6 minute read

BIG DAY OUT

A bilingual education

Nicole Slater steps through the doors of Mulberry House’s new campus in Aberdeen

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Starting from a mother’s failed search for a bilingual playgroup to send her children to, Mulberry House founder Jessica Ye Trainor decided to take matters into her own hands. After completing a Montessori degree she began home-schooling kids and her classes soon gained popularity amongst parents across Hong Kong. She decided to open her first bilingual playgroup in Central in late 2015, focusing on teaching children a bilingual education with a modern approach.

The Mandarin immersion programme was particularly popular when it started, catering to the needs of many children and parents on Hong Kong Island. As the children grew, the organization began creating more programmes for preschools and primary schools to support them.

“I am a huge fan of the Independent Schools Foundation, so when they opened the kindergarten, we were the first ones to enrol. Over the years, the majority of our playgroup children also got into ISF, CIS and Victoria, which was very encouraging for us,” says Trainor. Now with two kindergartens, two playgroups across Hong Kong and two nurseries in Shenzhen, Mulberry House is paving the way for bilingual education.

Curriculum

Following the well-researched United Kingdom early year teaching framework (EYFS), Mulberry House’s curriculum is highly interactive with three primary areas of learning:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language and Physical Development. They also offer a range of extra-curricular activities in sport, music, drama and STEAM.

Reggio Emilia approach

The curriculum was inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, an educational philosophy focusing on early childhood education. The philosophy strongly believes in the 100 languages of the children approach which provides children with different avenues for thinking, revising, constructing, negotiating, developing and symbolically expressing their thoughts and feelings to help adults and children better understand one another. Reggio Emilia also highlights three beliefs including respecting each child and their development, creating a positive learning environment and encouraging children to inquire and explore, enabling them to learn and develop their own potential.

Day-to-day learning

Each day at Mulberry House is divided into a morning and afternoon session. Mornings consist of 50-50 English and Mandarin immersion programmes along with multisensory learning materials, to allow younger children to effortlessly absorb and experience both English and Chinese as a “living language”. The afternoon session includes four options for parents to choose, full English immersion classes, full Mandarin immersion classes or 60-40 of either language. Rather than hiring language teachers, Mulberry House has English and Mandarin native speaking early childhood educators to help children naturally navigate the world around them in two languages in context while cultivating the love of learning.

Campuses

Mulberry House has two campuses in Southside and Tai Po, they each offer bright spaces and indoor play areas for children to explore. The Tai Po campus also offers outdoor spaces including a garden and sandpit, a rare find in Hong Kong, while the Southside campus offers full glass windows engulfing every classroom in natural light.

The Southside based kindergarten recently appointed Betty Fang as Head of School. Having taught in numerous international kindergartens and primary schools across Hong Kong for the past 20 years, Fang understands the importance of learning through play and fostering creativity. “As a young mother, I remember being on an endless search for playgroups and kindergartens that would foster a life-long enjoyment and excitement for learning in my daughters. When I first stepped into the school, I knew that Mulberry House was the school I would have wanted my daughters to attend,” says Fang. She will be leading the new campus in Aberdeen this school year and is excited to grow the community and carry the mission forward.

Get in touch

5598 0909 Admissions@mulberryhousekg.com

mulberryhousekg.com

Principal’s office

Meet Tess Baguio, Principal at Small World Christian Kindergarten

How did you become Principal?

I’m originally from the Philippines and a chemist by profession. I arrived in Hong Kong in 1994 with my husband and baby in tow. When we started to explore preschool options for our daughters, we discovered Small World. It truly was a prayer answered for us. My time as a Small World parent ignited my love and passion for education and led to my pursuit of teaching. I went on to study Montessori Education, Early Childhood Education (PGDE, Master’s Degree) and Special Education (PGDE).

What attracted you to Small World?

I remember the first time I toured the Borrett Road campus as a parent, with principal and founder Gail Maidment. The moment I stepped through the doors, I experienced what I can only describe as ‘love at first sight’. I sensed that this kindergarten was a special place with a focus on core values of love and care for the children. Nineteen years later, as the principal of Small World, I make sure that these same values instilled over the past 35 years remain at the centre of what we do.

What curriculum does the school follow?

We are proud to be Hong Kong’s first International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) accredited school. The IEYC uses international best practices, holistic enquiry, and play-based approaches that cover all curriculum areas including personal, social and emotional development.

Can you tell us about the facilities?

We are blessed with a beautiful campus in Mid-Levels, where we enjoy plenty of outdoor space and greenery. At the front of the school, children can explore their physical capabilities through climbing, swinging, sliding, and riding tricycles in our modern playground. We also have a large outdoor space at the back of the school where children can interact with the natural world and cultivate plants in our very own garden. Indoors we have spacious classrooms with dedicated arts and crafts areas and an indoor playground.

What’s a typical day like?

Our little learners begin their day with free play, which helps them settle into class before coming together in circle time. Throughout the day, they have many opportunities to play and learn, developing knowledge and skills through exploration and discovery. I visit every classroom, taking time to talk and play with the children, and at the end of the day, I always bid each child farewell.

What are you excited about for the new school year?

We recently celebrated our IEYC accreditation, so we will continue to put into practice all that we have learned through the accreditation process, strengthening the systems and structures that undergird our early years learning programme. This year marks our 35th anniversary, so we have some exciting community events planned to celebrate. We are also looking forward to providing more opportunities for families to participate and become advocates of sustainable environmental practices as part of our “In Small World, we care” initiative.

To find out more about Small World Christian Kindergarten, or to arrange a tour, visit smallworld.edu.hk

Tess’s tips to prepare little ones for the new school year

• Establish a routine at home. This will help young children transition smoothly into the school’s daily schedule and provide them with a sense of security.

The routine could include a regular early-to-bed and wake-up time, getting dressed, having breakfast as a family, and preparing to leave.

• Encourage young children to practise self-care skills. This enables them to become more independent. Examples include washing hands, using the toilet, and putting shoes on.

• Ease separation anxiety by taking time to read books about going to school, saying goodbye, and seeing each other again at the end of the day. The Kissing

Hand by Audrey Penn is a great option.

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