Racial Harmony Day celebrations, new Mickey Mouse show, picture book about neighbourly kindness
Make family time all the more special with these ideas and activities.
Watch: The Wonderful Summer Of Mickey Mouse
In their eagerness to catch the annual Summer Spectacular fireworks show, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck and Goofy end up destroying the stage accidentally. Now, they have to work together to produce an amazing event for their friends and neighbours.
The Wonderful Summer Of Mickey Mouse has a nostalgic art style that will remind viewers of Mickey's 1928 beginnings, but it is a new 23-minute original animated show for Disney+.
It is also the third of a four-part special based on the seasons. The winter- and spring-themed episodes were released on the streaming platform earlier this year.
Bond: Racial Harmony Day open house celebrations
Racial Harmony Day is commemorated in schools on July 21 every year, but you can also help deepen your kids' appreciation for their multicultural roots.
Make it a family outing to three heritage institutions, which are hosting open houses this month.
The Indian Heritage Centre kick-started the festivities this weekend, with workshops on the etiquette of eating a traditional Tamil vegetarian meal by hand.
On July 23 and 24, check out the offerings at the Malay Heritage Centre. Children can try their hands at block printing on notebooks or join a storytelling session for Kain Songket Ibu (Mother's Songket). You can also catch cultural performances and cooking demonstrations. For more details, go to malayheritagecentre.peatix.com
The celebrations culminate at Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall on July 30 and 31. Here, you can learn about traditional musical instruments such as the oud, Indian bamboo flute and the dizi, among other activities. Go to this website.
Read: Picture book Elephants Live Upstairs!
When the elephant family moves into a Housing Board block, they create a ruckus all day and night. How do you deal with such noisy neighbours? Should you suffer in silence?
Elephants Live Upstairs! visits the important yet sensitive topic of neighbourly relations, but the whimsical story and drawings by first-time author Melissa Ong and illustrator Javon Chan will bring a smile to your face.
Ong, 37, a lecturer at Singapore Polytechnic's School of Life Skills and Communication, says the inspiration came from her friend's Facebook post about the "elephants", which referred to her noisy neighbours upstairs.
"The interesting thing is, when I was refining the book, the pandemic was just starting and we were all stuck at home 24/7. So, good neighbourliness and the need for kindness and empathy came to the forefront even more."
Get the book ($14.90 before GST) from Epigram Bookshop, Epigram Coffee Bookshop at Singapore Art Museum @ Tanjong Pagar Distripark and other leading bookstores.
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