Speech by Minister Lawrence Wong at the Opening of the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden Extension
Nov 10, 2017
I am very happy to join you here at the opening of the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden extension.
All of you know that we have worked very hard to build our Garden City, and our goal has always been to make our green spaces accessible for everyone in Singapore, people of all ages. That is why we pay attention to different demographic groups. For instance, we have therapeutic gardens for the elderly, and we have play areas for people of different ages. And importantly, we have a whole garden that is dedicated to children, and that is the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden.
The Garden was conceived more than a decade ago. At that time, the idea of a dedicated children’s garden was new in Singapore. Our parks obviously had play areas and playgrounds for children to enjoy, but there was no garden that was entirely tailored specifically to children’s interests and learning needs. NParks studied this overseas – they went to see what other gardens did overseas, and with the generous support of the Jacob Ballas Estate, we were able to open the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden in 2007, and at that time it was Asia’s first Children’s Garden.
Over the years, the Garden has become very popular. I know many families who bring their children here to understand the importance of plants and the natural environment. So we want to enhance this experience, and that is why two years ago, NParks embarked on plans to expand the Garden.
Today, we are very happy to be able to unveil the new Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden extension. The new Garden now spans four hectares – double its size. Now we have the distinction of not only being Asia’s first Children’s Garden, but we are also Asia’s largest Children’s Garden. We have made it not just bigger but also better.
There are four new zones, where the children can immerse themselves in different experiential learning. There is a Forest Zone where you can explore a tree top canopy, and try out activities like the flying-fox, an Orchard Zone – where you can look out for cocoa, tea and coffee plants, and find out how your favourite beverages and desserts are prepared and processed, a Stream Zone – where you can learn about the water habitat and spot the animals and plants that live there, and there is a Farm Zone – where you can learn to make compost and grow your own edibles.
We have also curated activities for older children. So children who are aged 10-14 can explore the trails and habitats of the new extension, and they can also learn more about plants and how these plants employ different strategies to adapt to their environments.
For all that we have created here, we should be very grateful for the Jacob Ballas Estate and Friends for their generous contributions towards the extension. I hope what we have created here will also inspire many more individuals and companies to come forward to partner with us in our greenery and education efforts.
In conjunction with the opening of the extension, we are also having our first Singapore Botanic Gardens Children’s Festival. Over the next two weeks, we have planned many exciting activities for children of all ages. So we encourage Singaporeans to bring your children to visit the expanded Garden and take part in the activities.
In closing, I would like to express my appreciation to all who are here who have helped us enhance the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Over the last two decades, the Gardens has not just grown in size, but it has also become richer and more diverse in its offerings. In fact, we have added new attractions. We have the CDL Green Gallery, the Heritage Museum, the Healing Garden and more recently we opened the Learning Forest which has been very popular with Singaporeans.
We all know that the Singapore Botanic Gardens is not only our UNESCO World Heritage site, but it is also a special place in the hearts of all Singaporeans. We will continue to do our very best to protect and enhance this place. In fact, there are many more enhancements that are in the pipeline. There are efforts to develop a new Ethnobotany Garden which will be opened next year. National Orchid Garden is also being enhanced with new features. We look forward to launching these exciting additions to the Gardens in the near future.
On that note, I hope all of you will explore the extension of the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden today and have a good time. Please enjoy the rest of the morning. Thank you very much.