Who We Are
Hoopla Education was established in 2014 in Singapore by Angelica Manca and Paul Wagner. We are a husband and wife team passionate about our planet, creativity, building connections and Early Childhood Education. We believe that it’s our responsibility to give our children a sustainable and thriving Planet. Nothing is more important than providing a Sustainable Education and this needs to be introduced right at the beginning, in Early Childhood Education.
In 2014, we left Paris, having outgrown our home, to start a globetrotting adventure with our 1 year old son. We headed East to Asia and after much research opened our company in the vibrant city of Singapore, the education hub for South East Asia.
Our goal was then, and continues to be, to establish a different type of education, based on providing an encompassing, holistic and cohesive approach to learning, through the multi-disciplinary exploration of a concept that is relevant and accessible to all children, regardless of age, socio-economic background and geographic location.
Philosophy
The snail in our logo represents the underlying philosophy that permeates all that we do: a reminder to slow things down and remember to enjoy the journey rather than being fixated on the destination. In educational terms, it represents the process-driven pedagogy we follow. It also serves as an indication that all our programs have an element of Nature in them. The stylized snail’s shell represents spiral learning, a teaching method applied in all our programs. We believe that children will own their learning if given the space and time to expand their knowledge or skill level on a particular topic.
The snail also carries its home with it, and as a globetrotting family, we started off by carrying all our belongings with us, hence the choice of the snail was even more appropriate for us. In educational terms, we believe that every child has the skills he/she need within, it’s our job as educators to nurture the confidence in them to find them.
Finally, the puzzle surrounding the snail represents play-based learning and the interconnectivity of all disciplines within a given subject or concept.
Sustainable Learning
Sustainability is at the heart of our programs. It refers to the ability to provide a meaningful context for learning to maintain a child's sustained interest in a topic or concept by using nature as an educational medium, in the ability to positively influence our planet's wellbeing, being mindful of reducing consumption through the use of organic and/or perishable teacher and learner resources. Through the use of of natural materials, young children develop empathy learning important skills that lead to new conceptions of citizenship. These skills are critical in developing more sustainable practices that develop shared experiences, attitudes and values needed to shape a sustainable future. Learn more.
The Garden Project and Beyond
Hoopla Education has been delivering Sustainable Learning through The Garden Project: the first PBL curriculum to use nature as an instructional medium, starting in the Early Years.
The Garden Project is fruit of the collaboration with a team of professionals with decades of experience in early childhood development, environmental science, science & biology, contemporary art and music education, located on different parts of the globe providing a truly global perspective on education.
Today The Garden Project is more relevant than ever in laying the foundation for a more sustainable future. Implemented in 17 countries thus far, educators and families are waking up to the importance of connecting children with nature and empowering them with their natural environments. Thanks to our partnership with Macmillan, we have also been able to adapt the curriculum for Brazil and Spain, for truly authentic learning experiences that honor cultural diversity. If you’re interested in more information on how to become a licensing partner to spread The Garden Project in your countries or regions, click here.
Our nature programs have grown to include My Veggie Diary, a storytelling diary and activity book with the goal to develop early narrative skills in children ages 5yrs+ and Sticks & Stones, a contemporary art curriculum inspired by the land art movement that develops visual literacy and specialized art techniques with natural materials for children ages 3yrs+. Together we are discovering that there is more learning from a stone or an asparagus than could ever have been imagined.
