In the media
Design camps for kids make learning fun
SINGAPORE – Holiday camps in Singapore run the gamut from nature-based romps to more sedate dance and drama classes, but design-themed camps are now enjoying greater popularity.
When schools close for the holidays from May 31 to June 29, many children will be learning about how design can help shape their future.
At home-grown company Maker.SG, children as young as three will assemble functioning robots which they can take home.
Other children and teenagers aged seven to 18 can choose from more challenging projects.
At The Drawing Mint, young ones learn how to combine art with architecture in fun-filled day sessions.
Another holiday highlight is to go offshore to design a life-saving raft aboard a spacious catamaran, as part of an immersive camp organised by Dutchman “Captain Martijn”.
He conducts a five-day Charters 4 Teens summer camp that sets sail from One Degree 15 in Sentosa Cove.
Aye, aye Captain, and away we go
Children get to dive, swim and scream in excitement on Captain Martijn’s yacht-bound Charters 4 Teens holiday camps.
Besides learning how to tie the fisherman’s knot and design a raft using easily available materials – including tyre tubes, wooden sticks and ropes – camp participants are encouraged to have lots of fun.
Mr Martijn Piket, who is 52 and owns Waga Mari, a 14m luxury vessel with twin hulls, is better known by his skipper’s persona.
The yacht’s maiden voyage was in January 2021, primarily for exclusive charters for day trips, sunset cruises and overnight bookings. It continues to receive five-star Google reviews for its quality of service, food and beverage, and overall guest experiences.
The capacious catamaran, which is moored at One Degree 15 in Sentosa Cove, accommodates up to 28 guests with a crew of two on day trips.
It has four air-conditioned en-suite cabins where up to six guests can sleep comfortably on overnight trips.
Mr Piket hit upon the idea for Charters 4 Teens in early 2021, after he saw how much children enjoyed cavorting in the water on outings during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“On several chartered trips for adults, I saw how their children became uninhibited when they jumped off the boat and played in the water, without having to worry about wearing masks or observe social distancing,” says Mr Piket, a Dutchman with a 15-year-old daughter. He has been a permanent resident since 2012.
“During this time, parents – often just one parent and a child – would book trips for their kids to have fun. The kids enjoyed jumping off the boat, playing around on a floating mat or paddle-boarding.”
The charters are available for children aged nine to 15 who are able to swim. The five-day camp costs $875 a child, and includes food and drinks. The yacht leaves One Degree 15 at 9am and comes back at 2.45pm, from Mondays to Fridays.
Besides water sports, children are also taught how to form knots such as the bowline and clove hitch, which are handy for the outdoors when pitching a tent.
There is also a raft-building session where children sketch a raft design and think of ways to make it float using car tubes, wooden sticks, ropes and a variety of knots.
The exercise helps them glean the basics of designing rafts, including materials, buoyancy and structural strength.
The children then split into teams to build the rafts and race them.
Mr Piket feels it is healthy for children to be close to nature in groups on land as well as in the sea, since it builds confidence, teamwork and stamina.
“Most important is that the children make new friends and are fully immersed in the off-grid programmes,” he adds.
“It is one of those rare moments when they are so busy having fun, they totally forget about their mobile phones or tablets.”
Info: Waga Mari Yacht Charters Summer Camp 2025 is held for four weeks in June and July. Call or WhatsApp Mr Piket on 9640-6311 or go to wagamari.com/pages/holiday-camps
