Sleep with the Penguins Camp
Sponsored Review
Recently, we had a chance to stay overnight at the Jurong Bird Park! 
Yes! The kids were so thrilled, as they were given a chance to pitch tents, and hang out with the Penguins, and their other feathered friends. Personally, I have never done something like this before, and I was also looking forward to the adventure myself!
In case you are wondering, this 2D1N stay with the Penguins has been running every school holiday, and the success of the camp is evident. Besides the good turnout for the camp, the instructors were fun loving and really patient in teaching the kids.
My kids were very excited when they got to feed the birds and get up close and personal with various species of birds. In fact, my day at the Bird Park was definitely enriching, as I was fed with new knowledge about birds. We were all taught about how to recognize Macaws, and brought down to “Out of Bounds” areas, which were only accessible to the bird keepers.
One of the Perks of the program is that the Bird Park takes you to all the major enclosures to feed the Birds. This was exciting and yet stressful for my pretty much domesticated children. For them, they have never been up so close to the birds before, and as they perched on the feeding bowls, my kids were really apprehensive. Check out Nicole’s super stressed face on the left photo.
A Big Plus for us, was that we were present for the launch of their latest Show!
Yes! The “High Flyers Show” brings about new thrills for all visitors, as visitors will get to see over 100 birds on stage at one time in the grand finale.
Besides feeding the birds, the kids were also brought to the Breeding and Research Centre where they got to see birds a few days old to a few months old.
Bred by the Bird Park, these birds are hand fed by the keepers, and it was really educational to hear about the breeding process.
A real highlight for the kids and the Parents, was when the keepers brought in a young bird, and hand fed her in front of us.
And of course not forgetting…the Highlight of the Camp….the PENGUINS!
First, the kids were briefed and educated about Penguins, and this was followed by a photo session with home grown “Pinky” , the star of the Penguin enclosure.
And to add further excitement to the whole day, it was soon time for us to pitch our tents! Don’t worry if you have no experience outdoors, as the instructors gave a step by step demonstration on pitching a tent.
We soon got to our task of setting up our room for the night. For all domesticated Singaporean Parents, you need not fret. All campers get to sleep in Air-conditioned comfort away from the perils of horrific weather conditions. We were kept under shelter and our tents were pitched towards the Penguins.
However bed time did not happen without some Campfire activities first! Here the kids were taught to sing Campfire songs and other Campfire games!
You can imagine how “high” the kids were before they went to bed, and they kept on saying that they were too awake to sleep…Coupled with the new surroundings and laying in sleeping beds, the kids were really excited. However, things soon quietened down…and everyone was soon in Dreamland.
Overall Verdict
The education that both adults and children got from the camp was really beneficial. Personally, I learnt a lot about birds, and the kids just loved the up close contact with all the different species of birds. Every child definitely enjoyed feeding the birds, and the overnight stay in the tents was a real plus for Parent-Child bonding. The whole experience is certainly unforgettable and one that the kids will talk about in the years to come! Hey! I never got to do this when I was young, and I am glad that my kids got to experience it!
If you don’t have time to bring the kids overseas for a holiday, sleeping with the Penguins is definitely a very cool alternative!