Hi, young sprouts! Glad you stumbled upon our site. We are organising the SPROUT environmental workshops for YOU! in May and June 2009.
If you are aged 15 and above, sign up using the online form on the 1st post!
For more information, simply find entries tagged with "info" or email us at info@sproutworkshop.org
As the famous Bread Song goes "If a picture paints a thousand words..."
These are 11 pictures taken at today's (Sunday) SPROUT! workshop on blogging and photography.
For those not in the know, these photographs show our participants having photography hands-on with their p&s camera.
The post of what went on will be up shortly!
For this sprouter, Saturday started with a mad rush.
I was at Larkin bus station in the wee hours of the day, jostling with the working crowd for a seat (two if you count my huge luggage) on the ever reliable bus 170. After two transfers at the customs, I arrived at JTC just on time for the opening. By then, the wonderful SPROUT! crew has already set up and prepared everything for the workshop. The participants were looking fresh and eager, much to my delight. All I had to do was to give an opening to kick off the event. Damien then took over to play a BINGO game with the instructors and participants; discovering everyone's quirks and habits like "Has 5 body piercing" (None, thankfully) and "Detest M___donalds" (most people) along the way. With everyone slightly hyped, the session was handed over to Arron and his co-instructors, Matthew and Mingshi. Rather than diving straight into strokes and methods, he got everyone's attention by analysing lines the participants drew. Like a mental guru, he got the participants to draw lines to describe their feelings for the day. At Mingshi and Matt's insistence, I too, showed Arron my "mood". Surprisingly enough he was able to read between my lines. Beans, as in the title, was what he taught next. These are not ordinary beans; when placed strategically, they can be transformed into a myraid of characters and animals. While this was happening, I sneaked back home and took a quick break, hence no pictures to show. By the time I returned, he was onto an unconventional method of live sketching. "Without looking" he says, "draw a continous line to form a picture". Literal enough, the method is called "One Line Drawing". The second method involved making dots to form pictures, which the participants did with gusto using markers, pens and pencils. At once, the room was filled with a low, constant pounding sound, as everyone tried to outdot each other. After lunch, the crew headed out to Chinese Garden for some live sketching. As the bag watcher, I could only watch as the participants followed Arron, Matt and Mingshi into the faux oriental garden for sketching inspiration. Along the way, I was told, the 3 instructors showed the participants some nifty handwork and got everyone to make sketches of interesting objects in the park. Mingshi even bought along some charcoal to share with her group. When her group returned, they showed the rest their interesting dark pictures and their darken palms. Debrief was conducted a little like an informal crit. Everyone's sketchbooks were turned to their favourite sketches and Arron highlighted some interesting ones. The participants squated and huddled together to get a better view of each A5 size sketch. It was deja vu. Just a few days ago, me and my friends were squatting and huddling in the same way under a hot Terengganu sun; except we were eating durian then.| 6 June 2009 (Sat): Sketching Workshop | |
| Venue: JTC Summit and Chinese Garden (9 am - 4.30pm) | |
| Activity | |
| 09:00 | Participants gather at JTC lobby |
| Take attendance and collect indemnity forms | |
| 09:30 | Welcome address and Simple Ice-breaking |
| 10:00 | Sketching workshop by Mr Arron Teo and assistant instructors |
| 11:20 | Workshop Break |
| 13:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 | Board bus to Chinese Garden |
| 14:30 | Application on how to sketch - Chinese Garden |
| 15:45 | Particpants to gather back at gathering point |
| 16:00 | Debrief by Arron + Closing Address + Day 2 Programme Brief |
| 16:30 | End of programme |
| 7 June 2009 (Sun): Blogging and Photography Workshop | |
| Venue: Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (8.30am - 5pm) | |
| Activity | |
| 08:30 | Participants assemble at Kranji MRT Station Control |
| Take attendance | |
| 09:00 | Chartered bus sets off for Sungei Buloh WR |
| 09:20 | Introduction of workshop instructors |
| 09:30 | Start of blogging workshop by Mr Kenneth Pinto and Mr Sivasothi |
| 11:30 | Sharing by Ms Ria Tan |
| 12:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00 | Start of Photography Workshop by Ms Colleen Goh |
| 14:00 | Hands on photography session |
| 16:00 | Participants gather at gathering point |
| 17:00 | Chartered bus to bring participants back to Kranji MRT |
| End of programme | |
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We are relaunching registration for SPROUT! This time, it is in June!
07 June 2009
Blogging and Photography Workshop at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
conducted by Mr Sivasothi, Ms Ria Tan, Mr Kenneth Pinto and Ms Colleen Goh
SPROUT! is a series of environmental workshops with a new twist! You can learn new media skills while learning interesting facts on Singapore’s environment and wildlife! This series of workshop is for youths aged 15 and above.
At the end of the workshops, we hope you will be able to set up your school or community environmental blog! In fact, we got volunteers who will assist and guide you along the way!
Simply fill up our registration online form here. Registration deadline is 3 June 2009. Successful applicants will be notified by email on 4 June 2009.
For school and group registration, please contact our recruitment officer at jackson@sproutworkshop.org.
Thereafter, we went helter-skelter into one of the hideouts and stayed there for the next half an hour, pondering over what would be our next move.
Finally, the rain stopped!!! We heard a loud voice, shouted HOORAY!!! It was none other than the group’s crazy monkey, Jackson. He was filled with such immense joy that he skipped merrily towards the Aeries Tower.
Meanwhile, Kai Ling disappeared amidst all the chaos… We have put up a lost and found poster for her. If you see any eye witness, please contact 9765 6923.
Back to real stuff, on the Aeries tower, we saw trees, mangroves, shrubs…which are all trees. It took a sharp eye to notice the 2 white heron on the mud flats. Total count of animals: Heron (2), Monitor Lizard (5), Mudskipper (1), Otter (2), Billions of fish, squirrels (3), climbing tree crab (1), Hornet (3), long light stick trapped in mangrove roots (1) and float of slipper (1)
Therefore the highlight of the day: Monitor Lizard!
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We were participants of the National Youth Forum (NYF) 2008.
Some of us are studying in JCs; some in universities and others graduated and working. But the thing that binds us all together? Our love for the environment.
NYF gave a foundation on project planning etc…so now that we’re on our own, it’s project time! You wouldn’t believe how many great (some not so great) ideas we’ve had! It just kept pouring out! So anyway, we’ve decided on an exciting and fun-filled project that you must have signed up for! (or you wouldn’t be reading this)
We believe in youth empowerment. And our project centres giving nature-loving youths the voice to shout out loud about the cause they love and believe in so strongly. Thus, you will learn different interesting and EFFECTIVE ways to get your opinion and ideas heard. Then you will definitely be more able to effect positive change in our country or even the world!
What are you waiting for?! Let’s SPROUT!!!
It features our project ideas and talks about how this project came about.
Read about it online.
Lower Peirce Reservoir has not always been prominently featured as one of Singapore's nature hotspots. It has been always been playing second fiddle to more prominent natures reserves such as MacRitchie and Chek Jawa. However a trip last week to this quiet and tranquail spot did yield some surprising finds.
For one, there were many fruit trees along Hevea trail and Bamboo trail; many trees within arms length. It's a pity the rambutan and jackfruit seen in the pictures below are still too green to be eaten. Word of caution though, plucking fruits off trees are a no-no in nature reserves.
Another sight to be behold is the pitcher place. As you will probably know, pitcher plants are carnivorous plants whose prey-trapping mechanism features a deep cavity filled with liquid known as a pitfall trap. There were some spotted along the trail where the soil is probably poor in minerals.
The boardwalk then cuts through the forest to emerge at the water edge. This is Lower Peirce Reservoir, which supplies water to our homes daily. The boardwalk meanders along the lake, allowing a spectacular view of the calm waters and the minature people and buggies across the lake at SICC.
Entice yourself with some of these pictures then start to plan your blog entry for SPROUT!
So this is it! After the near 30 minutes car ride (I was told it would be faster, if we didn’t get make so many detour), we arrived safe and sound at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. As it is the only wetland reserve we have here in Singapore, it has to be the best right? Although the contrary is hence also true, I pray upon my lucky star that it is the former. Still, growing up within the concrete city which is supposed to be ‘CLEAN AND GREEN’ has taught me to not expect too much of our country when it comes to nature.
Nature = Wild growing trees, wild animals, things you see on natural geographic.
You know? The whole package! Not those stick-thin sad looking shrubs they are planting around our housing estate. So yeah, I must admit, I wasn’t expecting too much from Sungei Buloh. I feared it would be one of those touristy rubbish you see in places like Sentosa with its ‘man-made this and man-made that’
BUT BOY WAS I WRONG. When we first step into the reserve we were greeted with a great sight:
How many times in your life have you seen a tree with red leaves in Singapore? Almost never.
Beyond that bridge, we are immediately greeted with mudflats which flanked our path. On the mudflat, we saw our first monitor lizard! Wild creature alert! It was then when it struck me that I am really, truly and undeniably in close proximity with nature. It was also then I realised a big fat mosquito is enjoying the taste of my blood. Seriously, do prepare insects repellent when you go to the reserve.
Upon entering the observation hut, we are struck with an awesome view of yet another mudflat. This time we get to see birdies. They are (according to the information on the wall) not your usual sparrow and pigeons but migratory birds.
Inside the little wooden hut, it is really quiet. I think the words to use would be serene and tranquil. It is surprising how refreshing it was. Just us, the rain, the trees and those oh-so-cute birdies.
There are altogether 3 routes in the reserve. They are called route 1, route 2 and route 3. Not the most creative names but the views and natures they offer are fantastic. Route 1 is the shortest, followed by 2 and then 3 (which would take 4-5 hours!). Of course, we being enthusiastic, eager and energetic youths chose the shortest one.
Sungei Buloh is a place I never knew existed in Singapore. I mean I know there is a Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve but I never truly knew it is a place so beautiful and peaceful. If you are someone who is sick of all the bustling of the city, irritated by all the loud noises, getting jumpy and stressed with your work, then Sungei Buloh is for you. Its tranquility and pure beauty draws you into a retreat where you can escape from reality for just a little while.
It is a place I will definitely return to. This time, I’ll bring my mosquito repellent.
Damian Gan
SPROUT! member
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