• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
GO TO EXPAT LIVING SINGAPORE
GET OUR NEWSLETTER

Expat Living Hong Kong HomepageExpat Living Hong Kong

Moving to Hong Kong and not sure where to start? Expat Living is the essential lifestyle guide to living in Hong Kong.

Menu
  • Living In Hong Kong
      • Living Here
      • Where To Live
      • Schools
      • For Guys
        • Your Horoscopes for the Month of July!
        • Street Talk: A Guide to Peng Chau
        • Outdoor activities in Hong Kong - hikingOutdoor activities for all the family
        • Health insurance for women
      • View all
    Close
  • Things To Do
      • Things To Do
      • What’s On/Calendar
      • Competitions & Offers
        • Things to do in Hong Kong - Summer Vibes at Central HarbourfrontTop 35 Best Things To Do In Hong Kong This Weekend
        • Your Horoscopes for the Month of July!
        • Outdoor activities in Hong Kong - hikingOutdoor activities for all the family
        • What's new in Hong Kong - The Palace MuseumWhat’s new in Hong Kong?
      • View all
    Close
  • Kids
      • Activities & Things To Do
      • Education & Enrichment
      • Health & Wellness
      • Mums & Babies
      • Podcasts
        • Baby spit upReflux in newborns: tips and treatment
        • Julius - boarding school student at UWCSEA in SingaporeThe Boarding Experience at UWCSEA
        • Outdoor activities in Hong Kong - hikingOutdoor activities for all the family
        • Why Small Settings Matter
      • View all
    Close
  • Homes
      • Home Décor
      • Readers Homes
        • PplusP Design Firm Hong KongInterior Design: 3 Projects Shared
        • Sustainable bamboo items for your home
        • Transforming an old Hong Kong junk
        • Pok Fu Lam homeInside an eclectic Pok Fu Lam home
      • View all
    Close
  • Travel
      • Short Breaks
      • Further Afield
      • Travel News & Offers
        • Outdoor activities in Hong Kong - hikingOutdoor activities for all the family
        • Living in Singapore - CBDConsidering moving to Singapore for your next expat post?
        • An introduction to international schools in Singapore
        • Pets and Planes: 5 Things to Consider
      • View all
    Close
  • Wine & Dine
      • Recipes & Groceries
      • Bars & Restaurants
        • Recipe: Orange Almond Cake
        • Hong Kong Chef’s: Meet Devon Hou
        • OM Tapas eggTasty tapas in the heart of HK
        • supermarkets and online grocery stores in hong kongWhere to find your fave grocery brands
      • View all
    Close
  • Style & Beauty
      • Fashion
      • Hair & Beauty
        • Best lipstickWhich lipsticks do we love?
        • Sunscreen6 sunscreens for super skin defence
        • Dolma Waxing Boutique - hair removal salon in Hong KongWhere to go for waxing in HK
        • EstheClinic non-surgical treatments - fat freezing2 non-surgical toning treatments to try
      • View all
    Close
  • Health & Fitness
      • Medical & Dental
      • Fitness
      • Wellness
        • Health and exercising outdoors7 reasons to exercise outdoors
        • Health insurance for women
        • Circuit workout-UPCircuit workouts you can do at home
        • Family planning, fertility, egg freezing“When should I start my egg freezing journey?”
      • View all
    Close
  • Shop
      • Magazine
      • Advertise With Us
        • June-August2022
        • June-August 2022 Issue – $36 (Free Shipping)
        • March-May2022
        • March-May2022
      • View all
    Close

Helping children build a framework for life

25 January, 2019 by Expat Living 4 Min Read

https://expatliving.hk/hong-kong-preschool-sai-kung-montessori-school-hong-kong/

As parents, we all want to give our kids the best start in life.  And this includes choosing the best school to help support them socially and emotionally, right from a young age. As Canadian expat Melody Foerster, founder of Sai Kung Montessori reinforces – the type of support children are given in the formative years shapes the adults they become. And this central to the ethos of this Hong Kong Montessori school.

We chat with Melody more about the school, and how the Montessori approach at SKM helps children to build a framework for life.

Tell us a bit about the Montessori approach at SKM, and how it benefits the kids.

Montessori education is based on the premise that children have an innate ability to learn, and that, when supported by an appropriate environment and educator, they are guided to reach their full potential.

We know that young children are sensorial learners and that they do not yet possess the capacity (or brain structure) to think consciously or logically. Children need space and time for sensorial exploration because the feedback they acquire from it is used to build their framework of knowledge. This framework later serves as a point of reference and the child can begin to think conscientiously and logically. This is why a young child’s learning environment is so important. It’s literally when the foundation of one’s self is being constructed.

MELODY FOERSTER Sai Kung Montessori
Melody Foerster

Children given the right kind of support in their formative years grow into adults who are self-motivated, think flexibly and creatively and are conscious of the needs of others and foster harmony as they go through life. Just look at the incredible achievements of Montessori alumni such as Larry Page, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos.

Montessori classrooms everywhere in the world have happy, busy children of a three-year age mix (that is, 2.5 to 6 years) working purposefully and peacefully together. They are learning not only “academics” but also the ability to concentrate, persevere, solve problems, think for themselves and how to interact socially in a variety of ways.

Sai Kung Montessori kids drawing

Could you give us a snapshot of a typical day or a specific class or activity at the school?

If you walk into our school at any point during the day you will observe children who are:

  • Making choices for themselves about their activities, who they want to work with, when to tidy up, when to eat, and so on.
  • Working with both Montessori materials and activities that look like everyday household items.
  • Taking responsibility for themselves and the classroom;
  • Teaching and mentoring younger children.
  • Accomplishing incredible things! There are three-year-olds that can sew buttons onto fabric and two-and-a-half-year-olds who can identify every continent on the planet because they recognise the shape of each one.
  • Practicing grace and courtesy and voluntarily helping and comforting one another.

Sai Kung Montessori building blocks

What’s the best way for parents to find out more about the school and the application process?

There will be information sessions at 10am on 26 January, 23 February and 23 March 2019. Or you can call or email to arrange a one-on-one meeting with the school director. The 2019-2020 school year begins on 12 August 2019. SKM believes that Montessori is the right fit for all children. This is why we don’t interview. Instead, we meet with families and let them decide if we’re a good match. We also don’t charge any extra fees like application, debenture, acceptance, uniform and so on.

Sai Kung Montessori building blocks

Do you live in Sai Kung yourself?

Yes, I’ve lived here since moving to Hong Kong with my husband five years ago. I like that it’s surrounded by nature and has that small-town feel. I think the young families in Sai Kung are actively seeking meaningful relationships with their neighbours and other young families, and I love the supportive and caring parent community that is organically forming at SKM.

Sai Kung Montessori is at G/F, 787 Tan Cheung Village, Sai Kung.

5369 8587 | saikungmontessori.com

 

See more in our Schools section

Bumper guide to international schools in Singapore

Living in Sai Kung

The 6 P’s to finding the right school in Hong Kong

This article first appeared in the December/January 2018/19 issue of Expat Living magazine. Subscribe now so you never miss an issue

Categories: Education & Enrichment Living In Hong Kong Schools Tags: Montessori Preschools In Hong Kong Sai Kung Montessori Schools in Hong Kong

Get the latest events, stories and special offers
sent to your inbox.

By signing up, you'll receive our bimonthly newsletters and offers, which you can unsubscribe to anytime.

You May Also Like

Street Talk: A Guide to Peng Chau

HK People: Meet artist Yulia Shautsukova

Students of the Global Citizen Diploma Programme at Hong Kong Academy

Developing soft skills in young learners

Primary Sidebar

  • COMPETITIONS & OFFERS
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe

© 2022 Expat Living Hong Kong, All Rights Reserved.