The Waterplay at Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden
Playful Learning in Asia’s Largest Children’s Garden
Located within the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden is Asia’s first and largest garden dedicated to children. It offers an immersive and nature-based play and outdoor learning environment designed to spark curiosity. The newly transformed water play area now covers approximately 500 square meters—more than triple its original size. It features mist zones, splash buckets, umbrella fountains, wading pools, and jets. These interactive elements allow children to explore the water cycle, plant transpiration, and rain formation through active play. This nature-led design approach earned the project a Silver Award in the Playground category at the LIAS Awards of Excellence 2025, celebrating its excellence in play space design and landscape architecture in Singapore.
Nature as the Playground: Water Cycle Exploration
Unlike conventional playgrounds in Singapore, which often rely on fixed structures, the Jacob Ballas water play area is designed as an organic extension of the landscape. Natural materials, sculpted terrain, and water flow shape guide exploration. The environment invites children to invent, adapt, and connect through play.
Interactive zones like the Evaporation Zone and Precipitation Zone bring scientific processes to life. Sculpted ground, streams, and shaded tree canopies mimic real hydrological systems, helping children understand how water moves through the environment. In every texture and sound, the garden becomes a living classroom, where science, nature, and play come together.
Inclusive Play and Environmental Learning
The design supports a range of energy levels, abilities, and learning styles. It balances energetic splash areas with quiet zones for rest and reflection. Features at ground level offer safe challenges, while open sightlines help parents and caregivers stay connected.
Educational elements are embedded throughout the space, blending guided learning with open exploration. Interactive water features reveal natural processes, while pollinator-friendly planting, meandering streams, and natural boulders offer tactile and visual discovery. Children learn about more than just water. They learn about Singapore’s native ecology, biodiversity, and the interdependence of life through play-based experiences.
