Big Apple Tiger Lane, Ipoh

With its tagline “To Inspire & Nurture the Young Minds”, Big Apple Taska & Tadika is a chain of kindergarten and nursery that tends to make an impact within the society it serves. The name itself is synonymous with quality education and professional care for children, and what’s more, little ones clearly cherish their time spent here!

The Big Apple kindergarten is a long-standing establishment in Ipoh, whereby it only recently moved to its newer Tiger Lane branch. It stands majestically at Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Ipoh, a cheery and delightful sight indeed, especially for children. Everything at this branch is still new, fresh and exciting, which adds to the overall value of Big Apple Tiger Lane. Kiddy123 had the honour of speaking to the Principal, Ms. Wong, whom we drilled for some answers as to what makes the kindergarten such a hit among families in Ipoh.

Having been around since 1993 does not surmise that Big Apple’s curriculum or programmes are outdated by any means! Quite the opposite, actually, for students here are exposed to projector teaching/learning, as well as the use of computers, making full use of today’s modern technologies. For the 4, 5, and 6-year old students, as pointed out by Ms. Wong, Big Apple also offers its self-produced Guru Panda programme, an exciting online platform that connects children to a plethora of study materials. These include educational videos, stories, music, useful study notes in accordance with our national syllabus, quizzes, and much more. Interactive and user-friendly, Guru Panda also allows students to be exposed to three languages, namely English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Mandarin.

We have gone further to implement the STEAM programme which offers students adequate exposure to the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics in ways that allow for critical thinking, inquiry and experiential learning on their part. -- Ms. Wong shared

As yet another testament of the famed kindergarten’s commitment to provide quality education for its students, the 6-year-olds are offered a Cambridge English programme which helps them acquire a good command of the language, with commendable proficiency in the written and spoken word, as well as reading and understanding the English language. Ms. Wong shared at this point that the Cambridge e-exam which was originally scheduled for October had to be delayed to November due to the pandemic.

Big Apple actually has its own syllabus, as well as books which adhere to the Education Ministry’s guidelines for Preschool Curriculum. As the mission of Big Apple is to ‘Inspire and Nurture the Young Minds', students are guided through an education that goes beyond classroom learning, where play has a definite role in their learning experience.

Elaborating further, Ms. Wong directed our attention to their “Train Your Skills” segment, which allows children to enhance their motor skills according to their age groups. From learning to walk for babies and toddlers, right up to cutting with scissors and lots more in between, children are lovingly taught and guided towards mastery of important life skills.

Keeping their minds and their bodies active

The reputed kindergarten has quite a few top-notch facilities to its name, and they include the “Little Kitchen”, Library, Swimming pool, Music room, Green house (little garden), art studio, and Gym, which are all put to full use, offering them a well-rounded learning experience rich with hands-on activities which they enjoy very much.

Walking us through some of them, Ms Wong remarked that at Big Apple Tiger Lane, activities are always varied and interesting to keep students well-occupied. Take the Little Kitchen activities for example, where they learn some useful culinary skills such as food preparation, cooking, making sandwiches, baking, etc.

Designed to be visually appealing and functional, the library is a well-loved feature of the kindergarten, built specially to enrich young minds. Here’s also where they get to hear some story-telling, ask and respond to questions related to a story, and learn to read books on their own.

Another appealing facility is the purpose-built music room which provides much stimulation, and children just anticipate being there. Through music, Ms. Wong explained, students are able to establish stronger connections with each other, communicate and coordinate their movements, among many other benefits.

The pandemic has indeed altered things quite a bit, but the teaching as well as learning still goes un unperturbed, with strict adherence to the SOPs of wearing face masks, social distancing, hand sanitising, etc. “In fact, it is quite heart-warming to see and hear our little students reminding each other to put on their masks and keep their hands clean!” exclaimed Ms. Wong.

The ideal balance of play and learn

Childhood is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and kids who attend the Big Apple kindergarten are in no danger of sacrificing this precious time of their life. Here, learning and playing go hand-in-hand, resulting in an education that is enriching in every way.

Academically speaking, children do need a good early education that will provide them a solid foundation for their schooling journey. As such, due attention is paid to their performance and achievements. “For example, 4-year-olds should be well-versed with the alphabet A to Z, the 5-year-olds should have no problems counting up to 50, and the 6-year-olds should be able to count to 100 with ease,” Ms. Wong explained. These, of course, are just examples. Classes and lessons will also depend on the type of primary school a student will be enrolling into. In regard to this, parents of 5-year-olds should let the kindergarten know if their child will be entering a Chinese school, a Sekolah Kebangsaan (national school), or an International School, etc. “For example, if a student will be attending a Chinese school, then his or her Mathematics, Moral and Science lessons at Big Apple will be taught in Mandarin. These subjects however, will be taught in Bahasa Malaysia if they are to attend a national school.

Weaved in between the quality academic acquisition, Gym time at Big Apple Tiger Lane is always looked forward to by the students, for it is when they get to release all that pent-up energy and just move about freely. The Gym hall boasts of a rock-climbing wall and wall bars among many other useful features which allow kids to exercise while building their balance, strength, and agility. The gym is well-equipped, safe, and of course, child-friendly!

Another notable physical feature that cannot escape one’s eye is the generously sized water play pool situated in the kindergarten compound. “Here’s where they really enjoy themselves, moving and splashing around while they naturally strengthen their fine and gross motor skills. Water play time is indeed special to our kids here, and it is yet another form of physical education which they anticipate each week, under the close watch and guidance of the teacher in duty,” Ms. Wong shared with a smile.

To help them further develop their social-interaction skills, the 4-year-olds get to participate in drama play where they get to act and take up roles of certain characters. The 5- and 6-year-olds on the other hand have weekly public speaking classes which work wonders in honing their speaking as well as listening skills, allowing them to become better learners with an extra edge in communication skills.

“Having served the community for more than 20 years, many of our students are enrolled here as a result of “word of mouth” from parents who have sent their own kids here before,” Ms. Wong revealed. “We also have our ex-students, those who attended this kindergarten before. coming back to say hello to their old teachers!”

The fact that there are teachers who have been working here for more than 10 years speaks volumes of this kindergarten, Big Apple Tiger Lane, as it is a sign of a brilliant place, where teachers love their job, and children enjoy learning. Before we ended our interview with Ms. Wong, Kiddy123 was also surprised to discover that most of their after-school care enrolment were made up of students who have previously attended Big Apple Kindergarten! “As long as they are still in primary school, they are welcome to be here,” she concluded jokingly. Jokes aside though, Big Apple Tiger Lane is a truly exceptional kindergarten, loved by its students, and cherished in memory by its alumni.