Safari Kid Will Make You Go Back To Kindergarten

If you have been following my Blog you would know how we (my Tweenies & I) are preparing ourselves for the next big milestone- the Preschool! I can’t believe my little babies are so big that they will be stepping into the real world now…..It’s nuts how quickly time flies!

For first time moms like me, the thought of school-hunting (yes, that’s what it’s called!) is quite cumbersome. First it’s quite hard to find specific details of any school branch because there are different branches of some of the more popular schools and parents’ satisfaction can differ from place to place. Also a lot of the information online is out-of-date. Moreover, we can’t ignore the fact that the teaching pedagogy and technology is changing every moment around us.

So to help other mums and dads in the journey, I thought of documenting my first-hand experience & review of attending the inauguration of a pre-school, Safari Kid, at Gurugram.

Built for students 18 months to 6 years old, the impressive new Safari Kid, a chain from Silicon Valley and spread across 7 countries, celebrated its opening early this year.

The school welcomed families to their new centre on January 5th during a school tour. It was a chance for the kids to get comfortable in the space while their parents got a peek at what the school offers.

The first step into the premises was a delight to the eyes. Designed exclusively for little people, Safari Kid is a 16,000 sq ft campus with the capacity for learning, imagination, creativity and self-expression for children aged 18 months to six years. The layout of the premises is inspired by elements that excite the imagination of the children attending, and provides a stimulating learning environment.

Every corner that I turned brought me face to face with the core principles of the school- the 4 Cs- Customization, Curriculum, Communication and Care.

Every architectural detail has bee considered with children’s enjoyment, education and safety in mind. One good example is the scale of child-proofing that has been done.

From finger-safety guards on the doors to corner padding- the place surely knows what’s their top priority!

Along the way to their activity rooms (they prefer not to call them classrooms!), simple yet thoughtfully done interiors made me even more curious to see what lies ahead.

Seriously I was stoked!

The learning environment encompasses specific areas in each room for role play, sensory development and skills development, creative spaces and science and tech corners.

The spacious classrooms are fully equipped with state-of-the-art toys and play equipments that facilitate the development and education of children.

A stunning feature of each room is the provision of large windows, allowing natural light to come in and giving enough opportunities to young curious minds to spark imagination.

My most favorite thing about their rooms is the beautiful warm reading corner.

It adds such a unique element to the space and is very eye-catching when you enter the room.

This is surely an inviting corner for little readers!

Taking the best practices from Reggio-Emilia, Waldorf (Steiner), and Montessori teaching methods, at Safari kid the curriculum is developed to foster creativity, imagination, personal, emotional and social development, skills in the creative arts and gross and fine motor skills in each child.

I could see the reflection of their ideology in the entire setup

The Centre has fixtures and equipment which caters to a child friendly environ as well as in keeping with the standard aesthetics of all its centres across the globe.

In my mind I immediately granted bonus points to Safari Kid for ensuring a plastic-free environment for kids in terms of furniture, toys and equipments.

Among the facilities in Safari Kid are various multifunctional spaces thoughtfully designed with young children in mind, such as a swimming pool……

…..which is designed for wading and learning to swim for the little swimmers.

And a large spacious indoor play area too…..

….for physical and motor skills development, plus stunning purpose-built Creative Lab, where children explore dance, drama, music and free role play.

Safari Kid is child-friendly in every sense. Play, Learning, Art, Skills- everything is taken care of under one roof.

You know, from my first visit to the school, I could boast about their beautifully set up, visually enchanting art studio…..

Or about the outdoor play area…

or about their hand-picked play equipments…..

Or about the little corner that offers great opportunity for unstructured play time- the Sand pit!

….but I guess the pictures would speak more than I could describe in words!

Outdoor spaces encourage discovery & play and I could see how every wall, every corner has been utilised judiciously to give children an experience in its own way.

And guess what? Safari Kid is a complete “Parent friendly” school as well by offering everything under one roof – a huge benefit for families who like their pre-schooler to take part in a wide range of activities without wasting time on the roads shuttling from one point to anther. With their unique After-School Enrichment program, children can participate in extra-curricular activities too. From Yoga to Theatre, from Science to music- they have meticulously designed activities to spark creativity and drive in young learners. To know more, click here.

My 2 hours whizzed away quite quickly in taking the school tour. And the last thing that I noticed left a strong impact on my mind about the ideologies followed (and not just preached) at Safari Kid.

From DIY storage boxes to beautiful planters created using waste bottles, the school surely believes in leading by example for kids by adopting eco-friendly options.

My brief interaction with the Mr Jitendra Karsan- CEO, Safari Kid India, was a great way to learn about what sets Safari Kid apart from so many other Preschools. Interestingly, at Safari Kid, they believe in the unique capacities of early childhood. So they customise the program to the learning capacity of each child. The curriculum for each child is specific to the child’s aptitude and interest. Here Children learn in stages and advance only once they’ve mastered the previous stage, with each stage of learning serving as a base for the next. So you wouldn’t really have 2 kids of the same age following the same curriculum! Quite interesting & unique concept, I must say!

Also, Safari Kid offers a full immersion second language program. So they learn the curriculum in two languages: English and Spanish. Their Spanish Program provides an opportunity to children as they are exposed to a new language where they learn to speak, read along with which their listening skills, imaginative play, art and craft are developed. Isn’t that wonderful! To know more on this, click here.

Well, I think our school hunt has come to a successful end here! During our visit I literally had to peel my kids away.

And that was a signal to me that THIS IS IT!

After all, that’s what we parents look for in a preschool- comfort, fun and a safe environment.

So don’t wait any more Mommies, register yourself for a school tour right away and enrol your  little ‘curious learner’ to experience the uniqueness of this beautiful and enchanting school! Click here for more info.

Go Mommy!