Interview: Voyage of Dreams 2013 co-organiser & creator Sarah Lee-Wong

On 13 October, Sunday, a special event will be held to celebrate creative and playful family bonding. It's called Voyage of Dreams 2013: Only Believe, and is co-organised by The Public Libraries Singapore and fellow mum blogger Sarah of The Playful Parents.

Exciting activities to look forward to include a 'kampong' style family cardboard games play date where participants are invited to create and bring their own game made out of cardboard of other recycled materials to share with other families. On display are a cardboard ship complete with cardboard animals, as well as a cardboard maze, on display. There will also be storytelling and craft sessions.

I am very happy to have Sarah of The Playful Parents to share with us her vision and inspiration behind this very meaningful and fun event.

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What is Voyage of Dreams about? What can parents & kids look forward to?

Voyage of Dreams is a community celebration of the creativity every individual, young and old, possesses and the importance of family bonding through play. Parents and kids can look forward to creating new shared family memories by participating in a day filled with different sorts of creative activities.

There are four types of playful activities: 

i. Dream with Me: Parent and Child workshops 

ii. Dreams on Parade: DIY crafting activity area where patrons can use recycled materials provided to create boats and animals to add onto the cardboard ship display 

iii. Dreams: Now Playing- ‘kampong style’ family playdate where families come down with DIY playthings made out of cardboard and other recyclables to share with others 

iv. Catch A Dream & Sing Me A Dream: Stories about dreamers who pursued their dreams told in different styles

What is the highlight of the Voyage of Dreams event?

The highlight of VoD is undoubtedly ‘Dreams: Now Playing’ where every family will bring their own DIY playthings made out of recycled materials to share with other families whom they’ve never met before.

Why did you come up with the idea for such an event? What is your inspiration?

Voyage of Dreams is a natural outgrowth of my first cardboard community event, Cardboard Dreams, that I held last year at the Botanic Gardens. I hosted Cardboard Dreams in support of Imagination Foundation’s first ever ‘Global Cardboard Challenge’ which was in turn inspired by a 9-year-old American boy, Caine, who made an entire arcade out of cardboard.

My inspiration for Voyage of Dreams, as it is for most of the work I do, comes from my own children and family. They have fuelled my passion to see every individual realizing their own creative potentials and for families to bond through play.

What do you hope to achieve through this event?

The big picture hope I have is that this event will only be the beginning of a nationwide movement to encourage our individuals, regardless of age and background, and families to believe in their own creative capacities, and increase their willingness to adopt a more playful approach to life and living.

On the specific scale of things, I hope that this event will provide a platform through which parents feel empowered with new ideas for engaging in play with their children (through the parent-child workshops), families are given the opportunity to play as well as connect families with other families for support on this demanding parenting journey we’re on.

What is your parenting style and belief?

Good question. I think my husband and I are still figuring out our parenting styles. But I would definitely describe both of us as authoritative, not authoritarian, and hands-on parents. As for our parenting beliefs, we are led by our faith-based convictions that we are to parent our children the way our Heavenly Father parents us – with unconditional love, gentleness, and patience. However, we are still major works in progress translating that belief into everyday action.

Is Voyage of Dreams a reflection of your beliefs?

Voyage of Dreams is an expression of my beliefs and passion. But it is also very much a reflection of my own life especially the childhood I had.

You see, I grew up in a kampong, surrounded by lots of nature. I also had the privilege of parents, who though strict and subscribed to corporal punishment, played with my brother and I a lot. Some of the strongest memories I still have of my childhood are of my father playing finger games with me on bus rides when I was 3 or 4, and of him making us toys out of discarded golf balls and aluminium foil. 

I also love playing board games because my parents spent almost every weekend when we were children playing board games with us.

I believe that my passion for nature and family bonding through play have been heavily influenced by my parents playing with us, and not so much my training as an educator.

Please tell us more about yourself.

I am a reformed feminist and enlightened educator. I no longer wish to prove women are equal to men. Instead I wish I were Martha Stewart and that my husband will stop praying for a ‘submissive wife’ because I will finally be one! And as an educator, I consider myself ‘enlightened’ as I now believe I’ve found an educational purpose.

After I lost my first child, I decided to stop full-time work to concentrate on being a wife and mother. It’s been an uphill battle for an undomesticated and restless person like me.

Though it’s been 5 years, I am still trying to settle into my role as a homemaker and homeschooling mother. However, I’m determined to press on until I find a happy equilibrium between household chores, homemaking and homeschooling joys because I believe that there is no bigger job for me to do, and do well, as caring for my family.

I love stories, daydreaming while indulging in sweet treats and I am truly, an incurable play addict.

Someday I may write well enough to publish a children’s book. But for now, I’m content inventing and telling stories to anyone who cares to listen!

Thank you Sarah. Here's wishing Voyage of Dreams 2013 a very fun success!

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Now, more about the event Voyage of Dreams 2013.

When: 13 October 2013, Sunday

Where: Central Library (Bugis)

Time: 10am - 530pm

For more details on the individual programmes, visit the Voyage of Dreams webpage.