At a time when reality and the future are intertwined, what should a kindergarten look like that meets the physical and cognitive developmental needs of today's children and aims to cultivate lifelong learners?
Bearing in mind the expectations of thousands of families in Zhongshan and even the Greater Bay Area, Ardingly College Zhongshan Kindergarten has delivered its first answer. A kindergarten with a keen sense of technology, space and design was officially opened to parents and children last weekend! The completion of the campus not only announces a new chapter for Ardingly College in China, but also marks an early entry into the "future of quality education" in the Greater Bay Area.
Space Elements That Inspire Fantasy
When we enter the campus, the outdoor play and exploration area, which resembles a space station, is the first thing to catch the students and parents' eyes, with exploring the cool white "spaceship" like astronauts. Throughout the large front field, there are many different exploration areas, including a running track, large toys, an outdoor splash pool, an outdoor trampoline, and a large sand play area, etc. The different areas are reasonably divided into divs so children can exercise and play freely, and where children can connect the universe and nature.
The open library, which runs throughout the ground floor, is the things that greets families when entering the building, and it also stimulates the natural curiosity of countless young learners. Walking through the open library space, the shelves are filled with original Chinese and English books that entice children to follow their interests and embark on one intellectual adventure after another.
The natural light from the many carefully designed skylights are also visible throughout the main floor, and the intensity and angle of the daylight is like a natural clock to remind students and teachers of the time of day.
Floor-to-ceiling windows allow for fresh air and plenty of natural light and was designed with children and families in mind. The spacious and dynamic classrooms give children the opportunity to be creative, avoiding too much colour and material to distract children's concentration and leaving as much white space as possible for future creative opportunities, where children are able to showcase learning and make each classroom their own. All these unique design ideas combine to create an unparalleled environment for young children to explore.
IB Programme
Hold the Future
Mr. Chen Heqin, who is regarded as the father of modern Chinese children's education, once said, "Children are born to be active and live by play."
The educational philosophy of Ardingly College Zhongshan Kindergarten coincides with this, and we hope that through IB inquiry-based learning that is fun and educational, we can give children a soul, give their mind wings, open endless boundaries to their imagination, and inject infinite possibilities into their futures
The exciting classes presented by the Chinese and International teachers were a testament to the practicability of future education and the unique appeal of IB teaching. From the playful dances to eliminate unfamiliarity and quickly integrate into the environment, to the English picture book readings with their own plots, to the mysterious undersea world created by the children themselves, the whole IB inquiry-based classroom combined the knowledge of multiple subjects and continued to attract countless young faces through the emotional teaching style of both Chinese and International teachers.
In the process, not only were the children's knowledge and vision enhanced, but their exposure to a multicultural environment would also encourage their individual thinking. No longer tied down, the children were bold enough to share their wild ideas and the many goals they wanted to achieve. Even though the class was short, it still awakened in the children's hearts a boundless vision of the world and their future, and gave parents an insight into the significance of inquiry-based learning in their children's education.
A Diverse Curriculum for the World
We believe that in the world of tomorrow, the leaders of the times often 'break through' beyond the standards, which is why we focus so much on providing a holistic education for our children. Based on the IB learning, we brought parents and children some of the world's most popular co-curricular activities such as fencing, golf and chess, as well as technology-infused classes such as 3D printing and programming on our open day. We also offered a fun exploration of sensory and art (e.g. Messy Play) for infants and toddlers under 3 years old.
Behind this rich Chinese and Western curriculum, we have selected a group of outstanding professional teachers and partners to support us, including some curriculum experts from Harvard Business School. It is fair to say that Ardingly College Zhongshan Kindergarten has redefined the term 'Co-curriculum'.
Of course, the open day was only the tip of the iceberg of our diversified curriculum. In the future, the kindergarten will provide more quality and sustainable diversified programmes to help every child to develop their own unique interests and talents supporting a whole child approach to holistic education.
Combining East and West to Analyse Tomorrow
'If we want to maintain children's innate curiosity, we need at least one adult to accompany and share the joy and excitement of discovering new things in our lives from a child’s perspective’ As the Chinese Head of Early Years for Ardingly College Zhongshan Kindergarten, Ms. Hannah also appeared on stage on the open day and shared her decades of experience in early childhood education with parents.
In addition to her vision for the kindergarten, Ms. Hannah also gave an in-depth analysis of our approach to education, teachers, daily schedule, as well as the air quality assurances that parents are most concerned about.
The kindergarten has worked with academic experts to develop a curriculum of practice guided by the EYFS framework, aiming to create a scientific journey of whole-person education for students.
Ms. Hannah said that Ardingly College Zhongshan Kindergarten also has attracted teachers from renowned universities such as Florida State University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong University of Education to join us, and will form one of the best quality teaching and management teams in the early childhood education sector in Zhongshan.
After much discussion and taking into account the realities of what children of different ages are able to do, we have developed a learning programme for different age groups, allowing children to fully enjoy their life in kindergarten through a diversified curriculum and personalised schedules.
In addition to using indoor and outdoor materials that meet international building environmental standards, the kindergarten will also carry out multiple rounds of air treatment work layer by layer to continuously reduce the presence of formaldehyde, VOC and other harmful substances, and will publish a qualified report on the testing of indoor environmental pollutants before the start of the school year. In addition, air purifiers will be placed in all areas of the kindergarten on a 24-hour basis to ensure that a better quality of air is provided for our students.
The comprehensive sharing by Ms. Hannah won the unanimous approval of more than 200 groups of families who visited the school, and also aroused the parents' expectation for more of Ardingly College Zhongshan Kindergarten. In the near future, the team of teachers led by Ms. Hannah will officially start their new teaching journey, so let's look forward to the new light they will bring to education in the Greater Bay Area!
Collaboration With World-renowned Partners
No matter what, the health and safety of our children is always the top priority for Ardingly College Zhongshan Kindergarten. Therefore, after rigorous screening and vetting by many parties, we finally confirmed our cooperation with four reputable food suppliers in the Greater Bay Area and completed the signing ceremony with some of our partners on the Open Day.
Shenliang Beige Kitchen Food Supply Chain Co., Ltd
For the supply of rice, noodles and oil, we have partnered with Shenliang Beige Kitchen Food Supply Chain Co., Ltd, which has a national quality benchmark and a national key leading enterprise in agricultural industrialisation, and is known as ‘the granary of Shenzhen’.
For the supply of fruits and vegetables, we have partnered with the world's largest fruit chain operator, Pagoda Group Co., Ltd, to provide our students with ‘three zero’ fruits and vegetables (0 chemical synthetic fertilizers, 0 chemical pesticides and 0 chemical hormones).
Guangdong Fengduocai Agricultural Development Co., Ltd
For the supply of vegetables, and poultry, we have invited Guangdong Fengduocai Agricultural Development Co., Ltd, which is known as the 'Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Vegetable basket base', as our partner. Mr. Zhang Dejiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau, has visited the company seven times to guide its work.
For meats, aquatic products, dried food and spices, the Lehe Food Group Co., Ltd, a key national leading enterprise in agricultural industrialisation, became our supplier.
On the open day, representatives from some of our food partners visited the site and showcased their quality raw materials, gaining a high level of trust and recognition from parents. With the support of our quality partners, Ardingly College Zhongshan Kindergarten will provide comprehensive, adequate and personalised diet and nutritional care for children supporting their growth through professional nutrition. Stay tuned for more details on the supply of ingredients in our next article.
Some of Our Official Families
On the road to education, whether it is following the traditional wave or choosing an innovative path, there are a variety of questions that linger in the minds of every family. Ardingly College Zhongshan, as a school that can see into the future, will combine the efforts of many parties to create a journey of discovery for the future students of Zhongshan that is not limited to culture, thinking or background, and to provide new answers and paths in Chinese education.
