Gigamind English Primary School was established in 2001. It is a private whole-day school located…read morein Tin Shui Wai, nearby Kingswood Villa, Maywood Court. Gigamind is the very first whole-day English private school in Tin Shui Wai. Gigamind is a bi-lingual (English/Mandarin) Christian school with child-centred interactive programs. Gigamind also has a Christian based kindergarten and the location is right next to the Primary school. I have all 3 children going to Gigamind as we don't want them to travel to Kowloon to get quality English/Mandarin education aiming to stimulate the development of children's "Multiple Intelligences" through pedagogically sound teaching methods. There is not any international primary school in this area of New Territories. You need to travel to Shatin for EFS or Gold Coast and pay $5M debenture for Harrow International. For those who don't want to send your kids to local schools. Gigamind is a good alternative in the local community. The tuition fee (Primary 1 to 6) is HK$57,310 per annum for 2012-2013 academic year, payable in 11 installments of HK$5,210 each. Miscellaneous charges (for library services and other utilities) are HK$1,800 per term, to be paid in September and February. Additional fees for school bus service, lunch orders, uniforms and field trip expense will be charged where applicable.

There is one good thing about Hong Kong being an international city is that it is always easy to…read morefind places to pick up languages, Japanese, Korean, German, Spanish, etc. Since I used to work in one teaching English and also learning German currently, I guess you will not be surprised to know that I also did take some courses on Spanish. (Unfortunately I stopped for a while as too many languages are too overwhelming for me). Spanish currently comes to second to Mandarin regarding to its number of native speakers around the world. And of course I do not need to tell you how useful it is to pick up one extra language. If you are looking for Spanish, I would recommend this one as this is relatively more popular than the others (as the owner used to be a celebrity in Hong Kong and it does not hurt to have that kind of publicity.) As a matter of fact, what I like about this place is the variety of classes they offer. While most language centres (excluding English ones), aims at teaching teens and adults and they deal with more practical stuff like grammar and vocabulary, this one offers playgroup and classes for kids as well and there are some social activities that allow you to fully immerse yourself in the Spanish world. For some reason, Hong Kong parents have been urging their children to learn one extra language as young as possible excluding English and Mandarin; Spanish seems to be a hot pick for all. I totally agree with this as this is the golden age for learning languages. So basically if you study here, you can have a life-long education on Spanish as early as possible. Another good thing about this place is there are at least two teachers who used to teach at my university so I can guarantee you they are really good teacher.

I believe this is one of the best English learning institutes in Hong Kong. As a matter of that, I…read moredid work there few years ago and I hope I do not sound biased. Learning a foreign language is not easy. It takes so much effort and determination. Though as locals, we start learning English since Kindergarten, for some it still poses a huge challenge for most people here in Hong Kong. Places like this give you a second chance and to remind you that it is never too late to learn. Local schools here rely heavily on teaching the terminologies and grammar items like Gerunds and Infinitives, it seems to have missed the most crucial part - communication. One may be very good at writing and reading in English and yet they cannot utter an English sentence without stuttering. However, what impresses me the most is that the approach this place takes focuses heavily on listening and speaking. Instead of giving you a text to read, it first shows you a clip so that you have to rely on your listening skills; later on learning how to read the new vocabularies; and then you can finally see how the word looks like. It also has quite a few activities (social clubs they call) for you to enjoy yourself while practicing English with your friends and teachers. It strives to create a relaxing and care-free environment so that you can feel free to speak in English with confidence instead of embarrassment. Even though I now no longer work there, I have to say that their pedagogy and ideology are very well-thought. Together with your motivation and determination, mastering English is not really that difficult.

We had a great time visiting Baumhaus while visiting family in Hong Kong!…read more If you've got a toddler in a big city, you know it can be a tough and overwhelming environment. We were so grateful for the oasis provided by Baumhaus - it's truly so wonderful to have somewhere to go where your little one can just be themselves in a safe and enriching environment. All of the staff were incredibly kind and sweet with my daughter and our drinks & food at the cafe were delicious. I wish were local so that we could visit more often. 10/10!

I've seen ads for this playgroup around town for a couple months and I finally have attended their…read moreclasses. I wish I had sooner! This center for young children ages 0 - 7, is one of the best musical playgroup centers that I have attended with my son. First, Using the Kindermusick Method, the children are learning complex musical ideas in a easy going way. But, Secondly, what makes them different from other musical centers is that their instructors can REALLY sing, REALLY well. I see that my son and his classmates are more tuned in when they have an instructor that has a beautiful voice. The children are that much more engaged and I myself, as a parent, really appreciate the class. Thirdly, the play area is very nice and well thought out. The jungle-gym reminds me of the Waldorf educational method which promotes an environment with an emphasis on natural materials. This would mean that the gym would lack bright colors like most other playgrounds, but the unique structure is still aesthetically pleasing, very safe, challenging but achievable, and my son loves to play in and out of it. Fourth, they have a cafe area where you can order a cup of coffee and snacks while your child plays or has class. GREAT IDEA. Do they have wifi for your computer? I'm not sure, but I did see some mom's with their laptops out. Secondly, we celebrated my son's birthday with his friends at Baumhaus. We ended up paying about 4400 HKD for 2 hours of time - 1hour was a kindermusick class. (Again, the class: so fun!) We also had 900$ credit to use at the cafe. You are free to bring your own food as well. We brought cakes, cookies, and 2 other small main dishes. I believe that our 2 hours became more like 2.5 hours but I appreciate that they were really patient with us as we wrapped up. I would definitely celebrate here again.

At night it's always easier to spot shops located in high rises around Hong Kong. Whether it's the…read morelights or the quietness that makes you look up, it's a cool way to discover places that you wouldn't have noticed at day time. I had walked past this area of Queen's Road East possibly every single day and never checked out this place. Last night I finally did. I came into the building (and had to wait for the lift for about 15 minutes...) and got up to the second floor. It was late and the place was about to close, but a very friendly guy welcomed me in. I had picked up a leaflet downstairs and knew they were about art classes but I wasn't sure they also run classes for adults as well as kids (8 months to 5 years) and juniors (6 to 10 years). The studio is ample enough to accommodate for big groups (maybe ten people on one side and 10 other on the other) and it doesn't lack decoration. Indeed, the pieces of art by the students made for a great deco. There are also nice small fish pictures made by one of the teachers who later showed me some of his works and he's a real artist. What a talent. He explained to me how classes work: you go for a trial lesson (normally they last for two hours) and pay half the normal price (360HKD) and you pick the canvas, use their materials and apron and get all the guidance from them (there's another teacher). They would help you with painting techniques, perspectives and so on...They have only been operating in this studio since January but the place already got that character that makes artisty spaces so authentic. If you are planning on develop your creative skills or you simply want to let loose your imagination you may want to try them!

If you are new to HK, or even an old hand, you may want to learn a bit of Chinese. Whether it is…read moreMandarin or Cantonese, I would thoroughly recommend that you call Sasha O, quite frankly the best Chinese teacher in HK, in my humble opinion! What makes Sasha great, is not that she is a better Chinese person than anybody else (she is however very lovely and good natured, and learning with her is easy and stress free), but it is because she teaches you what you need, and want, to know. Sure, teaching kids is very structured, and there are prescribed syllabus requirements, all of which Sasha can teach. However, when it comes to adults, do I really need to know how to say, "This is my friend Richard, he likes to skateboard in the park."? The last time I went skateboarding, the bottom of my trousers were much wider than the tops (OK, only oldies like me will get that!). What is great about classes with Sasha, is that you are flexible to learn what is useful to you. For Mrs L, it's about learning a new language from scratch (and being able to ask for the vegetarian menu). For my friend C, it's about learning business lingo in Mando for trips to the mainland. For me, it is all about going "street" and improving my tones and pronunciation, as I am already a Canto speaker - but just a bit ropey. Sasha specialises in 1-to-1 classes, or small groups (i.e. couples, families). This ensures that her teaching is effective and personalised. Also, as a freelance "gun for hire", her charge out rate is very affordable. As she is based in Lamma, Sasha will travel to your location for classes. I currently learn at work in the IFC. You've come all the way to HK, why not learn a bit of the lingo. You should at least try to learn enough to say "Oi, mate, don't take Garden Road, we'll be here all bleeding day!".

my daughter, 13, is taking lessons from Sasha. She loves her. Sasha is very creative. She is…read moreteaching her both Mandarin and Cantonese. We feel fortunate that we found her.

Children have so much fun at the school! Their program is…read morevery creative and is catered to the individuals special interests and needs! On my visit at the Open House, the theme was mini society. The children were able to explore the certain rooms that were transformed into different societies such as the Miles Opera House, supermarket, Bakery, and Science Museum. In each room the teachers organized activities that involved the children. For example, in the opera house the were taught how to be a conductor and performer, then role played the parts! In the bakery, they baked play dough and made cracker sandwiches with honey! In the science room, they explored ice painting! I can see that this school believes that involving the children will be the best way for them to learn. As opposed to rote teaching. They also have music enhancement programs for music and Art! I didn't go to a music class yet, but from experiencing the music class at the open house, I think the children love it! A plus is that they are right next to the beach!