Happy Homebodies At The Artground: Curiosity Comes Alive

If you remember draping bedsheets over chairs to create a cosy hideout when you were a child, or pretending to bake cookies with Mum’s nightstand doubling up as an oven, then you have to get you and the kids to Happy Homebodies at The Artground, stat!

Happy Homebodies, The Artground’s sixth visual arts play space, brings to life the very best that curiosity and imagination can do to our everyday living spaces.

This Is Home, Truly… Happy Homebodies at The Artground

Designed by Singaporean Stay-At-Home-Mum, Gracie Chai, Happy Homebodies depicts a typical home setting, complete with night stands, reading lights, laundry lines, a pantry, and even a cosy TV room for maximum viewing pleasure.

Through Happy Homebodies, Gracie endeavours to inspire families to creatively transform our everyday nooks and crannies into play spaces for the little ones to enjoy. We’re talking pulling together bed sheets, paper, and maybe even a salad spinner, and you’re good to go!

“With a bit of ingenuity, the home can be spun around into a great play space,” said Gracie who has been sharing her playful home life ideas on Instagram for some time now.

A self-taught artist, maker and illustrator, Gracie enjoys spending time at home with her two children as they work together almost daily to reshuffle furniture to create their very own mini indoor playground.

Who needs to pay to jump into a ball pit when you have the comfort of home to make magic in? That is exactly what Gracie hopes families will take away from Happy Homebodies.

Life-Size Doodlings

What really struck me when I stepped into The Artground were the child-like black doodlings on what looked to be massive cardboard cut-outs.

An ironing board on one panel, a desk on another, and a headboard fit for a king – it was as if someone had struck recycled cardboard lottery and decided there and then to draw and design a mind-blowing indoor playground complete with a tunnel, a slide, and even a trampoline!

Perfect for children ages 0 and up, Happy Homebodies will have the older children crawling through a washing machine, sliding down a massive bed, and jumping into a laundry basket.

My daughter loved climbing up the ladder – over and over again – to the rooftop terrace where she first discovered the lines of laundry hung up to dry.

While big sis and big bro are cooking up a storm in the kitchen, babies and pre-crawlers can retreat to the safety of Baby Stage, suitable for children up to 3 years of age.

Within the safety of The Artground’s Baby Stage – which is now fitted with a baby-proof gate – your littlest can look forward to a baby-friendly slide, a lightbox for colour exploration, and a sensory corner made up of Daddy’s old ties, reusable wet wipe covers, and mermaid sequin.

Volunteer and Play at The Artground

Ardent supporters of The Artground’s efforts will know how busy the play spaces get, especially on the weekends.

If you’ve been there often enough to think, “Hey, I should work here!”, well, here’s your chance because The Artground is now looking for parent volunteers to lend a helping hand wherever and whenever. Simply register your interest here.

The Artground is located at Goodman Arts Centre, and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Event Information

Happy Homebodies At The Artground: Curiosity Comes Alive

Start date: 23/5/19 0:00
End date: 15/9/19 23:59