Heres another thing that I am going to start reviewing, this would be places to go or visit in Singapore on those days when you really don't know where to go or just wondering where to go to spice up that outing of yours. So there are places where some might enjoy, and places where some other people might enjoy, so I will try to be objective and you can decide for yourself whether it is worth your time and probably money to go.
INFORMATION
The exhibition is held in the Science Centre Singapore and the site is found here
Opening Hours: 10am to 6pm
Directions: Walkable from Jurong East Mrt
Ticket Pricing: $23 Dollars for admission into Science Center and Dinosaur Live! exhibits
Exhibition Duration: 21th Oct to 26 Feb 2012
Exhibition Estimated Time: 60 - 90 mins
INTRODUCTION
So there are many exhibitions in the science center for those who do not know and they are actually grouped into sections like Fire, Sound, Bioethics and stuff like that. Then they will also have the occasionally travelling exhibitions from external sources and this Dinosaur Live! is the present one. A more famous previous exhibit was the CSI exhibit that i actually went to and spent a fair amount of time there.
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| This is one of the exhibits in the Fire section |
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| This is how a Velociraptor looks like, it has feathers |
So basically, there are really two sections to the science center and these are two discrete sections meaning that they are not related in one way or another. I won't post too much pictures of the other dinosaurs but just to make it clear, they are not living and will not come and lick you on the hand or anything to that effect. So parents no worries about bringing your kids there a they will most likely be following you home.
There also seems to be some shows in Dinosaur Live as well as the Science center itself so there are some stuff that you can do. You can also buy some toys and souvenirs at the site itself but its really nothing interesting to me.
Ok now to move on to the review proper. We will try to use a general criteria that we can apply to all places of interest that you might want to visit in Singapore. Places like shopping centers and Universal Studios should be covered someday.
Interest Factor
So this place is supposed to cater to the people who are interested in dinosaurs and also to those interested in science. Actually to be more exact it caters in particular to the kids in interested in dinosaurs and the parents who want to bring their kids to learn a bit of science.
Talking about the dinosaur section, to be honest, it was largely a disappointment compared to what else the science center had to offer. The dinosaurs do move a bit here and there and they make their specific chirping or some funny sounds, but they are not actually not all to scale, so expect to see some level of magnitude but still feel that it is not really all that large. Of course to really build it to its real size would be impossible, but really thats about all it has to offer.
From the picture above you can actually see that each of the dinosaurs have a panel with some brief information like some dimensions and when it is found but these information will only be relevant to people who actually can tell the difference between the ages. (If you think that Dinosaurs only existed in the Jurassic age, you probably understand the significance of these information) So there are maybe slightly more then 10 and less then 20 of these exhibits. However for the little kids it seems that they are given some tiny books or cards with which they can use to collect chops of the dinosaurs. This was not given to me when i went in so I do not really know. The other activities that they have inside is actually just some coloring stuff. So to be honest as a adult there is really nothing that "Wows" me. The info can actually be found by simple googling anyway.
Science center on the other hand was actually pretty entertaining for me and was the place i spent more of my time at. They have all types of display that might interest those who have some contact with science. Generally those who like physics and biology should find some fun in all the many sectors they have. In fact I actually didn't have enough time to slowly play with all the sectors. There are also some more physical sectors that the kiddies would enjoy such as the ecopool or something where they can play with water and stuff like that.
Accessibility
So science center is just a walk from the MRT station so it can be considered pretty accessible. However it is located all the way in the west side of Singapore. Fortunately there are plenty of parking lots over there so driving should not be an issue. There are also places out of the center for you to eat but no nearby shopping malls. The macdonalds right at the entrance is kinda small and generally crowded so you might prefer to move over to the shops area across the road for lunch. Don't worry, you can always reenter the science center with the chop that they will stamp on your hand.
Atmosphere
Dinosaur Live! was generally dark and very linear. You basically start off at the beginning and just walk your way to the end. Its all dark with lots of noises from the dinosaurs. As a result the dinosaurs look pretty bland to be honest, with all of them glowing a certain hue according to the lighting. Also not good for reading. And add to that the miniaturization of the dinosaurs its just an OK atmosphere. Not too crowded even though i went on a weekend though.
Science center on the other hand had a better atmosphere. You will know when you step into the new sectors as they will use a unique style of presentation for each section. For example in the ispace section its basically a playground to display and to show how to utilize future technology. But for the bioethics section, it is really very theoretical and gives questions and surveys to see how you feel towards certain issue and brings up certain issues to think about. Not crowded either but a sad part is that quite a few of the exhibits have been damaged by the many people who come into the place.
For example there was some audio exhibit that you need to put the earphones on your ear and it will simulate you getting your hair cut. But the problem is one side of the earphones was already spoilt so you hear everything from one side. Completely lost its value just like that. But thanks to the many other exhibits you probably still can find something fun to play with.
Cost
The cost was $23 dollars for an adult and if you only go to the dinosaur section it is $20 while for pure science center experience it would be $9 dollars. My advice is, DO NOT JUST GO TO THE DINO SECTION. Seriously. The estimated time they said that it could entertain you was 60 to 90 minutes. I finished in 30 minutes and had to back track to just make sure my money was worth. I still left at 45 mins. I will go crazy had I payed $20 dollars just for that.
Thankfully the $3 dollars additional Science center made the entire trip worth. In fact I had too little time to play with all the exhibits and this was actually the 2nd time i went to the science center as an adult. Spent a total of 3 hours there meaning that in mathematical terms it would be about $9 dollars per hour. I could easily spend another 2 hours there had i taken my time at the science center so I would rate this place as $5 per hour. Compare this to a 2 hour movie that cost $6.50 - $9.50 which ends up about 4 to 5 dollars per hour, its pretty ok. AS LONG AS YOU GO TO THE SCIENCE CENTER.
Revisitability
I still haven't played with all the things there and the science center itself has various shows that changes occasionally. Snow city is also near. Given the fact that the main attraction which is the temporary exhibits changes occassionally, I probably would see myself going back there some other day for the temporary exhibit, but make the money worth by playing around in the science center itself again.
Overall
Interest Factor : 3.5 (Dino was bad, maybe a 2.5 but science center saved it being about a 4)
Accessibility : 3.5 (Near for west siders, far for east, but no need to go too often so its fine)
Atmosphere : 3 (Both atmosphere could have been greatly improved, especially dinosaurs)
Cost : 3 (Its an ok cost, Dinosaurs would be like a 1, and science center a 4)
Revisitablilty : 3 (Should be worth visiting in the future. But wont be that soon)
Overall : 3.2 (Ok to be honest, you probably will only want to come here if....1. You have kids who are interested in dinosaurs and science in general or 2. You are really bored and you also have interest in spending more time in a fixed location learning and experiencing some science stuff. Arty farty people probably will not find anything fun over here. It is a pure scientific place.)
So this is my first review on places of interest in Singapore. Please comment and tell me if there is anything that is improvable.
Finally Confucious Bird says hi
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