Down to the Deeps & Up to the Stars

I don't know about you, but I remember loving the Science Centre as a kid. What can I say? I'm a geek through and through.

(Ok, maybe it was also the fact that I got to have McDonald's after every visit.)

Considering that, it's funny that till last Friday, I hadn't brought Noey to the Science Centre before. Thanks to the kind folks of the Singapore Science Centre however, I got to rectify that and bring him not only to the Science Centre but also to the Omni-Theater AND to check out the latest Planet Shark exhibition that they have on-going.

I did think that at 2½ years of age, he would be too young to appreciate the exhibits. I was partially right. Yes, he didn't get the science of what was going on in the entrance hall -- an area that I have always found fun, by the way -- but oh, how he loved to press the buttons, spin the wheels, turn the dials and peep through holes!

Round and round!

He had such a good time that I found it hard to prise him away to visit Planet Shark, which being at the Annex, was on the other end of the exhibition halls. I shooed him along while making a mental note to return to check out the other exhibits which I didn't manage to stop for, including the rather interesting looking Discovery Zone, and of course, the fabulous (and fabulously huge) water play area in the front. Noey kept asking to go in but with the exhibition and the IMAX movie, we were just unable to fit it in this time.

Next up was the Planet Shark exhibition. With its "predator or prey" sub-theme, the exhibition seeks to create awareness and educate visitors on the importance of sharks and the role that their play in our planet's ecosystems.

I found the exhibition pretty informative but it was all a bit beyond Noey. I think this would be better appreciated by kids of Primary school-going age and above. We did ooh and ah at the many displays of the real teeth of several different species of shark and I was quite fascinated by an exhibit of an actual shark and a huge tuna that were both preserved at -20°C. There was a section where they discussed the portrayal of sharks in the media and how this contributed to the sharks' bad reputation (whether rightly or wrongly), and another section on the sharks' fin trade. There is also a Sharks 3D film which I think could be quite exciting, though we didn't catch it.

Checking out an impressive collection of teeth.

Interactive display boards -- always a favourite!

Thereafter, we headed for the highlight of the afternoon: the screening of Hubble at the Omni-Theater. To be honest, I wasn't so sure it would be a good idea to bring Noey. This son of mine doesn't like being in the dark. He doesn't like loud noises. Exciting music scares him. He's never been to a cinema and rarely watches TV. It was also his naptime. The only thing he had going for him: he loves documentaries. Still, I really thought that it would be too much for him and that he would not last 5 minutes in the theater. At the advice of our hosts, I took seats near the front where the effect was apparently not as full-on and where I could make a quick exit if necessary.

So it was a big surprise to me that he watched the whole film and enjoyed it. "Zooooom!" he said, as the space shuttle blasted off into space. "What's that, Mummy? What are they doing?" he kept asking me. And when he came home, he was able to repeat a lot of the information (accurately or otherwise) to his Papa.

"The astronauts went into the water like a big swimming pool."
"The astronauts went into the space shuttle and then they zooooooom! Up to the moon."
"They can see the earth. Planet earth."
(What is it like? What colour is it, Noey?)
"Blue and white. The blue is the water and the white is the clouds."
(So what can you see in space, Noey?)
"Stars. So many stars!"
(What did the astronauts do in space?)
"They float. Like a boat. And they fix a Hubble!"

I'd say someone learnt some things on this trip.

For me, stepping into the theater was a real throwback to the past. I still remember going to the Omni-Theater on school trips when it first opened and it still looks the same. Not exactly the same, since I am told that it has recently been upgraded, but that experience of walking into the theater, climbing the steep steps and later seeing the internal structure of the theater lighted up behind the screen right before the show starts? That felt exactly the same as it did years ago. And I like that. I feel like things in Singapore change too fast too quickly, so I take delight in being somewhere where I can tell Noey, "Mummy was here as a little girl and it was exactly just like this."

And for old times sake, we had to have McDonalds (it's still there!) before we left.

I think we both had a good afternoon.