Marine Parade Public Library Review

Marine Parade Public Library

Marine Parade Public Library - June School holiday activity

"Ipad is boring, Ipad makes your eyes go blind"

These were the exact words from me, the big brother. In addition to this, I had bug  asked Daddy to bring me to the library to borrow a book on insects. Given that we are Generation D (Digital). touching a book is a rare event.  This has prompted Daddy to add the Library to our Things to do during June school holidays. Since we lived near Marine Parade Public Library , it would be our first library destination as a family for the holidays.

We went there after my class in Tien Hsia . We parked at the public carkpark in the housing estate and took a walk to the library ( do note that there isn't any carpark in the library) The walk to the library from the carpark is charming due to the open spaces and the sea breeze.

Fact: Do you know the library is open from Monday to Sunday from 10am to 9pm ?

 

Walk to the library

The last time Daddy went to Marine Parade library was when it was still located at Marine Parade Central. The place is now occupied by Fairprice Finest. Daddy always image the library to be rows and rows of shelves filled with old books. In fact he thought that the books are probably be older than me since the current library was opened in 2000.

The library?

Imagine his surprise when a bright and inviting place greeted us. The kids section is located on the second floor. The books are neatly place and there are corners of learning tools and information that a child can interact with. In fact it looks like a little playground rather than a library. Do note the rules have not changed in the library. You still have to be silence and no playing!

Kids Floor

We thought it may be difficult to locate the book, however we were kindly directed to the Preschooler Corner (yes, they have a preschooler corner). It is located next to the lift and we found the books we want in less than 5 minutes. In addition, Daddy has to add that the books are NOT older than me. In fact , some of them are pretty new and unused ( Does it mean nobody visit the library anymore?)

Preschooler Corner

We found a quiet corner and immediately settled down to read our books. The preschooler corner is well designed. They even have sofas meant for Louis size.

We found something else in the Library as well... invaders!
Actually we were quite surprised to see BIG kids studying at the kids level. It's either we are not growing according to our growth chart or that these BIG kids may not be kids.

Big Kids Corner?

Surprisingly the Big Kids have small tables that seemed to be custom made for them. Daddy admires these 'kids' enthusiasm for studies, but he also feel the library should provide them proper areas to study. Nevertheless Daddy has done such public studies before when he was younger, so he understands  their position. 

In the meantime, we are enjoying reading time in the library. We spend about an hour there just sitting down an going through our books.

Reading Tips for parents

Interestingly , there are also reading tips for parents on cultivating reading habits in kids. Daddy feels that the tips are quite relevant and useful. In addition there are activities and programmes for kids in the library as well.

Daddy had initially wanted to apply a library card for me. However I had applied for one through my school.
Nevertheless for those with kids, you can get them a card by bringing their birth certs and your IC for application. Membership is open to all Singaporeans and PR.You can check the library guide for more details.

Fact: You can borrow up to 12 6 books for a period of 3 weeks (We managed to borrow 12 books as it was during a double up promotion)

Checking out!

Checking out the books was a breeze. I managed to do it on my own in less than a minute. There was no queue even for a Saturday afternoon.  Daddy had observed that we seem to take a keen interest in books. I guess nothing beats holding a colourful book in your hands. This will be a good alternative to the Ipad that we are used to ( I know everyone is going to scream at Daddy, but Daddy had thinks we should be exposed to technology at a early age)

Scoop of Art

As it was past lunchtime, we had a pit stop at Scoop of Art for lunch. The place is rather interesting and child-friendly. You can do a piece of art during your meals and you can have ice cream there as well (thus the name Scoop of Art) They even have weekend art classes for kids.

The books we borrowed

In the end we borrowed 12 books home, we even had a free gift for borrowing 12 books. We had a fun time at the library and would encourage parents to add this as part of your fun time with your family. It is certainly a good distraction from the playgrounds and shopping malls that we normally head to.

Free Gift if you borrow 12 books.

 The little details

Marine Parade Community Building278 Marine Parade Road #01-02 Singapore 449282 Opening Hours: Mon - Sun : 10.00am - 9.00pm Closed at 5.00pm on eves of Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year Closed on Public Holidays Bookdrop : 24-hour Tel : 63323255

Do note that there are activities during the school holidays as well! There will be special activity for kids on 2 June @ Marine Parade Public Library Scoop of Art Opening Hours Sun-Thurs : 10am to 10pm Fri : 10am to 11pm Sat : 930 am to 11pm Tel : 63456563