The human brain is the most complex and amazing natural machine. As we know, it is divided into two hemispheres – right brain or left brain. As per scientific studies, the left brain is responsible for logic, reasoning, informational learning, detailing, serial processing, knowledge, structure and more. While the right brain handles our creativity, imagination, transformative learning, parallel processing, understanding and is more flexible.

For most of the human population, the left brain is dominant. Those who have their right brain as dominant are generally known as the ‘left-handed people’. But with training and practice, it is possible to utilize both the hemispheres of our brain i.e. use both of them dominantly. Moreover, most of us use our left brain as the traditional education system mainly makes use of it. But the Right brain keeps everything that we have ever seen or heard, sealing the information forever. This gave rise to ‘The Right Brain education’ that gives us the ability to sponge up information by using Right Brain. The two hemispheres are then synced to utilize the Whole Brain Synergy.

Recognizing the power of the right brain education in fostering wholesome development of kids, Strawberryland Genius Kids has tailored its learning programs for current markets. Established in 2005, it is a well-known Right Brain Center, in Penang, registered and copyright programme in related department. Strawberryland Genius Kids has the foundation its concept on “Genius Kids Methodology” which is based on four main concepts:

Right Brain Method – plays an important role in developing children’s inner potential
Gym Music – helps to cultivate children’s character, discipline, physical movement and rhythms.
Sensory Integration – acts as a starting point of early childhood education.

Brain gym – enhances child’ body awareness, develop a deeper connection and understanding of children’s development stage

Through these concepts, children’s levels of cognition and their stages of development to build a strong foundation of multiple developments in their intelligence can be completely developed.

The Guiding Philosophies and Programs

Strawberryland Genius Kids method is based on three philosophies:

• Every child is a genius.
• The golden age for right brain inner potential development is from fetus to toddler.
• A well-balanced mix of right brain and left brain is through the right-brain methodology.

To achieve these philosophies and provide a higher quality learning environment, the preschool maintains a small size setting of the classroom. A ratio of 1:6 for age 0 to age 4, a ratio of 1:8 for age 5 and above. Accordingly, there are 2 programs:

Mama and baby bonding right brain class – For ages 0 to 4, this program helps a child to develop its right brain abilities such as photographic memory, speed reading, multilingualism, speed calculation, pitch perfection, intuition, creativity, and imagination. Moreover, this program also strengthens a strong bonding relationship between parents and children.

Speed reading program – For age 4 to12, this famous program helps develop children’s speed reading, memory, listening and writing to well-prepare them for primary or secondary school.

Strawberryland believes that every child develops at its own pace and so emphasizes on one to one sessions. Parents have testified that it has helped their children in developing right brain abilities.

A Genius Mind at Work

Ms. Vivienne Lim is the Founder and Principal of Strawberryland Genius Kids. She has more than 20 years of experience in teaching the Strawberryland Genius Kids Method and also has more than 8000 lessons, 10,000 hours of Right Brain teaching experience. She is the first Right Brain Development Specialist in Penang integrating the methods used in Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan and Europe emphasizing Right Brain, Sensory integration and music movement. She completed her Master’s in Children Music Education, Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and is a qualified sensory integration instructor.

Through a few years of teaching and research, she developed the Strawberryland Genius method to bring in a wholesome development to a child from age 0. “20 years ago, right-brain education was almost unheard of in Penang. In those days, education mostly emphasized writing and technicalities. Children were graded based on how many vocabularies they have learned in each day rather than the intrinsic value that they have gained from the progress,” asserts Principal Vivienne. She took the first step to change something that she wished to see in the future rather than wait for it. Taking up the challenge to provide a quality early childhood education, she established the Genius Kids Method.

Making the Team

To become a qualified Right Brain educator, the team at Strawberryland went through lots of training to foster right brain abilities. The team is passionate, imaginative and creative while curating lesson plans to ensure all students can develop and fully utilize their right brain inner potentials. Vivienne states that the team is flexible and creative enough to produce excellent results in a short period. Strawberryland also has a research team to design new products, and teaching materials, which are copyrighted, to benefit children in every perspective.

Growing with a Vision

After establishing its first branch in 2005, Strawberryland ventured into franchising in 2012. The management decided to grow organically to ensure quality instead of expanding aggressively because it is vital to have the same vision and a well-equipped system in this industry. Strawberryland needs franchisees who have the same mission as the team and have a passion for educating the children. Currently, Strawberryland has 7 branches in Penang, Taiping, and Butterworth. In terms of school expansion, it is currently planning to expand to more states to benefit more children and parents. Vivienne says, “We believe that education is not only for children, parental involvement also plays a crucial role. Every year, we organize various parental involvement activities to educate parents for bringing a successful pathway for their child’s future.”

Towards an all-encompassing Future

For Vivienne and her team, the journey of early childhood is a never-ending passion. As educators, they are facilitating children’s learning by understanding their strengths, abilities, needs, and interests. Bringing out the difference in today’s generation, she points out, “Today, children are practicing their rights to choose as opposed to kids of past few years who would ask for guidance such as coloring or drawing in a certain way without any creativity. Through the Genius Kids method, children can effectively strengthen their memory, observation, logical thinking, deduction, imagination, mathematical thinking, language, social interaction and creativity to succeed in wholesome development. This method has been successfully proven effective with positive results in the development of early childhood education which can compete with the inadequacies of current preschool education.”

Strawberryland and its methods are definitely making a strong impact on the nation and region. In the future, the team plans to bring in Strawberryland Genius Kids method to students with special needs or learning difficulties.