Proud dad Andrew Yeo and his two girls, Valerie, 12, and Sabrina, seven, had a whale of a time last December holidays.

Well, not so much whales, as sharks were involved: They spent the night at the Underwater World Singapore in Sentosa, with marine creatures swimming above their heads as they fell asleep.

The head sports trainer, 41, says: 'The highlight of the overnight camp was sleeping in the underwater tunnel. You get the feeling that the fish are all around you.'

The holiday treat was the Living In The Ocean! Family Camp organised by the People's Association (PA), one of several parent- child events it introduced during the year- end school holidays. The courses proved so popular that the PA has added a slew of parent-child courses for the June holidays.

More than 300 people took part in four parent-child courses in December, with some of the courses being held more than twice. Previously, the PA organised such courses on an ad-hoc basis.

Ms Jacinta Lim, director of the PA's lifeskills and lifestyle division, notes that for next month, more than 20 per cent of about 50 of its kiddy courses are parent-child ones.

Another parent who enjoyed PA's parent- child experience last December is Mrs Karen Lee. The manager in her late 30s attended the Balloon Craft Workshop for Parent and Child with her nine-year-old son Dylan. She says: 'It was a lot of fun as we just scream together when a balloon pops and then we laugh it off.'

She has signed up for the same course with her daughter Megan, who turns six this year.

She says: 'Such courses allow parents to spend time with their children and exposes the kids to children of different ages and races. That way, they can make new friends and it's a bonus if they learn something as well.'

On the growing demand for such courses, Ms Lim says: 'In Singapore, parents are busy working and kids are busy studying during term time. The parent-child and family courses create a learning experience for the whole family and give them a chance to spend quality time together in a fun and creative way.'

At the Underwater World camp that the Yeos took part in, they enjoyed a range of activities including a conservation talk and an ocean discovery tour.

Youngster Valerie enthuses: 'I love learning about animals and at the Underwater World, I learnt a lot about sharks.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.