, co-wrote The Emperor’s Gazillion New Toys to raise awareness about over-consumption.
Ong says: “We kept key elements from the original story such as the Emperor’s desire for more or ‘better’, and the peddler characters selling their wares. The fractured fairy tale’s familiarity lends humour to the story.”
Kids can learn to be more mindful of their decisions’ impact on the environment, says Khoo, adding: “We believe it is possible to start with small steps. For example, by asking, do I really need that new toy?”
Pauline Loh’s version of The Little Mermaid sees the protagonist protesting sea pollution at a parliamentary meeting.
“When we talk about marine consciousness, the obvious ambassador would be The Little Mermaid,” says Loh, who is in her 50s. “As I researched more into how humans were polluting the sea, I felt guilty.”
Once Upon A Green World is a local children’s picture book series, inspired by fairy tales and told with an environmental twist.
ST PHOTO: RYAN CHIONG
The four Singapore authors worked with illustrator Yee Wearn and Charlotte Barkla, an Australian writer and teacher.
Barkla, who wrote the story Sustain-erella, says: “I thought it would be fun to play with the idea of Cinderella being a sustainability enthusiast.”
The 36-year-old, who teaches mathematics and science to secondary school students in Brisbane, adds: “We have only one planet, so it’s important we look after it as best we can and preserve it for future generations.”
Published by WS Education, the paperback books retail for $12.87 each and $32 as a set of four on Lazada at str.sg/iosfx
