Presented as part of KidSTART Stories, the play brings to life Minister of State Sun Xueling’s book series “What Ants Do” to provide access to theatre arts and nurture reading interest through interactive plays for KidSTART families

Singapore, 30 May 2023 - This National Family Week, KidSTART Singapore presents Adventures with Andi, a children’s play production adapted by KidSTART Early Childhood Consultant, Mdm Puspavalli Namasivayam based on the 3-book series “What Ants Do”, authored by Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development Sun Xueling. An interactive play developed for the whole family, Adventures with Andi is an extension of KidSTART Stories, an initiative to support parents in the early childhood development of their children through storytelling and reading. To be staged at the School of the Arts (SOTA) Drama Theatre from 9 to 11 June, children, parents and grandparents alike can embark on an adventure through the characters to discover the meaning of home and friendship. Supported by SP Group, 2 about 450 KidSTART families will enjoy the play for free, through an immersive theatre arts experience. The families were also gifted MOS Sun’s book series which will give them the opportunity to read the book before experiencing it come to life in the theatre. Tickets are also available for the public to purchase via Sistic.

The adapted screenplay for Adventures with Andi illustrates values of kindness, care and teamwork as Andi the ant embarks on a journey around the world to find the true meaning of home and friendship. The play features interactive songs and craft sessions for the whole family to participate in, offering a valuable opportunity for families to spend quality time together and foster deeper parent-child interactions, as well as hone the development of children’s language skills through storytelling and theatre.

Madam Rahayu Buang, Chief Executive Officer, KidSTART Singapore said, “Experiences such as reading, storytelling and attending theatre productions are not only powerful in supporting the development of language skills and encourage imagination and creativity amongst children, they also provide an opportunity for family quality time and play, which support the holistic development of children during their early years. Following the positive feedback on KidSTART Stories last year, we are happy to extend a new play production with the support of SP Group for all families to enjoy this June school holiday. At KidSTART, we want all children to have the opportunity to grow, learn and bond with their parents. I encourage families to join us at Adventures with Andi, and eligible families to sign up for the KidSTART programme so that they can enjoy similar activities and learn together.”

Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development Sun Xueling said “It has been a memorable experience partnering with KidSTART Singapore to create the stage adaptation and I can’t wait for families to experience it! I hope that as part of National Family Week, families can have a meaningful and positive experience at Adventures with Andi where the children can learn about core family values such as love, care, and respect through Andi's story. By bringing the world of arts to the families, my wish is for parents to witness how we can have different dreams such as being a playwriter or an actor. If children are passionate about arts, we should celebrate their diverse talents and help them achieve their potential.”

In addition to sponsoring KidSTART families to Adventures with Andi, SP Group volunteers, known as SP Heart Workers, also helped to distribute the three-part “What Ants Do” book series 3 to KidSTART families who will be attending the play. The books will expand the families’ KidSTART Stories collection at home, providing more opportunities for families to cultivate their child's interest in reading and use stories to develop their language abilities.

Stanley Huang, Group CEO of SP Group, said, “We are heartened that our collaboration with KidSTART Singapore will benefit more than 6,000 children and their families, through strengthening family bonds and nurturing early childhood development and literacy. As KidSTART’s initiatives grow from strength to strength, we remain committed to helping more children from lower-income families grow holistically during their formative years. Adventures with Andi is a great example led by MOS Sun Xueling of how we can enable unique learning experiences and create memorable family moments.”

Madam Rahayu adds, “We would like to thank MOS Sun Xueling for allowing KidSTART to adapt her book series into an interactive children’s play, as well as ‘Growing Together with KidSTART’ partner SP Group for their generous support towards KidSTART families. There are many ways to uplift children and Adventures with Andi is a great example of how the public, private and people sectors can work together to support KidSTART children in having a good start in life.”

KidSTART mother of 4 children, Ms Teresa Christiana Katty, 34 years old shared that the family is looking forward to watching Adventures with Andi, which will be their first theatre experience. “My children and I enjoyed reading the “What Ants Do” book series received and are excited to watch the books come to life on stage at the upcoming Adventures with Andi play. It is a great way to occupy the children during the June holidays and I believe the play will teach my children about good values in a fun way. I want to thank KidSTART Singapore for providing us with such free family activities where we can enjoy family time and experience a play at the theatre for the very first time.”
 

KidSTART parent of six, Mdm Juliana Binte Samsudien, aged 35 also shared, “This June holidays, I am surprising my children with tickets to catch the play and believe this would be a great opportunity to develop their love for the arts and theatre. As a mother, I am always on the lookout for new experiences to help my children learn. After attending KidSTART Sea Adventures last year, I saw how they enjoyed themselves dancing to the music and characters. Till today they are still humming to the play’s tunes! I cannot wait to see their reactions when they watch Adventures with Andi.”

Adventures with Andi runs from 9 to 11 June at SOTA Drama Theatre. Tickets are priced at $35 and $45 and members of the public can purchase them from Sistic. KidSTART families attend free of charge. This is the second play production by KidSTART Singapore, following the inaugural play, KidSTART Sea Adventures, in 2022.

KidSTART Stories provides KidSTART families a set of age-appropriate books and bookshelves to create a reading area at home to kickstart their reading journey and support children’s learning and development through books. It is an initiative under KidSTART Singapore, a non-profit organisation dedicated to support low-income families with early childhood development of children aged 0 to 6 years, to have a good start in life.

The media kit for Adventures with Andi can be found here, and for more information, please visit the KidSTART website here. For information about joining the KidSTART programme, visit here.

About KidSTART Singapore Limited
KidSTART Singapore Limited is a non-profit organisation incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee in September 2020, to implement programmes supporting families in early childhood development, particularly the KidSTART programme. The CLG attained charity status in March 2022.

Click here for more information on KidSTART.

About SP Group
SP Group is a leading utilities group in the Asia Pacific, empowering the future of energy with lowcarbon, smart energy solutions for its customers. It owns and operates electricity and gas transmission and distribution businesses in Singapore and Australia, as well as sustainable energy solutions in Singapore, China, Thailand and Vietnam.

As Singapore’s national grid operator, about 1.6 million industrial, commercial and residential customers benefit from its world-class transmission, distribution and market support services. These networks are amongst the most reliable and cost-effective worldwide.

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