Hong KongJune 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hong Kong Academy (HKA), a renowned IB World School, officially announced the addition of a new signature program for its early childhood curriculum: The Maker’s Atelier, as part of the culmination of its 25th-anniversary celebration series.
This elective afternoon course, designed for pre-school students, will officially launch in August 2026. Building on the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) curriculum, the course leverages innovative, hands-on learning units to cultivate children’s spatial reasoning, deep empathy for nature, and physical motor control.
“The Maker’s Atelier” is rooted in the globally renowned Reggio Emilia educational philosophy, which views young children as capable, curious, and natural-born explorers. The program offers a dedicated space within an immersive bilingual learning environment, utilizing HKA’s top-tier facilities to allow children to engage in scientific inquiry, hands-on practice, and the learning of traditional crafts using various materials.
Taught by professional educators, the course features six hands-on inquiry units:
- Primitive Ceramics & Earth Glazes: Enhances fine motor control through material shaping and transformation, while introducing basic geology concepts.
- Regeneration & Gardening: Introduces children to soil organisms and the seasonal growth cycles of plants within the school’s organic play area.
- Culinary Arts & Food Science: Uses the kitchen as a laboratory to explore concepts of heat, measurement, and chemistry.
- Outdoor Education & Nature Inquiry: Develops gross motor endurance and environmental empathy through activities in undulating woodland spaces.
- Fiber Arts, Textiles & Traditional Weaving: Offers engaging challenges for children through mathematical sequencing, tension grids, and fine motor precision.
- Woodworking & Deconstruction Exploration: Explores physical concepts such as force, friction, and balance using practical tools under strict supervision.
Hong Kong Academy fully respects each child’s unique developmental pace, offering flexible scheduling. Parents may choose for their child to attend only the morning regular pre-school program or enroll in this customized enrichment course to extend the learning experience into the afternoon.
“The Maker’s Atelier” is exclusively open to HKA’s current pre-school students aged 3 to 5. To ensure personalized teaching quality, spaces in this highly specialized program are limited. Parents are advised to consult HKA’s official age and grade placement guide to confirm their child’s eligibility.