monuments - National Heritage Board

Alive!
MONUMENTS
PMB EDUCATORS’
NEWSLETTER
ISSUE 1/2013
DEAR
EDUCATORS,
W
e recently commemorated Total
Defence Day on 15 February,
the day when the British
surrendered to the Japanese at the
Ford Factory 71 years ago. Even as
we reflected on the importance of
bravery, sacrifice and unity in the
face of adversity, the challenge of
making this milestone event relevant
to the younger generation continues
to grow every year. This is because
commemoration often harks back to
significant events that have shaped the
present, but that have also become
distant to us over time.
How can we be mindful of our shared
history, such that it is not “just”
another event in a textbook? Likewise,
how can our national monuments,
such as the Ford Factory, help to bridge
the gap in time and demonstrate that
the lessons of the past can still be
applied today?
One approach we enjoy at PMB is to
offer a creative reinterpretation of our
history. Whether they appear as the
supporting cast in a sprightly children’s
book (The Fearless Twins and the
Magical Kaleido) or as the highlights
of our specially designed Monumental
Walking Tours, our monuments
have many gripping stories about
noteworthy events, as well as the
everyday lives of generations past.
For the March holidays, come
and check out My Monumental
Playground – a day of fun activities at
Esplanade Park, designed for children
to interact with the Esplanade
Memorials on various levels. If you’re
looking for ways to liven up learning
during the school term, book one of
our interactive storytelling sessions for
The Fearless Twins and the Magical
Kaleido or bring your students out
on a Monumental Walking Tour in
historic neighbourhoods such as the
Civic District, Kampong Glam or
Telok Ayer. More details are available
in this newsletter.
Also look out for special discounts on
books about our national monuments,
or participate in our quiz and you
could win a pair of complimentary
tickets to a walking tour!
If you have ideas on how we can
make stories about our national
monuments more accessible to you
and your students, drop us a note at
nhb_nationalmonuments@nhb.gov.sg.
We’d love to hear from you!
Best wishes,
The Education Team
ONGOING
EVENTS
Monumental Walking Tours
Suitable for: Students (upper primary,
secondary and JC) and teachers
(training programmes)
W
hisk your students or colleagues
off on a learning journey
with a difference! The PMB
Monumental Walking Tours will
bring you up close to some of our
less visited national monuments
and reveal the inspiring and heartwarming stories behind them.
Visit the monuments in Singapore’s
historic districts – such as the Civic
and Cultural District, Kampong
Glam and Telok Ayer Street – and
hear fascinating stories about the
can-do spirit of Singapore’s early
immigrant communities, the beautiful
architecture they were inspired to
create and the secrets of World War
Two that some of them concealed.
Win a pair of tickets to
Monumental Walking Tours
by taking part in our quiz!
N
ame one national monument
that can be found along Telok
Ayer Street.
Email your answer to nhb_
nationalmonuments@nhb.gov.sg
together with your name, contact
number, school, and the subjects and
levels you teach.
Closing date: 31 March 2013
Only 5 pairs of tickets are up for grabs
on a first-come, first-served basis!
You can also create a meaningful
experience for your students for
International Friendship Day, Racial
Harmony Day and National Day with
one of our walking tours. Help them
to imagine what Singapore was like in
earlier years and to appreciate how
the struggles of the past have helped
to build the Singapore of today.
Monumental Walking Tours
Dates: Tours for the public
are conducted weekly
(visit the PMB website
for listings)
Duration: 1½ hours
Cost: $5 (adults), $3
(students); for every
20 paying students,
1 complimentary ticket
will be provided for
the teacher
Additional:Activity sheets for
students are available
for a nominal fee
Email: nhb_
nationalmonuments
@nhb.gov.sg
to enquire or make
a booking
Interactive Storytelling
Sessions for The Fearless Twins
and the Magical Kaleido
Suitable for: Students (lower primary)
T
his year, our lively storytelling
programme for the first PMB
children’s book, The Fearless
Twins and the Magical Kaleido, is
travelling to schools! Watch our
professional storyteller fire your
students’ imagination in a high-energy
30-minute storytelling session, while
she enlists their help to assist Toby
and Tammy, the two lead characters
of the book, on their time-travelling
adventure around Singapore’s national
monuments.
Book a storytelling assembly package
and receive:
• 20 copies of the book which
you can read with your students
in class
• 5 copies of PMB’s limited edition
education kit (for teachers)
• Specially designed sticker activity
kits which will be given away as
prizes during the session
Optional add-on: Order a minimum of
50 additional copies at a special price
of $12 per book (retail price $16)!
For schools that book the storytelling
package and place a bulk order, the
books will be delivered to the school
free of charge and will be specially
autographed by the author! This
special offer is limited to the first 5
schools only.
Sultan Mosque at Kampong Glam and Thian Hock
Keng at Telok Ayer Street
The storyteller was very engaging.
The Q&A session helped pupils to
recall what they had seen during the
assembly programme.”
– Ms Felicia Toh, Bukit Panjang
Primary School
My elder son really enjoyed trying to
place the buildings and name them.
It was really interesting to find out
that what are national monuments
now, were schools or used for other
purposes in the past.”
– Ms Tina Bhandan, parent
Interactive Storytelling
Sessions 2013
Duration: 30 minutes
Cost: $600, inclusive of a
storytelling session
(worth $350), 20
copies of The Fearless
Twins and the Magical
Kaleido (retail price
$16 per book), 5
copies of PMB’s
limited edition
education kit and
sticker activity kits to
be given away as prizes
Email: nhb_
nationalmonuments
@nhb.gov.sg
to make a booking or
enquire about the
storytelling package
SPECIAL
EVENT
Tan Kim Seng Fountain
This attractive, Victorian-style cast
iron fountain was made in England
and unveiled in 1882 at Fullerton
Square to commemorate Tan Kim
Seng’s generous donation to building
waterworks for the city. It has called
Esplanade Park its home since 1925.
The memorial is decorated with 4
sculptured figures of the Muses who
can be identified by the items they
hold. Note down the items on your
next visit to the fountain and find out
who they are!
My Monumental Playground
(23 March 2013)
I
ndulge your students in an
afternoon of special programmes
at the Esplanade Park Memorials
for the March holidays at My
Monumental Playground on 23 March
2013 (Saturday).
Programme highlights:
• Treasure hunt (3 p.m. – 6 p.m.):
hands-on activities where
students will look out for clues
to Singapore’s past at the
various memorials
• Storytelling sessions for
The Fearless Twins and the
Magical Kaleido (4 p.m., 5.30 p.m.
at the Lim Bo Seng Memorial;
see page 8 of this newsletter for
more details on the story)
•
•
Performances by Tanjong Katong
Girls’ School Drama Club (4.45 p.m.,
6.15 p.m. at the Lim Bo Seng
Memorial): skit performances
inspired by the life of Lim Bo Seng
Movie screening of Madagascar 3
at 7 p.m.
Other fun activities to look out for:
• Sketching tour (3.30 p.m.)
organised by NParks
• Bouncy castles (3 p.m. – 6 p.m.)
Visit http://www.pmb.sg for the latest
programme details.
What can you and your
students see at Esplanade Park?
E
splanade Park is home to 3
memorials that were gazetted as
national monuments in December
2010. Each memorial – dedicated to
an individual, a group and/or an event
– holds a story or a lesson which may
be meaningful for us to remember.
Lim Bo Seng Memorial
Unveiled in 1954, the memorial
commemorates Lim Bo Seng’s bravery
and sacrifice as he fought against the
Japanese during World War Two.
The meditative memorial takes the
form of a pagoda guarded by 4 bronze
lions, with plaques recording Lim’s life
in 4 scripts (English, Chinese, Tamil
and Jawi).
Cenotaph
Modelled after the Whitehall
Cenotaph in London, this imposing
granite memorial commemorates
soldiers who died in the two World
Wars. The bronze tablets bear the
names of those who died in World
War One, while the steps marked with
the years 1939 to 1945 were added
after World War Two.
In the area, you can also visit
other national monuments and
historic sites such as:
Civilian War Memorial
Gazetted on 15 February 2013, the
Civilian War Memorial is Singapore’s
latest monument and is also
commonly known as the “Chopsticks”.
Dedicated to the civilians who died
during the Japanese Occupation
(1942-1945), the Memorial’s
four pillars represent the shared
experiences of the Chinese, Malays,
Indians and other races in Singapore.
Every 15 February, a commemoration
service is held here for civilians and
war veterans.
For more information on our national
monuments, visit http://www.pmb.
sg/?page_id=6 or check out PMB’s
National Monuments of Singapore
education kit, also available on Edumall.
Former Empress Place Building
(now Asian Civilisations Museum)
Located next to the Singapore River,
the former Empress Place Building
used to house government offices
from the early 1900s till the 1980s.
It was designed by Colonial Engineer
JFA McNair, who also designed the
Istana (also a national monument).
My Monumental Playground
Organised by PMB and supported
by NParks
Date: 23 March 2013
(Saturday)
Venue: Esplanade Park
Duration: 3 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Cost: FREE
Email: ian_lin@nhb.gov.sg if
you plan to bring your
students – we will
prepare special activity
kits for them!
BOOKS
FOR SALE
Padang
This grassy historic site has witnessed
many important events in Singapore’s
history, such as the Japanese
surrender at the end of World War
Two and numerous National Day
Parades. Designed as a recreational
space under the Raffles Town Plan, the
Padang continues to host events such
as rugby matches, Singapore Biennale
events and even a Cirque du Soleil
performance once.
Resonance: Songs of Our Forefathers
Photographs by Kwek Leng Joo et. al.
Hardcover, 183 pages
Published in 2009
Retail price $85.60
Former Parliament House
(now the Arts House)
Possibly Singapore’s oldest
surviving colonial building, the
former Parliament House was
first constructed as a residence
for a Scottish merchant, before
the government used it as a court
house and office building. It became
Parliament House when Singapore
gained independence in 1965.
L
ooking for useful resources
to teach your students
about Singapore’s history
and national monuments
in English, History or Social
Studies lessons? Check out
these books by PMB, with
special discounts available for
teachers who sign up for our
mailing list!
This photography book contains
an awe-inspiring collection of
photographs of 24 national
monuments, from the iconic
to the lesser known. A team of
photographers, led by Kwek Leng
Joo, set out to capture these national
landmarks with a fresh perspective,
placing special emphasis on their
architectural features. Use this book
to introduce Singapore’s landmarks
to your students, or inspire
them to create their own artistic
responses to the buildings and to
Singapore’s history.
The Fearless Twins and
the Magical Kaleido
Story by Shekinah Linn
Illustrations by Tan Seow Wei
Paperback, 46 pages
Published in 2012
Retail price $16.00
Take a ride with Toby, Tammy
and their fun-loving Uncle Al, as
a time-travelling device swoops
them back to Singapore in 1935.
The twins’ adventure takes them
around landmarks that have become
Singapore’s well-loved national
monuments. Will they solve the
mystery of the spinning clock tower?
Can they fight off the fierce flames of
a huge fire? Will they escape in time?
This colourful, lively children’s book
can be used to introduce primary
school pupils to national monuments
and encourage them to explore the
history behind these places.
Discounts available!
Sign up for our mailing list to qualify
for a 20% discount on either book (up
to 2 copies per teacher). Email us at
nhb_nationalmonuments@nhb.gov.
sg with your name, school and the
subjects and levels that you teach,
together with your order. Your books
can be collected from the PMB office.
Offer ends on 24 May 2013!
Note: This offer cannot be combined
with the special price offered for
The Fearless Twins and the Magical
Kaleido at the storytelling session or
the storytelling package.
Preservation of Monuments Board
Address: 61 Stamford Road, #03-08 Stamford Court,
Singapore 178892
Tel: 6332 7953
Fax: 6332 3590
Email: nhb_nationalmonuments@nhb.gov.sg
Website: www.pmb.sg
Download the previous issues of the
Educators’ Newsletter from our website:
http://www.pmb.sg/?page_id=1059.