T

he school holidays are lurking just around the corner, so parents planning on taking their little ones to Singapore can start looking for a number of "educational" activities to keep the kids up and about rather than the usual shopping and dining routine.

For the teenagers, students from Hwa Chong Institution are organizing a Come Home! 2010 program at Fort Canning Park on June 15.

The outdoor charity bazaar/youth concert features an exciting carnival with stalls selling everything from clothes to drinks as well as fringe activities like face painting, balloon sculpturing and prize giveaways.

In the evening, a youth concert will unfold to showcase the talents of local homegrown bands, instrumentalists and singers like those of West Grand Boulevard and Baracuda Batucada. Concert tickets are sold at S$15 (US$11) per ticket (or S$10 each for groups), the proceeds of which go to Beyond Social Services.

Especially for youngsters who like to get active in the sun, Skate with Us has a skate camp suitable for kids from age three upwards at East Coast Park and Changi Beach Park.

The four-day Fun on Wheels Skate Camp is suitable for both beginners and active skaters hoping to learn more groovy moves, with half-day and full-day programs available daily between June 14 and 24.

The camp also features fringe activities from sandcastle building to roller hockey, treasure hunting, arts and crafts and picnics.

Visit skate-with-us.com for more details.

What about parents wishing to expose their children to a more refined way of spending their leisure time?

Singapore has the answer to that too, especially with the return of Opera in the Park on June 19.

The opera was first introduced in 2008 and has since entertained more than 12,000 classical music lovers amid the lush landscapes of Singapore Botanic Gardens.

This year, Singapore Lyric Opera (SLO) is preparing yet another stunning evening on the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage.

Audiences will be enchanted as their favorite arias are brought to life by Singapore's young conductor Joshua Kangming Tan, together with performances by SLO's orchestra, opera chorus, youth choir and children's choir.