Various community groups have been invited by the CIB over the course of the SGF to come to Suntec Convention Center where they have been given mini-booth areas to showcase their gardens to the visitors of the SGF. Community gardeners who came are a generous lot - not only they shared their knowledge and experience with the public, they also shared cuttings taken from their garden plants as well as seeds. I often see the elderly and middle-aged ladies (we affectionately call them “aunties” here) clustering around these booths where engaged in idle garden chat. Below is the mini-booth space that has been set up by Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

The CIB exhibition area would not be complete if there was nothing to cater to youths. Two simple games that have been thought out by the CIB team could be found near the backend of the CIB exhibition area. I thought these were very ingenius ideas where common game gadgets were very slightly modified to fit the garden festival theme.

Instead of soccer players, the above game used mini-garden tools instead. In place of a soccer ball, the CIB team replaced with it either a seed from a plant or a small fruit, such as a lime. The same applies for the game shown below which employed seeds and fruits of various sizes.

These games had been highly popular with the younger members of the SGF crowd. I saw people, adults included, queuing up to take turns to try their hands on them! There is also IT-based game meant for an even younger crowd - kids - located in the same vicinity where they can use the touch-screen function to plant and landscape their own garden city. The height of the two touch-screens had been fixed quite low so that the children can reach them.

Wilson Wong