Science Is Fun At The Singapore Science Centre

We all know that science is totally boring. We always try to pay attention during science classes but most of us just sleep through it. Yet, science is all around us. You know what keeps us from flying around? It's gravity. You know why it's so hot even though the sun is extremely far away from us? That's radiation.

With the Singapore Science Centre, science is made to be fun. The Singapore Science Centre is Singapore's most popular and Singapore's only science museum. It's located in Jurong East, the western area of Singapore. When you're there, you'll find a wide range of science related experiments and hands on activities which are fun to play with and educational at the same time.

At the official entrance, me and my friends came across these dinosaurs on display. Don't worry though they're not real. They are just mechanical dinosaur robots. It's there to promote the Dinosaurs Live! exhibition which was an exhibition that showcases dinosaurs of the past. It's a temporary one though so by the time you are reading this, these robotic dinosaurs will probably not be on display anymore.

I got myself a child ticket which costs me 5 bucks. It's cheap. (And if you're wondering, I'm 16 years old and the child ticket is for children 3-16 years.) They're cheap for adults too at S$10. We got the tickets to the Science Centre only. There are other packages that include both the Science Centre and the Omni Theatre (An IMAX Theatre) and tickets to Snow City. When I got through the gates, the staff were friendly and scanned my tickets. They took out a stamp and stamped my arm for re-admission. The weird thing was that the stamp was invisible ink.

The first exhibit we entered was known as The Mind's Eye. It's all about the human eye and the ability of the human eye to see illusions. We came across several boxes on the wall. We pressed the button and the box switched on the light so that we could see the illusion. It was pretty awesome.

We also came across a mirror box with a clean shaven man on one side and the other side was a bearded man. In picture, it doesn't seem really cool but when you get there, you'll see the illusion clearly. There's also a digital portrait of our former president. Unlike a regular portrait, the president in the picture moves. You'll see him constantly changing positions to give the illusion that he's actually moving.

After that exhibit, we went to the central area or the 'heart' of the Science Centre. This part of the Science Centre has several entrances to different exhibits. We went into the sound exhibition where we learned about Sound. As you can see above, there is a big hollow tube. That tube enables us to listen to echoes. So what I did was that I clapped and an echo was formed in the tube itself. It was indeed cool. Other exhibits in the Sound exhibition include the virtual barber in which you wear headphones and feel like your hair is getting cut at a barbershop. There's also a display of small particles of iron, I think, that moves and dances to the beat of the music. Above is a picture of the iron particles dancing.

After that, we proceed with the next exhbits which are about marine life and climate change. At the marine life exhibit, we learned about the different species of fishes and sea creatures along with their habitat, which are being destroyed. It's kinda sad to hear that they are in such a state due to the evil actions of humans.  There were also some aquariums and we get to learn about the different fishes swimming around in the aquariums.

Over at the climate change exhibit, there were some displays that include a map of the world. Not just any ordinary world map but how much O-zone layer has been depleted over the years from the 1970s to the 2000s. A huge world globe was also present and no matter where you touch, the globe still feels cold. Above is a climate change pledge made by me where I pledged to save the world and take a picture.

This is possibly my favourite part of the Science Centre than all the other exhibits. This is iSpace. iSpace is about infocomm technology and how technology has changed the world. We get to walk on transparent glass which has wires all over and under the transparent floor. An iSpace theatre was present too although quite scary as there was nobody in it. Just me and my three friends in a dark theatre. Don't worry they're not showing horror movies if you're scared. Instead, this humorous guy on the screen introduced us about what iSpace is all about. He also highlighted the things to look out for when we visit the exhibit. The show lasts about 10 mins only and has screenings every 15 mins or so.

One very interesting feature about this iSpace gallery is a lift that has no walls. Yes, you heard me right. This scary and slow lift transports people to the 2nd level just like a regular lift but has no walls. Only the bottom is moving. No hands on the wall though or they might get trapped.

Once we reached the 2nd level, a mosaic of coloured tiles can be found on the floor so it looks like some cool floor to dance on. It then led us to a game show about technology. Above, you can see the buttons for the game show. The game show supports up to 3 people so all three of us had a fun time playing the game. I got most of the answers right. The game show was presented by the same guy from the iSpace Theatre. This is a must visit. It's very fun.

 

There was also another game show nearby. This was also as fun as the other game show. In this particular exhibit, we participated in an 'interview' using teleconferencing technology. Basically, we had to answer questions by the boss so that we can become Information Security Analysts. The questions were not that hard though and the virtual people asking us the questions were hilarious. Though I wish getting a job is this easy.

 

In this part of iSpace, it's all about technology at home. We were presented with a toilet bowl that measures our BMI and our weight. It's cool and I wish this kind of technology will make it in the future. Other things include a bed and living room we can sit down and get comfy with.

After going through almost all of the exhibits, it was time for us to get out of the Science Centre and get some rest. We went through the exit gates and visited the Curiosity Shop which was a gift shop with gifts that are science related. The thing is, I forgot to buy the Space Ice Cream which I wanted for a long time. All that aside, we visited McDonald's for our dinner after spending a whole day at the Science Centre.

There's also a water park within the Science Centre known as WaterWorks. We can play with the water and run around the wet environment but unfortunately, it was closed that day. There is one exhibition in which you don't really have to pay which is the Kinetic Garden. It's right behind the McDonald's restaurant and there are a lot of things to play with there and learn about kinetics.

The Singapore Science Centre is located in the Jurong East area in Singapore. Getting here with public transport is easy as there are two bus stops located outside and an MRT Station is located within walking distance. Bring friends and family along as it is best enjoyed with people accompanying you. This is a great place for kids too.

Getting Here

Bus services available: 66, 178, 198, 335

Nearest MRT Station: NS1/EW24 Jurong East MRT Station (North South Line/East West Line)

Website: www.science.edu.sg

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