A Hands-on Approach to Learning

Since 2004, ActiveKids has been specializing in delivering high quality educational programs to children of all ages in Hong Kong and greater China.  Having three kids of her own, Grace So established the learning program when her children were at the age where they needed a lot of exposure to afterschool activities. “Back in those days, 13 years ago, there were fewer activities to choose from and often times the qualities of the activities were not very consistent.  I often asked my kids about the classes, but they didn't seem to be too excited about them.  I certainly see that there was a big gap for high quality afterschool programs then."  said So, Founder of ActiveKids.

After graduating from Brown University in Engineering, So worked in investment banking with Morgan Stanley in New York and Hong Kong.  She then attended Chicago Booth for her MBA and did strategic planning for Unocal Corp; she subsequently got married and moved back to Hong Kong and took on marketing management positions at Proctor & Gamble, and Bristol Myers Squibb. With her rich working experience in finance and marketing, So eventually left the corporate world and started her own company ActiveKids.  “With my background in consumer marketing and insights in raising three young children, I saw that there was a big need for children to be exposed to high quality educational activities; so I seized this opportunity and founded ActiveKids,” said So.

ActiveKids is now the leading afterschool program provider in Hong Kong and Shanghai with over 60+ partnering schools engaging thousands of kindergarten and primary school aged children every year.  ActiveKids have six premium afterschool programs and one summer travel program to Beijing.  Their activities are:

-  Science Adventures (Hands-On Science)
-  The Chess Academy (International Chess) 
-  Stormy Chefs (Creative Cooking)
-  RoboCode (Robotics and Coding)
-  ArtCrafters (Arts & Crafts)
-  Mission Runway (Fashion Design)
-  Tsinghua Young Global Leaders (Language & Cultural Immersion)

The Six Afterschool Programs

ActiveKids first started with Science Adventures. Science Adventures has a US-based, nationally accredited curriculum.  With over 35 years of developing and teaching science to children and constant enhancements to the projects, Science Adventures is one of ActiveKids’ flagship programs.  So pointed out, “I first launched ActiveKids with Science Adventures.  Not only did I see the importance of science in children’s education, but also there was a severe lack of curriculum and resources to teach the subject in the Hong Kong’s primary school system.  I first came across Science Adventures when my children joined their summer camps in the United States. They brought home all these great gadgets that they made and learnt about the cool science behind the projects. The kids were so excited that they kept on talking about how things work. I find this program amazing - kids do pick up a lot of science knowledge while having loads of fun; and at the same time, the physical hands-on projects can cultivate continual learning at home.  Kids actually talk to parents and share their learnings”.  Throughout the years, by regularly adding in more elements and taking in best-in-class curriculum from different places such as Japan and the UK, ActiveKids has been constantly enhancing their Science Adventures program.

Following on from Science Adventures, Stormy Chefs is the second program that ActiveKids launched. “Stormy Chefs is our self-developed program. I love to eat and cook,” said So. “And I find that children in Hong Kong are so overly pampered by their helpers at home that they do not have much opportunity to develop this basic survival skill.  Our program generally focuses in 4 areas – practical cooking, etiquette, kitchen hygiene and nutrition.  Kids tend to be less of a picky eaters when they actually make their own food.”

A year later, The Chess Academy was launched.  This is currently the #1 chess program in Hong Kong. Not only does The Chess Academy invest and bring in the most qualified and experienced coaches such as International Masters (IMs) and FIDE Masters (FMs), but we also create a healthy platform for kids to compete from less formal mini quads to large scale scholastic tournaments.  “Chess can definitely help children develop better concentration, decision making, sportsmanship, memory, reasoning and confidence,” said So.  The Chess Academy conducts at least five major tournaments and seasonal rated tournament throughout the year.

Last year, So launched three more programs - RoboCode, ArtCrafters and Mission Runway. “All my programs are unique and of high quality.  They are all thoughtfully designed to cater to children’s different talents.” So continued.  “They are all interactive, educational and fun!  Time is precious to all ours kids. So more importantly, I want to offer our children programs that are not only educational/inspirational, but fun, so they can develop of love of life-long learning,” said So.

ActiveKids Teaching Methodology

The hands-on approach is the key teaching methodology of ActiveKids programs. So points out that many studies have shown that learners retain 10% when reading something, 30% when seeing something, 50% when saying something, and 70% when they actually do something. So thinks that getting kids involved in doing things in class is the most effective way of learning. Besides the hands-on approach, ActiveKids programs also focus on children having fun and being engaged.  “We want to make sure that kids are truly excited about the subject. We work very hard to find the best curriculum and best practices for children to learn. It is also important for us to maintain good partnership with schools, parents and children. We have to always be in dialogue with our counterparts and see what their needs are.” ActiveKids’ key objective is to help children develop the love of learning.  So believes that their unique teaching methodology especially on the hands-on approach would help inspire children to channel their curiosity into discovery and learning and eventually contribute back to society.

ActiveKids recruits top talents and experienced teachers from abroad as trainers to local teachers and to develop a comprehensive curriculum for their programs. All teachers are required to attend regular training sessions at the ActiveKids head office to ensure the quality and methods of teaching are consistent and of the highest quality.  But most importantly, ActiveKids looks for teachers who are passionate about working with children.

Tsinghua Young Global Leaders (YGL) Program

In addition to the six afterschool programs, ActiveKids also has partnered with Tsinghua University to run a language and cultural immersion camps.  The two-week camps allow children not only to improve their Chinese, but also to widen their understanding and gain a better perspective about China. “We have been running the Tsinghua Young Global Leaders program for six years now. This program focuses in four areas - Language, Culture, Topical subjects such as history and architecture, and Community Service. Throughout the program, children are given the chance to know more about the past and present China,” added So.

Birthday Party and School Events

ActiveKids also run fun and memorable school events and birthday parties for children. So said “We understand the importance of a birthday party to every child, and we would like to offer something fun in which children can learn and bring something home from the party.  Themes of ActiveKids birthday parties include cooking, science and art. Every party consists of hands on activities where children can participate and get involved in fun projects.

We have also done many school events involving thousands of students – from inspiring science shows to individual hands-on projects.  Depending on the different school needs, we will customize our set up accordingly.

Future Plan for ActiveKids

Currently with over 60 schools and clubs running ActiveKids programs, So strongly believes that their afterschool activities are beneficial to the development of children. “Too often the Hong Kong education system is skewed towards a score-driven curriculum and a lecturing format.  For me, learning should be dynamic and be geared towards one’s overall development.  I strongly believe that our ActiveKids programs are wonderful supplementary activities for children’s education.” Having listed on whizpa.com, So believes “word of mouth” is very effective in promoting their business. Parents’ reviews and ratings are the best way to tell new parents about ActiveKids. She is also looking forward to hearing parents’ feedback.

Grace is one of the speakers at Sunday Kiss x Whizpa STEM Parent Workshop to share her thoughts on STEM education. Get your tickets for the workshop now here!

Have a review on ActiveKids? Please go to:
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