by Andre Sanchez
The Dubai Children’s City is a science and cultural center designed for children of ages from two to fifteen, and devised to allow them to explore and discover about the world around them. It is the first in the United Arab Emirates set up specifically to aid the education of children, and to help them to learn about their surroundings and culture.
Interaction and discovery in family or school groups is the major objective of Dubai children’s City, and the available programs include natural history, exploration in space, the human body, physical sciences and local and international culture. There is also a planetarium and an area for the under fives. It is a great place to take your children, and there is something of interest to all ages. Education is fun, and the information presented in a hands-on way that appeals to children.
Educational workshops are presented daily on all kinds of topics of interest and educational value to children. Education and entertainment are combined in the specially designed theatre to utilize the most modern multimedia facilities for the provision of education and information important for the development of young minds. The exhibitions and special activities are specifically fashioned to this end. They include audiovisual and slide projector exhibits and three dimensional animation and interactive displays that are in both Arabic and English.
The objective and vision of Dubai Children’s City is to receive local, national and international recognition as a pioneer in discovery and learning through a hands-on approach to education. Discovery learning is a concept that has appear throughout history, and is exemplified by Archimedes and his cry of “Eureka” when he realized that dense gold displaces less water than did the same weight of the less dense silver.
This is how children remember things best: by discovering it for themselves through carefully prepared projects designed specifically for the task. The Children’s City covers a large area, though all partitions are low enough for the children to look over and check out where the rest of their group or family are, and also what else there is for them to do. These low partitions also allow parents and teachers to keep an eye on what their children are doing.
Families are well catered for with changing facilities for babies, and the levels are accessed by ramps so that the disabled, or young children in buggies, can easily visit all the available areas. Menus are suitable for all ages and high chairs are available if required. Families visiting Dubai are made welcome at the facility and it’s a great way to spend a day with your children. It not only keeps them happy on vacation, but also educates them and gives them an insight into the culture of other peoples.
The Dubai Children’s City is situated in the Creekside Park, and its gift shop is well worth a visit if you are looking for educational toys with a difference and a range of books on all subjects related to science and culture. You can relax afterwards in the café if you need a rest from all these great exhibits and fun things to do; your children may not, but you certainly will!
When you leave, why not have a look round the park. Creekside Park is Dubai’s biggest park, is designed for families, and has an 18 hole golf course! It’s a small mini course but great fun to play. There are barbecue areas and a couple of restaurants. It’s a great place just to sit and relax while the kids enjoy themselves in the play area. The park is also a botanical garden with almost three hundred different species, and if you enjoy fishing there are a number of fishing piers.
You can hire bicycles, which is a great way to travel round the park and check out the various botanic exhibits, such as the desert garden complete with the traditional irrigation system. If you prefer something a bit more leisurely, the new cable car system provides a fantastic view of the park, and also of the whole Creek and Deira area. If you are a visitor to Dubai, it should not be missed.
The amphitheatre holds around 1,200 people and has regular events and concerts. Don’t go for a family day out on a Wednesday, though, since admission is restricted to women and children on that day.
A visit to Creekside Park and the Dubai Children’s City is must for any family. The children will have a day to remember and you will likely be surprised, not only at how much your children know about modern technology, but also at what you might just learn yourself. Relax afterward with a meal in the park and a ride on the cable car. What could be better on a nice sunny afternoon?
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