Montessori Playgroup - Best Concept or Bambino?

minirat

I am very interested to enrol my boy in a Montessori school.  Among the many Montessori schools, I have read many positive feedbacks about Best Concept, especially an ex-teacher by the name of Ellen, who has actually left the school and joined Bambino.  I would like to know the feedbacks from parents who have sent their kids to either BC or Bambino or both.  I am too lazy to type in Cantonese, but I welcome any feedbacks in English or Cantonese.  Thanks in advance!

retriever

as you should have read the forums... all good cmt on BC. my son is taking the course in BC, very nice teacher!

i would like to highlight the following pts for your to consider

1. whether your kid's personality would suit the monte training? what do u expect from monte training?

2. your living location. cuz monte is kind of a slow training... in BC the kids have to take either 3 days or 5 days a wk. if you are living remote from the center, your kid has to travel long, and it is kind of a stress on your kid and the care taker. if your kid feel tired, he/she would not get too much from the training. besides, if the course time schedule has conflicted with your kid's sleeping pattern, he/she may perform even worser in the center. we are going to drop from BC cuz of the long travel and time management issues.

so, apart from the quality of the center, you should consider to pick the center which should cause much less hassle to your living. as i said monte is kind of slow training, you may not see too much improvement after 3 or even 6 months of training, it would be very difficult for you not to give up  and keep asking yourself, am i doing the right things for my kid??!!

minirat

retriever 發表於 12-4-3 10:31
as you should have read the forums... all good cmt on BC. my son is taking the course in BC, very ni ...

Hi, thanks for your comments!

I'm very attracted to the Montessori teaching, and am hoping that it will train up my boy's independence and discipline.  I think these are extremely important at this age, more than academic.  I don't really look forward to him learning any talents from a playgroup.  I just hope he can enjoy himself in the classes while learning the basic values.

Honestly I still have no idea whether my son's character suits the Montessori type of teaching, coz he is only 9 months old now.  However I'm quite sure that in time to come, he will be spoilted by his grandparents, coz they just cannot bear to leave him crying, and will do anything for him, just for the sake of keeping him happy.  This simply worries me.  Apparently he is spending more time with his caretaker grandparents than me, coz I am a working mother and probably not in a good position to train up my boy, not to mention my lack of knowledge to train or even play with a toddler.  

In terms of location, I think we are alright, coz we are at Hung Hom which is near to both TST and Kowloon Tong.  Which campus is your son attending?  Any idea which one is better?

I understand where you are coming from, completely.  Nevertheless it is difficult for me to judge now, coz we have yet to start.  I guess I just got to trust my guts feeling when the time comes.

retriever

as far as i know BC will only accept toddles who have reached 18 months. so, for the time being you could just submit your application for both BC and Bambino and wait. ref BK/EK most mum would choose the center at KLT becuz the famous Ms. Ellen was there. However, she had left for Bambino. The location of the KLT center is quite tricky, so, my son is attending the center in TST, about 10 min walk from MTR station. Bear in mind that Ms. Ellen though she is good, she could not teach every classes in Bambino. you better pay a visit to both BC and Bambino to find out which one is better.

my son did learn a nos of self care skills from BC, for examples, wearing a trouser, wiping a table, pouring water, etc. though he knows the skills he may not be willing to do it, so the care taker must remind him or give him a little bit pressure. grandparents would not provide much help in this regard.

sometimes the self care skills would cause u some hassles, like pouring water when dining with you in a restaurant. cuz he has the ability he would insist to do it or cry out. the most of all, the teaching style of monte is completely diff from that of traditional approach. the kids are free to choose which piece of work they like to do. we found my boy often hanging around the classroom in particular when he was tired and not in good mood, and for quite a while the teacher would not force him to do anything. my boy would run around at circle time or left the table and sat in the reading corner at snack time. the kids are given freedom, but some active boy would abuse it.

my boy started PN since mar. we and the teacher did feel very happy for him as he did not cry any days in the probation period (1hr a day for 5 days and then 2 hrs a day for another 5 days). the teacher put him straightly to normal schedule, that is 3 hrs a day. then he cried everyday. we wondered what had happened. then we realized he might not be happy to follow the class routines. in probation period the first hr of class was just kind of free play!

in short, for active boys monte training would give them before they have learned self disciplines, hence it would cause some hassles to the daily life and adaptation issues in PN or K1 times. you may need to enforce the disciplines thro home caring.

retriever

Karlie 發表於 12-4-3 17:37
我個女上bc 上左三個月, 最近我幫佢轉左另外一間非monte school, 原因唔係話bc 唔好, 係我覺得我個女唔岩呢 ...

i lost what i have typed.. in short the teacher should have been allowed to determine how much group activities to be arranged for the kids. i found the class next door has much more group work than the class my boy is attending.

the beauty of monte training is to train up the kids to focus and work independently... it is not to train social skill. however, as long as there is other kids around your boy / gal should be able to learn how to interact with others, like taking turns, ask b4 act, etc.

minirat

Karlie 發表於 12-4-3 17:39
另外, 我都上過bambino trial class, 感覺上其中一個miss 比較experience (唔知佢係咪就係ms. ellen), 但係 ...

好多謝你的comments！
我好同意Montessori教學work唔work都好似乎個小朋友的性格
其實我都未知我的仔仔適唔適合，因為他得9個月大，所以想俾他試下，再決定繼唔繼續俾他讀montessori playgroup
我聽講ms Ellen系教細班，現在唔知有無改動
其實我兩間都apply左
應該會系Bambino試堂先，因為14個月大就可以開始上堂（前提系BB要識行）
如果都滿意，應該會繼續
BC好似無得試堂，不過好評如潮，我都想試下，再決定留系邊間

我想問，你個女系幾歲開始上Montessori？
同埋我聽講BC系唔俾家長陪同上堂，甘你個女有無喊？
我唸緊，如果BB一識行就train他separation，好似好殘忍，我驚我狠唔到心

minirat

retriever 發表於 12-4-4 00:17
i lost what i have typed.. in short the teacher should have been allowed to determine how much group ...

I must say, you have given me very good tips, many thanks!
Honestly, i learnt and read about Montessori from websites and forums, which might have deviations with actual experiences like what you and your boy had went through.
Apparently like i mentioned, my boy is only 9 months old now and it's difficult to tell his character and whether he suits the Montessori style of teaching, but I observed that he is a very active baby, basically NON STOP! And stubborn!  His caretaker grandparents dote on him so much that they will prepare everything nicely for him and cannot bear to let him cry a bit.  The fact that he interacts with them more than a working mum like me, I'm so worried that he might become so dependent and self centred in time to come.  So when i read about Montessori, i thought this is exactly what i want for him, like u mentioned, to focus and work independently.
It never comes across my mind about social skills, which is something I hope he can acquire as well, coz he is the only child in the family and having to learn to share and interact with others is important.  So thanks for reminding me.

So your boy is not attending a Montessori PN now, I guess?  If given another chance, would you send him to a Montessori playgroup again?

retriever

my boy is attending boxhill... concerning your last question, i guess you are actually asking whether monte training is worthy to try... well, it is really hinged on what options you are having.. if not monte, what else? and is it better?

my boss and i still buy in the concept of monte training.. we are still thinking if we should send my boy to casa when he has reached 3. but, you know there is a nos of factor to drop monte before you could see any improvement by your kid. we know we will not go for the IS route (will you?), so, monte will certainly be a temp arrangement only. So, when all circumstance (living location, time, cost, etc.)allow an effective monte training, my boy may have reached an age when he has to focus on lifting up his ability for P1 admissions. one interesting thin i have noted from BC and forums is that monte training is expensive. for those parents who are willing to pay this premium, they would have higher expectations/requirements for primary education as well. the parents who are not targeting IS would at some pt of time face the dilemma. in BC, most of the parents with regrets have to drop monte when their kids go PN or K1.

For effective monte training, you better have matching home care arrangement. in short, your kid's caretaker should be better with monte concept in mind, or you better keep your kid away from any negative influence ... you know that kids excel in behaving differently in school or at home.

if your focus is to train up your kid to work independently, one of the cheap options is the nursing or child care centre run by HKPCS or Salutatory Army, both would offer whole day training for 2yr old or up, the latter even claimed themselves adopting monte approach (so-called). but their graduates would not be academically competitive as those from private kgs.

if you go for BC, it is known that 5 days class is more effective than 3 days but of course more stress on your kid and caretaker.

retriever

one more note. my boy did acquire certain self care skills. but it needs a matching home care arrangement (people, setup, etc.) so that your kid is willing to apply the skill effectively and to work independently.

minirat

retriever 發表於 12-4-10 16:42
my boy is attending boxhill... concerning your last question, i guess you are actually asking whethe ...

I see.  So I guess you were saying that IMS is the only route to Montessori eventually, right?  Honestly we have not decide whether to take the IS route, but even if we are, I will prefer to send him to SIS over IMS.  Of course they are of completely different nature, even though both are IS.  Apart from the fact that school fees at IMS is more expensive, I am a Singaporean and we are keeping the option open to relocate back to Singapore, so you can say SIS is 正路 for me or simply a 情意結.  When you mentioned that your boy has to focus on lifting up his ability for P1 admission, I completely understand where you are coming from, and this is what I am getting at too.  Hence it is very likely that Montessori will be a temp arrangement for us as well, at the most up to kindergarden level provided that we are happy with the playgroup.  On the other hand, I am in a dilemma coz we will not be able to see any results from the Montessori training if we stop there and then.

Haaa! Good point about practising Montessori training in school as well as at home.  Well I will try my best to educate and train the grandparents, or even myself and my hubby...

I think we will start with 3 days first and will escalate to 5 days if necessary.

Btw do you think it is too early to train a 14 months old for separation?

vivianlym

我個女本來都有排緊報左BC嘅, 後來知道MS ELLEN過左去BAMBINO....禁就去左 BAMBINO度返啦....直到宜加.....另外中段BC都有位, 我都冇轉過去啦. 因我個女係BAMBINO返得好開心同埋個度D MISS好有愛心.  其實除左MS ELLEN好有經驗同好好外, 仲有MS RONNIE(主要教大仔)都好有經驗同睇得出佢好有HEART, 我個女仲好鍾意同跟佢, 有次禁啱我出左去我個女柯左便便, 佢仲幫我個女換片TIM....最重要係我覺得BAMBINO暫時未係有好多小朋友一齊上堂, E加可以小班教學同埋 D MS 可專注TAKE CARE D小朋友, 因為D小朋友始終比較細, 有時比較難控制.         

minirat

vivianlym 發表於 12-4-12 13:56
我個女本來都有排緊報左BC嘅, 後來知道MS ELLEN過左去BAMBINO....禁就去左 BAMBINO度返啦....直到宜加..... ...

聽你甘講都好似好好，我都放心d
老師有heart最緊要
你個女幾歲開始上Bambino， 同埋上左幾長時間？
聽講BC唔俾家長陪同上堂，不過他們只收18個月大以上
唔知如果14個月大上Bambino系唔系都唔俾家長陪同
我好驚頭幾日我狠唔到心由他喊
雖然我都好想train他獨立d
14個月大就train他separation好似早左d

retriever

minirat 發表於 12-4-11 09:41
I see.  So I guess you were saying that IMS is the only route to Montessori eventually, right?  Hone ...

just curious, mind to tell if your hubby is a HKger?

IMS is the only monte school in hk providing secondary education. ICMS is another option if you prefer monte in elementary level. i had visited ICMS, they have many casa graduates going to IS and they said there was not any bridging problem at all. have you checked if your nationality would be given preference when applying SIS?cuz a nos of parents prefer chinese lang education, SIS is hot among IS.

about separation, i would say, for almost all kinds of toddler training, the earlier the better except toilet training, haha... we had come across the idea of nursing my boy in a BB center run by HKPCS. apart from the caring and professionalism of the supervisor and teachers, we were amazed by the level of independence that a 18 month kid could attain. they could feed themselves neatly, line up for toilet and played with other kids harmonically. most of the kids had been there since they reached 1 month or less than six months. of course most of the bb stayed there becuz their parents could not find a better caretaker. however, according to the supervisor a certain nos of parents deliberately to nurse bb there for independence training even some of them had maids and senior to take care the kids.

i am not saying you should nurse your bb in the center. the earlier you train your kid to separate from you, the less vigorous response you would see.

minirat

retriever 發表於 12-4-16 11:11
just curious, mind to tell if your hubby is a HKger?

IMS is the only monte school in hk providing s ...

Of coz not!  Yes, my hubby is a HKger.  We have thought of relocating back to S'pore for my boy's education, but easier to say than do.  My hubby's family, friends, career, everything are in HK.  So it's really complicated to relocate the whole family.  Apparently education in S'pore is a lot simpler for me, coz I'm familiar with the system.  So we are still keeping this option open.  Personally I think an average English school is good enough to provide a good foundation for a child.  And whatever he can excel his intelligence or fare well in his studies, depends on various factors, but eventually it's still down to the genes i guess.

Yes, I just realised SIS is hot among IS, and it's such a headache.  I really dislike the idea of making my boy goes through the competitions and interviews at such young age.  To me, this is completely unnecessary.

The reason why I did not shortlist ICMS is location, coz we are at Hung Hom.  If we are talking about weekday classes, very likely it'll be my inlaws bringing my boy to school.  So I need to make sure that it's the most convenient arrangement for them.

And yes, I have heard positive feedbacks from parents who sent their children to childcare centres as early as mother resumed work after maternity leave.  Chinese saying, 三歲定八十, I don't deny even babies have their own character right at birth, but I always believe in brainwashing and that majority of the kids can be taught and put right at young age.

I'm really glad that u said that, really!  I don't want to feel like a ruthless mummy to start training my child at this early age.  Not until I become a mother myself, I never understand how difficult it is to be hard hearted towards my own child.  I am learning too.  In fact, I'm planning to wean him in less than 3 months' time and this is going to be my first challenge.  If we can do this, the separation training might be easier, especially for me.

Chloe2011

你所提的學校係邊到，我一啲都唔識，請提供意見點搵playgroup

vivianlym

回復 minirat 的帖子

我個女大約17個月左右開始係Bambino上PG, 直到宜加我個女都返左差唔多7個月啦. 而以我所知Bambino係比細b家長陪上堂的, 所以你可以去下試堂睇下啱唔啱你…..而大B (18M以上)除左試堂時基本上宜加已開始要做SEPARATION , 就算我個女返左禁耐早一兩個月做SEPARATION時都要適應左一排先唔喊….初頭誇張到係樓下已經喊定但又喊住比MS RONNIE抱住入課室,不過這個係必經階段, 所以我都好忍心由得佢喊…但係放學時佢又好開心, 問佢鍾唔鍾意返學, 佢又話鍾意, 真係比佢激死.

PS: Bambino 大B班初時係比家長陪上堂, 但近2-3個月左右開始已經唔比家長陪上堂.

minirat

vivianlym 發表於 12-4-17 14:11
回復 minirat 的帖子

我個女大約17個月左右開始係Bambino上PG, 直到宜加我個女都返左差唔多7個月啦. 而以 ...

明白了
聽落都ok
我都覺得俾他熟悉環境後再train separation好似好d
你個女好得意
不過小朋友就系甘
情緒變化勁快
不過你見到她開心放學都應該會安心晒
有時我BB喊會用好可憐的眼神望住我，好似我出賣他甘，好驚。。

minirat

Chloe2011 發表於 12-4-17 10:23
你所提的學校係邊到，我一啲都唔識，請提供意見點搵playgroup

我地討論緊的都系以Montessori教學的playgroup
你可以上網睇下
你BB現在幾大？
你想他返playgroup的目的系咩？