BAD WEATHER PLAN
We open as usual in most weather conditions
Bad Weather Procedure
ALERT
60 mins before opening
Warn customers of a possible delay or cancellation or reassure that its business as usual
DELAY
Bad weather persists.
Plan to arrive 30 mins after your scheduled start time.
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We usually delay starting first, to give weather a chance to pass
COMMENCE OR CANCEL
Only in extreme cases do we postpone parties or group visits.
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Forest School is never cancelled but may be delayed.
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Nature Playtime is more likely to be cancelled, and vouchers issued, due to bad weather
Communication
Alerts and updates will be sent from Wix Wildlings Messaging via EMAIL for the following services:
Forest School, including camps
Nature Playtime
Events
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Alerts and Updates will be via a PHONE CALL (and possibly WhatsApp if you don't answer) for the following services:
Group Visits - e.g. Schools and Corporate Groups
Parties
Venue hire
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We regret that due to the extra work involved in managing customers and preparing during adverse weather we may not be able to answer the phone so please do check emails (and junk mail) and the weather at www.weather.gov.sg before phoning in. We take no responsibility if you have not provided, or have provided inaccurate, contact details.
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Keep Calm and Carry On!
We have installed shelters at Dempsey with lightning protection systems so that we can deliver your programme whatever the weather.
Large shelter set up for a party
Large shelter set up for a party
Large shelter set up as a play space
Large shelter set up for a party
It is a short, exposed walk from the car park to our shelters at Dempsey, so if bad weather is ongoing at arrival time for your session, please note that we will have the gate open and you will be able to find our staff inside the shelters ready for you. Please do take caution and wait at Core Collective or the Cafe if lightning is in the area and head over to Wildlings when the skies are quieter.
For Forest School sessions that take place elsewhere, all locations have ready access to safe shelters for activities to commence under cover.
Our Bad Weather Principles
Awareness: We check the relevant weather systems applications regularly and use information to make the most informed decisions possible.
Communication: Communicate in a timely fashion with our customers.
Preparation: Help customers to arrive prepared and do our best to also be prepared in advance.
Trust: Do what we can to go ahead safely and deliver the programme for our customers.
Assurance: Work to develop Wildlings’ weather resilience, so we can deliver, whatever the weather, wherever we are running your programme.
Understanding: Incorporate flexibility and understanding, and encourage the same from our customers, recognizing that the weather is beyond our control.
Education: Teach our participants how to be weather resilient and build the weather into our Forest School experiences.
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Dealing with the weather - its complicated!
For every customer who believes their child should be allowed to play freely in the rain and mud, there is another that can't imagine anything worse.
There are a large number of factors that influence the actions we take if we are experiencing bad weather before, when you are due to arrive, or during your visit to Wildlings, shown in the diagram below.
Your personal threshold, the factors that are yours alone that influence your tolerance (or in the case of organisations - their organisational policies and procedures) are unknown to us.
We can only reassure you that we are working hard in difficult conditions to be ready to run your programme. We have the infrastructure to keep you safe and comfortable to carry out your programme whilst sheltered. The weather often passes quickly and we will get outside soon. For this reason we will only offer a reschedule of your service in the most extreme weather cases.
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This approach is different for our casual Nature Playtime sessions which are more likely to be cancelled so that we can better attend to the Children who are celebrating their special birthday with us, Children we must never disappoint!
What is Singapore's weather like?
Singapore is situated near the equator and has a typically tropical climate, with abundant rainfall, high and uniform temperatures, and high humidity all year round. Many of its climate variables, such as temperature and relative humidity, do not show large month-to-month variation. However, many variables exhibit prominent daily variations from hour to hour, indicating the strong influence that solar heating has on the local climate.
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SEASONS
Singapore’s climate is characterised by two monsoon seasons separated by inter-monsoonal periods (see table below). The Northeast Monsoon occurs from December to early March, and the Southwest Monsoon from June to September. The major weather systems affecting Singapore that can lead to heavy rainfall are:
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Monsoon surges, or strong wind episodes in the Northeast Monsoon flow bringing about major rainfall events;
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Sumatra squalls, an organised line of thunderstorms travelling eastward across Singapore, having developed over the island of Sumatra or Straits of Malacca west of us;
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Afternoon and evening thunderstorms caused by strong surface heating and by the sea breeze circulation that develops in the afternoon.
The occurrence of these events at different times of year is outlined in the following table.
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RAINFALL
Rainfall is plentiful in Singapore and it rains an average of 167 days of the year. Much of the rain is heavy and accompanied by thunder. The 1981-2010 long-term mean annual rainfall total is 2165.9mm.
RAINFALL DISTRIBUTION
Rainfall isn't equally distributed across Singapore but varies by place and time of day and month to month. There is a spike in heavy rainfall in November to December, in afternoons, in northern and western Singapore which will largely affect our afternoon sessions in Bukit Batok Nature Park, Hindhede Nature Park and to a lesser extent Singapore Botanic Gardens. Sessions held in the East will be less affected by heavy rainfall and thunderstorms.
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The table below provides a good overview of all of the factors at play which will influence our Forest School sessions and these are all things that your Forest School Leader will be taking into consideration when planning and running your session.
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