A kid’s guide to Singapore

Frothy selfies, superhero cafes and brekkie with apes... 11-year-old Archie Thomsen shares his tips for an awesome family holiday.

Parents spend a great deal of time planning holidays and deciding what will entertain the kids. Well, if you’re heading to Singapore, this first-hand account from Archie Thomsen, aged 11, tells you everything you need to know. The thing I love about Singapore is that it’s a real mix of old and new, although there’s probably more modern buildings than anything else. It’s a multi-ethnic city and country, with a population made up mainly of Chinese, Indians and Malays, as well as a lot of foreigners, known as expats, who work there.

Singapore is very hot and humid, so make sure you’re staying somewhere with a pool. Some hotels even have them on their roofs. Which is pretty cool. Here are some of my very favourite things to do.

1. ArtScience museum

The lotus flower-shaped building that houses this museum is part of the Marina Bay Sands complex – that’s the waterside building you can’t miss with three towers topped by a garden with a huge infinity pool. I keep asking my mum if we can stay there . . .

There’s an exhibition called Future World which has a nature and cities theme. It’s interactive so in each of the rooms you become part of the exhibition. In one room there are templates to colour in, you scan your picture and it appears on the walls as part of the art work.

The final room is my favourite: a maze of tiny lights that is meant to represent the galaxy. You can control with an iPad by choosing a constellation and then swiping up to send it into the lights. Epic. See marinabaysands.com/museum.

2. Satay Street

Satay Street is great. It’s a hawkers market that springs up every night in Boon Tat St. The road is completely closed off to traffic, and set up with tables and stools, and all the vendors come to sell you their food. The Tiger Ladies – who sell the famous beer of Singapore – wear blue T-shirts and can be a bit pushy.

The satay come with cucumber and rice cakes and you dip them in a spicy peanut sauce. I can easily eat 12 of them. I really love the murthaba, which is an Indian-

PHOTO SALLY WEBB Archie Thomsen and his sister marvel at the ArtScience Museum.

PHOTO: SALLY WEBB Archie and his mum watch as his sister’s hand is painted with henna.

PHOTO: SALLY WEBB Archie and his sister find Singapore’s ArtScience museum engrossing.