Kidzania, Bangkok

On day 3 of our Bangkok holiday, we went to Kidzania. We reserved Kidzania for the day when Dean would be busy at work, since it is indoors and an attraction that was easy for me to manage two boys by myself. Siam Paragon is a short walk from our hotel via the Sky bridge. We spent one full day at Kidzania and Nathan had a blast! I would too if I were his age... it's totally my kind of thing! A city built just for kids with over 80 professions they can try their hand at... while at it, they get paid for the work they do (albeit with Kidzania's currency but it is as close to the adult's working world one can get at that age). The whole city setup is very realistic, just smaller. Kids don costumes and use 'actual' equipment to carry out their work. How fun!

Nathan was only 3+ years old but we bought him a ticket for kids 4 to 15 so that he can participate in almost all the activities. Noah wasn't old enough to join in but he was content just watching kor kor. And like Siam Ocean Park, discounted tickets are available here.

Kidzania watch acts as the ticket. These are scanned at every station.

A cash cheque to start you off

The best part was we hardly needed to queue at all the stations. I had heard of horribly long queues at other Kidaznia outlets and was pleasantly surprised when I realised that we hardly needed to stand in line. Most of the staff are conversant in both English and Thai so we could understand what was going on.

For a start, I got the kids to cash the cheque they received so that we had some money in hand. As parents weren't allowed into the Kidzania bank, I instructed Nathan to help Noah along. It is nice seeing how he carries out his responsibilities as a big brother.

Bringing my little brother to the bank

Nathan tried all the professions he was old enough for (most professions are suitable for kids 4 and up with just a handful that required you to be 6 and up)...

The first occupation he tried and also his favourite was to be a boeing 737 pilot. He liked it so much, he requested that we go for it again. Thankfully, we managed to squeeze in one last go just before closing time. He told me that the first flight "was a good flight" but the second one "wasn't too good cos we landed in mud"!

Captain Nathan

Next he tried his hand at being a surgeon. The thing about Kidzania is that adults are not permitted at the stations itself. We could observe from outside, or in some cases, just wait outside. If you have older kids who can navigate Kidzania by themselves, you can actually get yourself a massage at a mini spa located within Kidzania itself!

Nathan the Surgeon

Some of the roles like the paramedic and fireman actually had an actual ambulance and fire engine to take them to the site where their services are required. In the case of Nathan's assignment, a lawyer had fainted outside the court room, and his team was supposed to go and check on her. The kids arrived with stethoscopes and other medical devices and went about checking on their 'patient'. The Kidzania staff who had to play sick was a real good sport.

Nathan the Paramedic

Getting briefed by the 'senior paramedic'

Boarding the ambulance

On board the ambulance to the accident site

Job done!

Next, he tried his hand at being a dentist. He was given a brief about things dentists do and also the importance of looking after one's own teeth. I like how they interweave little lessons like these into play. This time around, he got to check the teeth of a dummy patient. I doubt any Kidzania staff would like being poked in the mouth by 100 over kids a day.

Taking his Kidzania pledge at the dental clinic

This is the way you brush your teeth

Dr Nathan at work

He also tried being a policeman. His team was supposed to track down a suspect and get his fingerprint. As noted by Nathan, there were no police cars, so the policemen actually needed to go on foot. Nathan was the smallest in his team and I was glad he could keep up with the older kids who ran ahead of him. At one point, he actually lost sight of his team-mates because they were running so fast. But he kept going and finally caught up with them.

Kidzania Police Department - getting briefed by their 'seniors'

Found the suspect

The other profession Nathan enjoyed was the fireman. What's there not to like... he was whisked off to a building that had caught fire in a fire engine. There, he had a water hose with real water that he used to put out the pretend fire. Every little boy's dream.

On board the fire engine

Nathan the Fireman

Other professions he tried...

Nathan the courier delivery man

Your friendly courier delivery man

Nathan the petrol kiosk attendant

Nathan the construction worker

The other one that I found rather interesting was when he went to 'work' in a Coca-Cola factory. Here they were taken thru the process of making a bottle of Coke, right from washing and drying the bottle, down to filling and sealing the bottle. Daddy loves drinking Coke, and Nathan made a bottle just for him.

A bottle for daddy

At the end of the day, the kids had the option to spend their money at a department store or to save it. I gave Nathan all the money he made that day, and asked him to choose something for himself and for Noah. He walked into the store all by himself, made he choice and paid for the items with his 'own' money.

Holding on to his earnings tightly

Paying for his purchases at the cashier

Holding on to his shopping bag with some money left

Although Noah was too small to participate in the role playing activities, he had fun just watching kor kor. There was a playroom meant from kids under 4, and they had all the toys that Noah enjoys. It was as if the playroom was designed for him!

All in all, Nathan got a glimpse into the working world. After a hard day at 'work', I hope he saw how money doesn't fall from the sky, but that a good amount of effort is required. If only the real working world is just as fun. Thumbs up for Kidzania! A well thought out and nicely put together edutainment facility. Highly recommended for kids four and up. We will definitely be back!

This post concludes our three part series on family friendly attractions in Bangkok. Read about our visits to Bangkok's Safari World and Siam Ocean World too!