By: Koh Kai Ming
Recently, our class took on a project that involved visiting a place that a large number of other people visit frequently, as well as a place that provides fruitful learning. To meet this requirement, our class did extensive research and came to like the idea of visiting Gardens By the Bay. We felt that it was a relatively unappreciated place in Singapore, and wanted to shed light on how tried to take on the mantle of being a garden city. With out country taking strides to make Singapore co-exist more with flora and fauna, we believe it would be great if we could understand more about plants and animals that co-exist with us in our beautiful garden city. Moreover, the returning 'TULIPMANIA' has only added fun and excitement to our trip. Fairytale characters coming to life was such a surreal experience.
To prepare for the visit, we did our research on what the best route was for us to experience all the attractions as well as catch all the featured flowers from 'TULIPMANIA'. Before planning what to do there, we calculated the logistics of the trip and the budget needed for things such as transport, entrance fee, and food. We decided to research on the plants that are commonly found in housing estates, as well as what made then suitable for growth in our tropical climate. We planned to share the information we found with the school, including a fun quiz at the end. After that, we planned to spend the remaining time, 3.00pm to 4.00pm, to bask in the atmosphere that incapsulated all the dance performances as well as the fairytale characters on stilts. All in all, the trip would span from right after lunch, to around mid afternoon. After the trip, we were to gather and consolidate all our findings.
During the visit, we all gathered on time and started our project in groups of five. We went around looking for plants that we commonly saw scattered across Singapore. The array of different colours, however, made it slightly distracting to find any particular plants and we took some time to get the ball rolling. After some time and persistence, we not only found the plants, but also the specially featured ones only specific to the 'TULIPMANIA' event. There were even signs to tell us fun facts about the particular flower and it was very enriching, especially because the plants only bloom seasonally. The information about the plants we wanted to gather included where one would normally see them, why they could grow in places we would usually see them, and some fun facts about them. This was all to be shared with the school and get them to be more interested in the plants living right under their noses.
When we saw the attractions and special plants, we stared flabbergasted at the beauty that was shown before our eyes. The attractiveness of the whole setting gave us a sense of surrealism, that compared to an actual fairytale.
After the visit, we had a new-found appreciation for the natural beauty that was the flora present in the Gardens by the Bay as well as the sidewalks on the pedestrian paths. We hoped our sharing with the school would garner more interest in Gardens by the Bay, and the plethora of interesting plants they offered. With that, this project not only excel our grades, but also our minds, bodies, and souls.
Credits for pictures: https://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en/things-to-do/attractions/flower-dome.html
Intense title! 😎