Actress Sheila Sim travels with her daughters for mountain school programme in Japan

Singaporean actress and model Sheila Sim is in Japan with her daughters, Layla Loo, 6, and Skyla Woo, 3, as they attend a mountain school programme near Mount Fuji.

The 42-year-old, who has appeared in local dramas including 118 and Emerald Hill, shared on Instagram on Tuesday (Jun 23) that it was the first day of the programme.

In her posts, Sim described the outdoor-focused programme as one where "the classroom is in the forest", adding that one of the most important phrases her daughters needed to learn was "toilet wa doko desu ka?" ("Where is the toilet?" in Japanese).

The actress also revealed that she is travelling alone with her daughters for the first time, without her husband, Deon Woo.

Recalling their journey to Japan, Sim described herself as a "tyrant" on the first day after a long travel schedule that began with a 5am wake-up call. The family eventually reached their accommodation at 8.30pm local time.

"When we arrived, I kept telling the girls, 'Quickly, go to bed!' and 'Quickly, brush your teeth!'" she said candidly, adding that she later apologised to her daughters, saying: "I'm sorry today Mama was very crazy and very fierce – tomorrow will be better."

Sim, who is also a certified positive psychology coach, said she plans to document the experience during her stay. In her Instagram caption, she shared that she had taken three months off work to spend time with her daughters and she looks forward to spending this "precious" time with them.

Through a series of posts and Instagram Stories, Sim has also offered glimpses of the programme's activities, which include exploring fruit farms, collecting tadpoles, scooping water from drains, making lanterns from bamboo, observing insects and creating crafts using materials found in the forest.

In another post, she wrote of the experience: "Mountain school. Peach picking. Road trips. Long days outside with nowhere to be. Let's go!"