GymBlog

Goodbye, Fiona~

2012-02-12T12:10:00.004+08:00

Feb 11, 2012... is Fiona's last working day at Gymboree!

Thank you so much for her service here. She is such a sweet and sincere girl. We wish her all the best at her new job. Gymbo and the children will miss you! Please come back and visit us!

We did it! 10km Run!

2012-02-05T23:08:00.004+08:00

I am so glad to be one of the participants in Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2012 - 10km run! This is my third time already!

Due to my spine problem, I didn't really practice and prepare for the run this year. However, I had two tennis games in the same week to warm my body up for this!

Clinton's Mom Jessie was there~ We ran together in the earliest session at 5:30am! As a Mother of two, Jessie finished the run and she's already planned to run with Clinton and Clayton when they grow up! Isn't it great?! Keep our spirit and bring it on!

Gong Xi Gong Xi

2012-01-29T11:30:00.001+08:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy Chinese New Year!

Wish everyone a great year of Dragon with lots of love, health, prosperity, and success!

Bella and Bears

2011-09-23T23:00:00.006+08:00

Bella takes good care of the baby bears~ She feeds them fish; she carries them to the cave; she hugs them; she helps them post for nice shooting~ :D

A pure loving heart is the most beautiful thing in the world~

Love you, Bella~ *Muah~

Don't we all grow up with this song? ^0^

2011-09-23T17:48:00.000+08:00

Hadrien, Clara, and Maxence from Music 3 on Friday put on a very good performance in singing "My Bonnie"! This song brings back my childhood memories; how about you?

Big Welcome to Aryeh Febadiah Solomon!

2011-05-21T13:25:00.003+08:00

Surprise came in with the post today. We got a letter from Judah Soloman (our 2 times Halloween dress up fun Winner) 's family! Welcome to their new family member: Aryeh Febadiah Soloman!!

Isn't he just beautiful? Aryeh Febadiah, we wish to see you soon! <3

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2011-02-14T12:28:00.004+08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! ^^

Look! Summer and Lucas are having a sweet moment together!

Happy Year of Rabbit 2011

2011-02-02T15:49:00.003+08:00

Hello Everyone!!

We are here to say, "Happy Year of Rabbit 2011"!!

In this Spring Festival, we wish ALL our dear friends good luck, good health, and good fortune!

Enjoy your holiday!

Halloween Dress Up Fun 2011

2010-10-29T17:40:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday, Ethan

2010-08-26T00:42:00.004+08:00

Ethan Venn just turned 1 on 25 Aug!!

Happy Birthday!!

We took couple of picture with him after playgym~

Let's share the precious moment!

Swimmy

2010-08-04T12:32:00.006+08:00

This week's story is Swimmy by Leo Lionni.

Sousuke and Kaoriko were so busy making their ocean picture...

and putting small fishes together to make a BIG fish!

TA DA! happy children with happy fishes :)

The Tiger who Came to Tea

2010-07-10T11:39:00.006+08:00

We read about a tiger who came to tea this week in Story 1.

The big stripy tiger was certainly hungry that he gobbled all the food and drinks when he came to tea at Sophie's house.

So we decided to make cupcakes, in case the tiger should come and visit us at Gymboree ^_^

We had fun putting in all the ingredients and taking turn mixing the batter. Then, we put them in the cupcake liners and baked them in the oven.

It was certainly delightful to decorate the mini cupcakes we make with cookie crumbs and yummy M&M's!

Finally the tiger didn't stop by so we enjoyed the cupcakes ourselves, and boy, they're yummy!

Icing sugar on top ^_^ then....

Here comes the M&M's and cookie crumbs!

... finally, let's eat 'em!

"Ohaiyo!" - Global Kids 1

2010-07-10T11:06:00.007+08:00

We start traveling the world again at Gymboree!

We travel the world each week in Global Kids 1 this summer. This week's destination is JAPAN.

We learn the Japanese way of greeting each other, we bow as we say "Ohayo!" ("Good Morning!").

We played the Fukuwarai together, making funny faces with puzzle-like pieces.

This is the funny face Lily-Anne made

We did sand drawing in class, making different patterns in the sand and we painted sakura trees blooming with pink flowers too! Then we struck a post with a japanese umbrella with the sakura flowers ^_^

Jane and her Sakura tree

Lily-Anne and the Sakura flowers

We'll be exploring Japan more this week, we're going to see the windsock carps ("Koi-nobori") next week when we celebrate Children's Day in Japan ("Tango no Sekku"), and we will try make one for ourselves!

Hope to see you all in Global Kids and let's have fun in Japan!

Zip Pi D' Do Dah

2010-07-05T17:27:00.008+08:00

Hello! It's me! Teacher Arianne!!! I haven't had a lot of time to do much blogging in here and it's very shameful to count the months (if you must know, almost a year?).
(I've really tried to blog but I am not very tech savvy and it always seem to go wrong)

What have I been doing? Other than saving the world from the big bad?

Teaching kids about dinosaurs, the jungle, the rainbow, keeping the ocean clean, how to do a rollie- pollie, etc... OF COURSE!!!
and as summer roles in I've decided to (and I must) show you my collection of videos and picz I've taken but never forgotten... of the AMAZING and AWESOME children that makes GYMBOREE the best place to be..

This was last year, around winter, Level 6 Sunday with T.Jackie and T. Candace : PARACHUTE TIME I was waiting for them to make a parachute house cause I haven't seen one for awhile

and then I dunno what happened: :0P

I'd also like to say "hello and see you soon to my darling Jasmine" I miss you a lot and come visit!!

I'll upload more picz later cause I'm in a rush.

Be well and keep smiling

ciao bella
_me_

1st month at Gymboree

2010-06-03T17:43:00.003+08:00

It's been a month since I came back to Gymboree HK after my 10 months in Manila, Philippines.

It's still the same place of love and fun ^^ I'm so happy to be back, to see the faces I know and I love, how children grow, new babies to know, stories to read, artworks to do.

It's good to be back! THANK YOU for all your love!

I look forward to more wonderful and fun times with you!

*HUGS*

Erna

Here is your Master Piece!

2010-05-21T22:36:00.005+08:00

Art is really amazing~ Even though I am not a very artistic person, I love to see my students drawing their own painting and making their own art craft!

Here are some works to share with everybodY! :)

Art3 - Porcupines from Curtis and Cedric~

Art2 - Rock Paintings from Aiden, Annabelle & Cheryl~

I am so proud of you!

Hello Heather!

2010-05-20T03:37:00.009+08:00

I'm soooo happy to read the wonderful news from the Mackie's family. The long awaited baby girl, Heather, has finally arrived! Rafael is a big brother now :) (wonder whether Audrey Yip will have a sibling soon too, hehe). Congratulations to Amy, Mac, Rafael, and to the sweet baby Heather! Can't wait to see more family pictures on their blog.

Stories, stories and more stories :)

2010-05-15T16:49:00.006+08:00

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle (story 2)
About how a little tiny tiny seed was able to grow and become a giant beautiful flower:)

The little ones made this fantastic picture of the four seasons together:)

My Mum by Anthony Browne (story 1)
Happy Mother's Day, we had a special story on this special day. We talked about all the wonderful things mommies do :)

Clevent and Alexandria hand crafted cards for their moms :) they even carefully hand picked every sticker!

Ally proudly presents her card!

More stories to come! stay tuned:)

Chicago Chicago

2010-05-11T17:14:00.006+08:00

Yes, I had been away for almost two weeks! I visited Chicago; Chicago was a great city and the Gymboree Annual meeting and seminar are full of fun and beneficial! I took an extra week off to visit my friends and families in Canada afterward. It was wonderful seeing my loved ones again; yet I was just so excited to be back this morning!

I didn't go watch the show because me, Teacher Candace, and Teacher Eunice are going to watch it in Hong Kong later this month!! ^^

This is called "The Bean". You can see the reflection of Chicago's skyline in different angels while walking around it! Don't I look like an alien from outer space arriving in a flying saucer?? ^^

How can we not buy books when we travel?? These are all the children's books we bought from this trip!

I knew that Teacher Erna had returned already but the girls told me this morning that she wouldn't be in today (sweet girls creating a surprise for me ^^). We ran into each other in the elevator. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her; and of course, we screamed, we huged, we bounced, we laughed!

It's wonderful to have you back, Erna!

And thanks to all the teachers for sharing the extra workload while I was away!! Love you all~~~~~~~

Welcome back to Gymboree, Teacher Erna!

2010-05-10T19:00:00.006+08:00

We're waiting for your updates here :)

hugs, Irene

*been checking and waiting for the Chicago updates from R and Payne

Birthday Surprise for Teacher Payne~

2010-04-09T20:41:00.005+08:00

Happy Birthday, Teacher Payne~

Today is Teacher Eunice and Candace's day off. Teacher Jackie asked everyone not to say Happy Birthday (no SMS, no facebook, no message...).

Special thanks to Teacher Jackie for making the unique CD cover! It has everyone on it including Teacher Erna! It's so great!

When Teacher Payne finished her class and go back to staff room..... oops.... she saw us..... :P

"Happy BirthdaY~~ !!!" (FinallY! :D we can say it out loud!)

We wish you good health and dreams come true!

Love xoxo

Fire Fighter!!

2010-04-09T19:38:00.003+08:00

Mischa is being a Fire Fighter! Look at her in her full gear~ She is so cute~

I am so proud of her as she rescued Gymbo & the kitten~

Good job!

Art 1 - Printing & sharing

2010-04-03T18:00:00.003+08:00

Lily Mei is one of the children who I know from the first day I worked at Gymboree (almost 8 months now)~ She was just a girl from Level 3.... was learning how to walk..... could not speak yet.... But now~ She is already in Level 5, and she runs fast, she even can say, "Goodbye painting...." Her auntie took this photo when she was making her own "wrapping paper"~It is so good to see her doing her own work~ Good girl~ :D

Time flies.... :D I am so happy to see all our Gymboree children grow healthily and they all become so smart! I love my job at Gymboree~ I love all the kids who comes to class~ Thank you all the dear parents your love for your children.

Happy Easter!! :)

Julian's 2 Year-old Birthday!!

2010-03-19T10:16:00.002+08:00

Happy Birthday, Julian~~

Today is your Big Day! Wish you have a happy 2nd birthday and keep being such a adorable boy for Mommy, Daddy and everyone! :D

We love you~ (espeacially your sweet voice~ :P)

Happy Birthday, Sweet Charrise! :D

2010-03-16T17:32:00.005+08:00

17 March is a very special day to us!

One of our Gymboree baby is turning ONE!

This sweet little one is Charrise~ :)

Thank you mommy for sending us such a nice picture~ (as Teacher Eunice & Candace requested :P)

Coz' we want to celebrate her big day at our blog too!

Happy Birthday, ChaRriSe!! :D

renewed GymBlog

2010-03-14T19:28:00.005+08:00

Well, we're switching back to our original platform. Old habit dies hard and we surely think the original platform is 'better'.

I have been struggling with the header picture and finally settled with a 'generic' one that features just our parachute. May be it's just me, but there is nothing more important and signatory than our parachute time.

Originally, I have another one that features Teacher Payne. But I'm sure she'll kill me should I use it and didn't dare to risk.

It doesn't mean I cannot post it though. Ha!

GOODBYE ALINA :(

2010-03-13T18:13:00.002+08:00

Alina said her goodbyes at Gymboree and off she goes to Chicago!
Although she was only here for a few weeks, all the teachers adored this little monkey and will miss her loads:)
SEE YOU ALINA AND BECKY THANK YOU FOR BRINGING SO MUCH FUN and LAUGHTER (cookies too!) to GYMBOREE!

Posted via email from GymBlog

Happy Birthday Teacher Candace!

2010-02-14T15:53:00.002+08:00

Our beloved Teacher Candace's birthday is today!!! Since today is Chinese New Year/ Valentine's Day, we decided to celebrate her birthday a little early at Gymboree!!

Pictures will come soon, i left them all at gymboree. Sorry all!

WISHING EVERYBODY A HAPPY VALENTINES DAY/ CHINESE NEW YEAR.

WE LOVE YOU TEACHER CANDACE!!!!! xoxo

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Happy Birthday, Teacher Jackie!

2010-02-02T02:10:00.002+08:00

1 Feb was Teacher Jackie's birthday! :D
We bought some beautiful cup cakes to celebrate with her after class.
Teacher Payne was so sweet that she bought some flower for the Birthday Girl~ :D
Again! Happy Birthday!!
We all love you~ :)

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from GymBlog

Story time

2010-01-31T11:32:00.002+08:00

Even I'm a story class teacher and believe story is best read directly to, I still got completely carried away when I was reading the referred post by Amy (Rafael's mommy on Mackiefamily blog) about animated stories online. Am just amazed with what can be found on youtube these days.

The animation may not be most original to the stories' illustration, but they are very nicely produced and made the stories extremely entertaining. My favorite are:

The very hungry caterpillar

Chicka chicka boom boom

They may not be better than a story being read directly to. But can be a great alternative to TV.

Posted via email from GymBlog

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-18T23:44:00.002+08:00

Our new Christmas project for Art 2 is a nice Christmas Tree!
Look at those trees! They are beautiful, aren't they?
Here is our greeting! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Art 2 Community helpers - Fire Fighter & Doctor

2009-12-18T22:38:00.002+08:00

Look at our little Fire Fighters and doctors at Gymboree~
Audrey, Shasa, Chelsea from Tuesday Art 2; and Bella, Ed, Adam and Ryan from Wednesday Art 2.
They had so much fun from designing their own fire fighter vests and doctor cases.
Good job, children!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from GymBlog

The Best Costume goes to...

2009-12-08T11:43:00.002+08:00

It was such a tough task choosing who would be the winner of our Halloween Dress-up Fun Contest; as all~~ of our children look just so cute in their costumes. ^^ We went through our pictures over and over again yet still had no clue whom to pick. But then, when we found out Judah's costume was actually hand-made by his mommy with a cereal box; we were so amazed and so we had decided on the winner.

Congratulations to Judah and family!!!!!!!!

Check out the pictures, Judah looks super adorable pretending to be an excavator! Mommy built this very cute excavator with a cereal box plus some wooden pieces and then hand painted it! It's really a work of art!!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from GymBlog

Curtis Lin's 4 year-old Birthday!!

2009-12-06T03:12:00.002+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Curtis!!!!
Curtis turns to 4 on 5 Dec!
He is a very sweet boy, and his performance in Art 3 is incredible! We have so much fun together in class~
Curtis always shows care for his little brother Ryan (who is turning to 1 year-old in this month!) and his parents.
Teacher Candace took few pictures last week for today to share with everybody!
Especially for Curtis's family to see how good he is in class!
Again! You rock! Curtis!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from GymBlog

Lucas's Last class in Art 2

2009-11-28T20:35:00.002+08:00

Lucas Widdericm has finished his Art 2 on last Tuesday!
He made a fabulous Muddy Pig and the little Baa Baa back sheep on that day!

Lucas loves purple! (All teachers knows...:P but he is now "welcoming" more different color on his art works and free painting! This is really great!

Good Job, Lucas! We will miss you!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from GymBlog

Happy Birthday Jasmine~

2009-11-27T23:12:00.002+08:00

Today (Nov 27) is Jasmine Harmer 1 year old birthday!
We wish you Happy Birthday, Sweetie!! :D

Posted via email from GymBlog

Look who came to visit!

2009-11-25T12:40:00.001+08:00

On her 3rd birthday, Rachel came to visit!

Look how tall she is now!

So nice of her and auntie Janet to come by to say hello. We've missed you lots and lots Rachel! Hope you are having a great time at school, sharing your amusing smirks and cheeky grins with all your friends!

Posted via email from GymBlog

Teacher Erna, Teacher Tessa, Long time no see!

2009-11-25T12:39:00.001+08:00

Some of you might notice that I (Teacher Payne) had been away for a few days at the beginning of this month! Well, I went visiting Teacher Erna and Teacher Tessa in the Philipines!!! Teacher Erna is studying at a missionary school there and will be coming back to us in May. Teacher Tessa has returned home having another career while still doing some part time teaching at a Gymboree there!

We were so happy to see each other again. Teacher Tessa showed us around and we had lots of fun!! We visited the Intramuros; we viewed the beautiful Manila Bay sunset; we spent two days in a cozy beach resort... Yet the thing I enjoyed and appreciated the most was the warm hospitality of their friends and families! I could totally feel the friendly and passionate culture of the country!

It was such a fun trip and a wonderful reunion! ^^

Well, I also have to thank Teacher Candace, Teacher Eunice, Teacher Jackie, and Teacher Rachel for covering my classes while I was away! *Mmwah*

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from GymBlog

Halloween Dress Up Fun - COMPLETE update

2009-11-13T09:32:00.002+08:00

FINALLY!

We're currently struggling with the winner of the year. Please help us by telling us about your favorite look.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from GymBlog

A Visit @ Teacher Jessica's home

2009-11-13T01:29:00.001+08:00

I am here to upload some pictures we took on the day we visit Teacher Jessica and Little Alexander.
It was a nice visit. We all felt happy for Marchio's to have such a adorable new family member~

Enjoy the photos!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from GymBlog

Another Birthday!

2009-11-09T12:54:00.004+08:00

So many birthdays in November! I do hope I remember them all....

Next birthday girl: HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAILEY! (On November 9th, Today!)

Decided to choose this picture to represent Hailey because not only is she beautiful in this picture, but also she's wearing her favorite color (from head to toe!), AND it shows what a cheeky/clever little girl she is with her playful wink!

Happy Birthday Audrey & Joelle!

2009-11-07T21:30:00.005+08:00

Audrey Yip

Joelle Ngai

Joelle and Audrey turned Three Years Old on November 5th!

Happy Birthday you girls! Hope to see your gorgeous smiles soon!

Happy Birthday Enoch!

2009-11-01T21:02:00.006+08:00

Happy Birthday Enoch!!!!!

Hope you had fun celebrating Halloween the night BEFORE your birthday, and then ANOTHER party the next day!!! Miss your "monsterrrrr!!!!" craziness and your super SWEET personality!

Found a nice picture of Daddy & Enoch enjoying some noodles in Global Kids =) Mommy & Daddy is so caring with Enoch. They both willingly play like little kids, using their imagination to create SUPER fun scenarios in class. Thanks for all the inspirations Daddy, Mommy, & Enoch!

Halloween Dress Up Fun - more!

2009-11-01T18:18:00.006+08:00

Some of our spooky outlooks this year! Tell us who has the most interesting look for the year.

Trick or Treat :)

2009-11-01T14:52:00.015+08:00

Corduroy joins us for more Halloween fun this year!
Corduroy's Trick-or-Treat
illustrated by Lisa McCue

we played pin-the-tail-on-the-black-cat game

cover up your eyes so you'll have to guess where to pin the tail!

---on the way to trick or treating

---knock knock candies please

--gymbo gives out candies:)

children dressing up for Halloween:)

Halloween Dress Up Fun

2009-10-30T18:25:00.003+08:00

Our first contestant this year - introducing Judha!

Baby Alex!!

2009-10-21T14:33:00.003+08:00

We went visiting Teacher Jessica and her family on Sunday. It was a very sweet gathering and we had fun chit-chatting. ^^ We were taking turns to hold baby Alex and we agreed that he liked Teacher Candace's arms the best! Jessica said she's already looking forward to Alex's 1-year-old birthday party at Gymboree! :D haha, this mommy is really thinking ahead!

Classes this season

2009-10-08T09:17:00.006+08:00

In a way, the title shows how unorganized I am. It's been a season and we're only publishing now. But I'm sure it's better than none.

Art 2 class - My Body

Story 1 class - The Tiger who Came to Tea

Global Kids Class - Russia

We have visited a few countries and done loads of interesting things this season. It is always a pity that when you were running a great class, you would normally run out of hands for pictures.

Lucky we still have one kept on the gorgeous artworks made for Russia.

Our Christie

2009-10-08T09:06:00.003+08:00

Was checking out the photos that we have taken lately and found these 2 of Christie. I'm sure mommy will love them as well. They reveal a different Christie.

Around the world in our Global Kids Class

2009-08-25T12:39:00.004+08:00

Enjoy the free trial of our Global Kids Class from now till Sep 20, 2009.

What's more?! Should you enroll a term of 12-class, we'll give you 1 extra class. That means the price of 12 for 13 classes!

There is simply no better season to travel the world with your little one than now.

Wild Wild West

2009-08-16T09:05:00.004+08:00

These 2 weeks, we "visited" American West in our Global Kids classes and became cowboys and cowgirls!

Teacher Jackie made these lovely posters that I can't help but to share.

It's a boy!!!!!

2009-08-12T21:25:00.001+08:00

The connection was bad and I am not exactly sure about the whole process. But it's positive that Irene had a BOY!

What a surprise!

Congratulations to Irene.

Noodle Fun

2009-08-07T14:30:00.015+08:00

Da Jia Hao! Last week, we decided that we've been travelling a bit too far every week, so we

decided to make a short trip to CHINA! Some noodle fun to share with you all:

We spent some time understanding

how to make La Mian,by pulling and pulling until the noodles

get very, very long.

Simone & Christie hard at work......

FINALLY! Time to eat!

Wow, look how poofy Hailey's mouth is!

She must have QUITE a mouthful of noodles there!

Completely forgot how messy noodles can be sometimes....

Presenting to you.. the AFTERMATH

Belly Dancers

2009-08-07T13:35:00.005+08:00

Dancing is always fun. Not only is it a great way to burn off some energy, it also allows us to express ourselves through body movements. As we went into the Arabian Nights, we shook our bellies til there was no tomorrow!

Here is Hannah, Brianne, and Jolene showing off their moves!

Story Time :)

2009-08-04T12:05:00.021+08:00

story class story class come on in story class :)
our kids have been enjoying themselves reading stories doing arts and crafts in story class!

My White Apron by Eric Carle
Calum, Teddy and Ian had so much fun dressing up! Calum wanted to be a fireman, Teddy a police officer and Ian just wanted to be Ian :P

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout
oh no this time our spider is not climbing up the water spout it is busy busy building her web!
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

This time Calum got to make his own spider and
a web by using only one piece of string! (and his fingers: please see the black dots they are SPIDERS :P)

Global Kids - Korea

2009-07-27T21:46:00.004+08:00

About a month ago, Global Kids went to visit and explored KOREA

Here's Jonah, singing a traditional children song about the Bear Family:

There were 3 bears living in a house

Papa bear was very wide and fat

Mama bear was slim and pretty

Baby bear was cute and lively,

Together together they lived happily!

Story 2 - Polar Bear Polar Bear What do you hear?

2009-07-26T20:56:00.004+08:00

With 2 of my favorites students in class, we got to read and enjoy the story a bit more causal, and a bit more enjoyable.

Taking pictures

2009-07-20T19:01:00.003+08:00

We love taking pictures. And we love taking funny pictures. You couldn't imagine how creative we could be when it comes to taking pictures.

Here's one taken on the day before Teacher Erna starting her missionary school in the Philippines.

And I think this is the best way to celebrate the fact that we can see her again in 10 months' time. Personally, I can't wait to see her again on May 2.

Food magic

2009-07-20T18:11:00.004+08:00

Asking a 2-year-old to eat may not be fun, but letting a 2-year-old to cook is surely full of joy (if you don't mind the mess).

Even the simplest cooking can be the most enlightening and inspiring for a little kid. You can easily see their eyes twinkle with the proudest look when they present you their dishes and food. And not to mention the speed of finishing up the food.

Since the launch of Global Kids and Story classes, we are very lucky to be able to include cooking in our lesson plan from time to time. So far, we've made sushi when we visited Japan in Global Kids, made pizza when we visited Italy in Global Kids and made cookies when we read Pancake Pancake in Story class.

I can't wait to cook more with our kids.

Bidding Goodbye

2009-07-18T17:21:00.003+08:00

It's my goodbye week at Gymboree HongKong after 2 years and 3 months of enormous fun and laughter. I'm going on a personal adventure to the Philippines for 10 months, doing a missionary school. I will miss very very much all the lovely children and wonderful babies in my classes. I've had a really great time teaching at Gymboree. I've learnt so much and grown a lot with Gymboree Hong Kong. I have fun, caring and wonderful colleagues, I'm going to miss, MISS you girls a LOT! We've been through ups and downs together and I'm so thankful for all your love ^^
Don't be sad, wish me luck and I'll see you in 10 months! I'll be back ^^ I'll look forward to the day I'm going to see your faces again ^^
Lots of LOVE and HUGS and KISSES,
Erna xoxo

Poll: Boy or Girl??

2009-07-10T17:36:00.006+08:00

It's not Halloween, why am I taking a picture with a pumpkin?? Oh, it's a belly!! Whose belly is this??

Let's see...

It's Irene's!!!!!!!!
Yes, Irene came back for a visit last month. We were so excited and yet so worried since she was 34 weeks pregnant!! I guess we underestimated her... Same old same Irene was still full of energy when she arrived Hong Kong after 9 days of traveling. She got no sign of fatigue and was talking and laughing as loud as before!! :D

She visited Gymboree three times and how could we miss an opportunity to eat out!! Teacher Jessica joined us for dinner as well! Of course these two pregnant ladies are delighted to see each others again; they were busy comparing their bellies, sharing feelings, and exchanging ideas...

Both of them are not disclosing the sex of their babies (Jessica is trying hard not to slip; Irene did not find out.)! We were all "analyzing": most of us think Jessica is gonna have a boy and Irene is gonna have a girl!

What do you think?? ^^

Cute Bugs Alert!!

2009-06-08T10:33:00.006+08:00

We are currently on the Spring unit of "Insects and Bugs" in Art 2. Last week, we were doing Ladybugs!! The second project in the class was to make a Ladybug headband. Our children enjoyed it a lot and had lots of fun pretending to be ladybugs!!

On Wednesday, once Weng Ga, Nicole, Jayla, and Sum Sum (from left to right) finished making their headbands, they couldn't wait to put them on!!!

Look at them, they are smiling and posing for the camera! I guess nobody would complain about these cute bugs at Gymboree!!! :)

Construction time!

2009-06-06T14:32:00.010+08:00

Say hello to our busy builders at Gymboree!

Karina and Brenton teaming up painting the house :)

They were working so hard in fixing the roof with colorful tiles!
Look at Hok Lam's happy face:)

Heiley and Lauren painting away! :)

and they wanted to do it again and again and again and again....

Update! Cybershot pictures FINALLY found~~

2009-05-25T16:04:00.005+08:00

Sorry for taking so long! I finally remembered where I put their artistic creations in my messy messy photo albums! I was so nervous that I might have lost them >.<

Enjoy Enjoy!!!

By Casey:

By Cameron:

Cybershot Moments...

2009-05-15T14:53:00.004+08:00

I recently showed Casey, Cameron, and Ngo Hei a neat function on my pink cybershot camera during PlayGym. Check out their artistic talents!

By Ngo Hei ....

By Casey ....

*More to come... searching through my messy photo albums for more by Ben and Cameron!

Goodbye Becky!

2009-04-14T23:39:00.002+08:00

This week our beloved Becky is moving.

We all feel very sad that she's leaving but also hopeful that our path will cross again and she'll come back to Gymboree HK.

Take care Becky, we all love you! Thank you for being with us, being who you are, we all love having you in our classes and we will miss you so MUCH!

*Hugs and Kisses*

Payne, Jacky, Eunice and Erna

Cookies Cookies!

2009-04-14T23:14:00.004+08:00

We had so much fun in Story 2 recently :)

We read a story by Eric Carle called Pancake Pancake.

We did pretend play making pancakes and everyone had so much fun flipping the pancake!

What's more? In the second week, we made cookies! Yes, real cookies!

We started by mixing the dough together. Anthony was so into it that he didn't want to let go of the wooden spoon and he kept on saying, "More butter, where is the butter?" haha He was so cute! Jolene also helped excitedly, earnestly mixing the dough.

When the dough was finally ready, we put them in the oven and we waited for the cookies to bake.

10 minutes went by and ding!! Finally they were ready!

As I took out the cookies from the oven, I could see great excitement written all over their faces and that proud look, as if saying: "Yes, I can make cookies! These are the cookies I made myself!"

Everyone just couldn't wait to take a bite. And when they finally tasted it...YUM!! I can see big smiles on their faces, YUMMY cookies! Jolene just couldn't stop eating them, she ate 4 of them! She said the cookies were very yummy!

Happy Birthday Teacher Payne!

2009-04-11T18:30:00.005+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEACHER PAYNE!!!!!!

Sorry for posting this a couple days late...>.<

Hope you had lots and lots of fun during this nice little easter holiday to celebrate your birthday with friends and family!

Since Global Kids is now currently going to Hawaii, we decided it was best to eat cake and and celebrate under the coconut trees!!!

Hope you enjoyed our little "Luau". heehee ^_^

Masterpiece

2009-04-07T12:51:00.004+08:00

Before I start, Erna, don't scream.

Was preparing for the art exhibition and was mounting some of the selected artworks on foam board. This was the scene with them all mounted and casually stacked against the wall of my office.

Pretty amazing, right?

Can't wait to see all the artworks displayed on our walls at the center.

Global Kids Japan March 2009... Recap~

2009-03-27T13:36:00.004+08:00

Our trip to Japan is almost to it's end! Here's a bunch of pictures as promised:

Our Sumo Wrestlers: Allen, Christopher, and Timothy.....

Look at the brotherly love from Christopher and Timothy! Combining their powers to try to win the fight!!!
Our Sakura Painters: Ralph, Alex, Jasmine, Christopher, Timothy, Hannah, Jonah, and Nicole...
Still have more pictures to come!!! We made beautiful Sushi artwork, Crab, Carp Windsocks, and ate sushi together!!!

Meanwhile... Sayonara!!! Will update very very soon!

Konnichiwa!!!

2009-03-20T22:17:00.005+08:00

We're traveling to Japan in Global Kids! To start our journey, we have Jonah, Hannah, and Nicole say hello to us with a friendly greeting!

More pictures to come! Sumo Wrestlers, Sakura trees, and Sushi Making! Can't wait to show everybody our fun fun times!

Ratatat Ratatat Ratatat

2009-03-16T23:05:00.005+08:00

Welcome back Jackie! :D
Jackie was on her holiday last week and we all missed her!
While she was away, I got the chance to teach some of her classes. One of those was Music 3 on Friday. I was actually very excited to see Karen, Christie, and Chloe in the class as I used to have them in my music class before! It was such a fun class; I was the one who was entertained the most! It was the 2nd week of "Marches" when I made the following video; and let's take a look!

They were originally marching in a circle and playing the rhythm pattern on the Tum Tum Drum at the same time; but when I took my camera out (it's actually my cell phone, so please pardon me for the not so good quality of the image. ^^), they all lined up against the wall instead (what a cute reaction! ^^). Anyway, I think their performance is marvellous and they look just adorable!! Won't you agree?? :D

2009-03-05T13:05:00.013+08:00

Gymbo stamps ~ Gymbo Stamps~ come get your Gymbo Stamps ~

Hands out ~ Tummys out~ Get them before you march on out ~~

Giving out Gymbo stamps is one of the moments we really enjoy spending with our children! Our little ones love to see Gymbo's smile being put all over them. Some like it on the hands, some like it on the feet, some like it on the head! The cutest is when they pull up their shirts, showing their tummies in the proudest way !! Let's take a look at the Belly Parade!!

(Scout, Hok Lam, Tilly, Ngo Hei, Jefferson, Nicholas, Alex James, Aidan, Jordan)

Oh~ look at them! Sometimes after finishing the stamps, I just sit on the floor and watch how the little ones examine their Gymbo stamps with a very satisfied smile. A lot of times, they come to give a hug, a kiss, or a "thank you"; and this is when I secretly wish time will just stop and these children will stay happy like this forever!

bye my dear :(

2009-02-19T16:13:00.004+08:00

I know I should have done this byebye blog earlier, I hope Izzy still remembers us at Gymboree! It's always sad to say goodbye to our cutest kids. We all thought it was such a joy to have Isabelle in our classes; her super skills of all sort such as awesome dance moves, artistic vision (just look at her artwork in the picture!) and the way she melts your heart when she gives you the biggest smiles. OH and the size of her vocabulary bank just leaves me in awe! i especially love it when she says "airplane" :) sweetie we'll miss you and please come visit us sometime in the future!

The Rabbit and The Turtle

2009-02-10T00:17:00.002+08:00

This week in Art 3 we are exploring The Way Things Move.

We read one of Aesop's fables, The Rabbit and the Turtle.

Then, I asked the children what they wanted to make for the sculpting project, the rabbit or the turtle. This is how it turned out, pretty amazing! Look how cute their creation are!

Casey's Visits

2009-02-10T00:10:00.003+08:00

I always love Casey's occasional visit to our Staff Room in Monday afternoons :)

It brightens up my busy yet fun day. He usually comes to Gymboree for the Play Gym and he will come to our staff room to say "hi" to the teachers, stay for a little chit chat and will generously give his sweet big hugs to us!

Today he was wondering about the interesting green stick Teacher Jacqui has. She showed him how it worked and he was pretty curious of what it was. What is it Teacher Jacqui?

Be slow

2009-02-08T18:21:00.008+08:00

One of my colleagues (of my other job) told me about a way to read faster, literally reading faster, finishing a book sooner.

I remember times when I felt the need to read fast, well, mostly when I hated the book.

Perhaps it's the luxury of getting old, to read fast and efficient has become much less of my concern. In fact, I start to look for books that would keep me read slowly.

That's why I fell in love with children's books. They are poetic. They are made for you to read it again and again and again.

And again.

My new found today for those who enjoy being slow:

This is one of the oldest books of Oliver Jeffers. Been looking for it for long.

I should actually buy 2 of this, so that both my kids can grow old with it.

Dear Rafael Mak,

2009-02-06T12:03:00.013+08:00

Vroom vroom vroom...
Rafael is in his Terrific Two!
There's a jeep waiting for you,
Color it if you want to!

wishing you a

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Rafael!!!
with lots of hugs and kisses *8*

Inspiration

2009-02-04T15:35:00.004+08:00

By now, I'm sure most of you know that I'm a big fan of Sir Ken Robinson, for the way he advocates creativity and for his great presentation. Found a short video from him lately.

After watching this, I can't help but wonder, as a teacher myself, who am I inspiring? how am I inspiring?

I suppose being inspirational is the biggest part of teaching (and most fulfilling). I remember how my life was brighten by knowing that Him Him (one of my old art students, a shy boy) has fallen in love with 'making things' after art class; and how excited I was knowing how much our students love to sing....

And this is, and always will be, what we are trying to do here at Gymboree. To inspire little ones to come up with interesting ideas from even the tiniest thing from everyday life, no matter how irrelevant, how impossible, how unexpected they are... coz life is no fun without imaginations.

A great start for a beautiful weather day~

2009-02-03T15:17:00.004+08:00

We had a SURPRISE VISIT today!!! Rachel came back with auntie Janet to say hello!!!!
Such a big girl now.. going to school. I hope you're having loads of fun in school with friends.

Silly me, spent so much time being happy and asking you so many questions without bringing out a camera to take a more recent photo!

THANK YOU FOR VISITING! It truly was a great highlight to start off a tuesday ^_^
Come visit again soon!!

2009-02-02T22:42:00.005+08:00

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

Well, I know it's a bit late but I just returned from my holiday today! :P First thing in the morning, I got a red pocket from Lily, yeah!!! Such a happy way to start my day with! :)

In the afternoon, we celebrated Jackie's Birthday!

The cake was very very yummy!! :P

Happy birthday again!!!!!

It's good to be back to Gymboree as life is so much fun here; and I get to see the kids that I really missed over the holiday!!! HAPPY HAPPY!!

Picasso in Art 3!

2009-02-02T13:30:00.004+08:00

We just finished the "Art Fun" unit in Art 3 and in the last week we did Picasso's Cubism and Picasso Puzzle. It's really interesting to see the children's creation and their different artistic expressions.

I was particularly amazed to see how patient Seung Yon worked on her Picasso puzzle, filling and moulding the dough into the funny shapes in the picture. A well done job indeed!

I'm so proud of them!

Happy Birthday Teacher Jackie

2009-02-02T09:05:00.004+08:00

We haven't done the birthday celebration yet so I've put in a Christmas pic instead. But then it's a nice pic so I suppose Jackie won't mind.

Happy Birthday!

P.S. Rafael and Mommy were kind of expecting you for the Music 2 class today and surprisingly found that it was me! You can expect the pressure on me. I have to live up to not only Payne's class but then also the teacher who sings best in Gymboree.

Oh I wish I were a Pepperoni Pizza..

2009-01-22T19:28:00.004+08:00

More Pizza Madness!!!! Everybody was so eager in trying their own pizza, they kept eating all the cheese and pepperoni!!!!

We sang "Fra Martino" at our Venice Festival today as we waited for our pizzas to cook!

Ciao! Italian Pizza time!

2009-01-20T12:45:00.009+08:00

We had SO MUCH FUN yesterday making pepperoni pizzas! Hannah and Jonah LOVES pepperoni and cheese...

Hannah, carefully putting tomato sauce on her pizza. She was so helpful, making my pizza and a pizza for mommy too!

As we waited for our pizza to cook in the oven, we went on a Gondola boat ride, ate gelato, and danced at the Venice Festival with our favorite costumes!

Presenting: Supermodels Hannah and Jonah Wong...

AT LAST! THE PIZZA IS DONE!!!!
YUMMY YUMMY IN MY TUMMY!!!

We all went to Africa!!!

2009-01-17T21:37:00.005+08:00

We all went on Safari.. to see what we could see....

We spotted roaring lions...

(Benjamin the Lion)

Pretty "Mulan" Monkeys

(Charmaine "Mulan" the Monkey)

And we made colorful beaded bracelets while doing a tribal African dance!
(Xavier raising his arms high up in the air, proudly showing off his bracelet)

We had so much fun pretending to be all sorts of different animals! Monkey dancing, Elephant march, etc.etc. The kids showed so much imagination in class!

This week, ITALY! Can't wait to show everybody our fun with making pizzas and going on gondola rides! Ciao!!!!!

2009-01-16T13:58:00.003+08:00

Saw this video a while ago and would like to share with you all here. ^^

Children's facial expressions are just so delightful!! They look so cute whatever they do!! They are beautiful as angels even when they put on an evil look on the face!!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T10:49:00.009+08:00

Teacher Erna needed to go home for Christmas and hence missed the fun of our Christmas Party. Erna and Irene, here are the highlights about what you've missed:

We were thrilled to have Lily to be our Gymbo this year. Payne said Lily resembles most of Gymbo's features and 'forced' her to be our Gymbo. Thank you Lily.

Parents were surely more excited to see Gymbo coming alive than the kids. To the kids, Gymbo surely came in the wrong size on the day: "Gymbo should be smaller than me!" Take a look at Jeremy and Mommy and you'll know what I mean.

I was most excited about our Puppet Show (and shocked as well because Payne told me right before the party that we were having snow ball fight on the playfloor which I would normally say no for cleanliness reason). The kids (well, and me as well) were laughing non stop during the show.

And we've made the longest train ever in Gymboree when we were getting onboard for the trip to North Pole.

There are so much more to tell. May be it's easier to look at all the pictures at our photo gallery.

And this is our post party look. Not sure about the others but I was surely exhausted.

Finally, a short note of thank you: Thank you Payne for leading the party. Thank you Erna for the art station ideas and preparation. Thank you Jackie for being our music director. Our songs were surely much more musical this year. Thank you Maegan for the puppet show idea. It's a pity that we don't have video recorder to tape that. Thank you Arianne for being the Lion and Pigeon and all other animals during the party. We won't be as wild without you. Thank you Lily for being Gymbo. Thank you Eunice, Anna and Yan for the help. And thank you all for coming to our party and made it fun and joyful.

Nee Naw Nee Naw!!

2008-12-17T16:59:00.003+08:00

I super L-O-V-E my Sunday Level 6. The kids in that class have been with me for a few months now and some of them have been there for quite sometime, and I found every week with them is amazing!

I was really thrilled last Sunday. We played "At The Fire Station," apparently it was a really interesting and engaging theme! The first week went with me leading the class as it was the introduction week. But, the second one was awesome! They played as fire fighters themselves without me leading them, but I FOLLOWED them! I was really, REALLY HAPPY!!

We started at the Fire Station. All the 'fire fighters' were asleep soundly then the fire alarm went off and they all woke up and were ready for action! They quickly put on their gears and ran for the fire engine. To my surprise they all LOVED the fire engine and the really enjoy drove the fire engine to the rescue and they even MADE the sound of the siren!

Then, they quickly jumped off the engine and went to the 'burning building', grabbed the fire hoses and started putting out the fire. Then, I asked them, "Do you still see fire?" Jason said, "There, there down there!" and he aimed the hose to it. Then, James said, "There, there up there!" and he did like what Jason did. And, I did follow them, aiming my hose to the direction they showed me hehehehe

Then, right after they said no more fire, they quickly went back to the engine and drove to the next rescue: saving Gymbo who was stuck on a big tall tree.

Then, suddenly Jason shouted, "The ship is on fire!! The ship is on fire!!"

I am usually the one who ask them questions and propose ideas, but this one really came out of the blue! I did not suggest putting out fire from a burning ship the previous week. So, I thought, "This is new! It's so COOL!" hahaha

Then, I asked, "Where? Where?" And Jason answered, "There, there!" pointing at the set-up for the 'burning building'. Then to my surprise, everyone quickly jumped into the fire engine and drove again to the next rescue! and I thought, "Wow, now they really grasp the idea that every time there's fire, the fire fighters drive around on their fire engine to the rescue, COOL!"

Finally, we, again, did a great job putting out fire at the burning ship!

That day our little fire fighters fought the fire bravely and did a lot of rescues.

This is why I feel so lucky: being able to witness the kids blooming in their imagination.

HOLA!

2008-12-14T08:25:00.004+08:00

HOLA everybody! Como estas (how are you)?

This week, we're in Spain/Portugal for Global kids. We had great fun throwing tomatoes during our tomato festival, created our own decorative pavement streets, and finally, "cooked" our own paella rice! Look how yummy our creations are!

Totto-chan

2008-12-07T12:39:00.012+08:00

It was in the afternoon in 2003, I remember my sister came into my bedroom and showed me a book; Totto-chan, The Little Girl at the Window. She said," It's a true story, you're gonna love it. Quick, finish it tonight!" I was impressed and surprised that in Tokyo, Japan, back then in 1937, there was such an unconventional and loving school; Tomoe Gakuen. It's my dream school and an answer for kids who are labeled as problematic.

Maybe you've heard of Totto-chan. It was first published in 1981 in Japanese and has been translated into many languages, including Chinese.

I forgot about the book until few weeks ago when I read Rachel's blog about school (how she hates her schools and school in general, we argue the least on this haha) and that reminded me of the fact that most schools neglect kids' Multiple Intelligences and their different ways to express themselves. Then, I remembered Totto-chan.

I highly recommend this book for everyone. Google it for more information!

Aquariums Appreciation

2008-12-05T19:53:00.014+08:00

For a long time I only taught one level in Art; it was Art 2 and the children in class are from 24 to 36 months. At that age, they are already very expressive and can understand "steps" quite well. Lately I started teaching Art 1; the children in class are from 16 to 24 months. In Art 1, little children can do Art works, and experience different tactile stimuation. What has astonished me the most is how they are already showing their own personality and interest at such an early age!! :D

Last week in Art 1, I had three students and we made Aquariums!! The children were given fish cut outs, pebbles, and sequins to glue on after painting the fish bowls.

Let's look at them here:

This is Abigail's Aquarium. She is quite a character; she likes doing things on her own!! When Mommy or Yaya tried to help her, she would push their hands aside and complain in her own baby language!! :D That is a very cute and funny scenario!! Look at her aquarium, she didn't like the pebbles at all, so she took them all away even Mommy kept trying to give her some. See how persistent she is??!! She is very devoted into the work all the time; so she doesn't mind getting paint all over herself. :)

This is Alex's Aquarium. He is a speedy kid! He likes using allllll kinds of art materials and enjoys touching them! He likes his art works to be full of different elements. Look at his aquarium: a hand full of pebbles, lots of fishes big and small, and colorful sequins! Why is he a speedy kid?? It is because even he uses so many materials, he is always the first one to finish his project. He does it so fast that he has extra time to run around the room! :D

This is Max's Aquarium. Max's mommy is really good in keeping Max's works original! :) Therefore, Max's art works show Max's character a lot! One cute thing about Max is that he is a really clean and tidy boy!! As he paints his work, he always has a wet towel with him so that he wipes up the paint that gets onto the mat. He is so good in tidying up too!! Now look at his aquarium: he was very selective; he ONLY liked and picked pebbles! (Well, one piece of sequin fell onto the picture by accident...) See the composition is the exact opposite of Abigail's; how interesting!!

I feel very fascinated looking at these three very different aquariums! Please take your time to appreciate their beautiful works! :)

Community Helpers

2008-12-04T16:01:00.006+08:00

This month in Art 2, our theme is Community Helpers! So far, all the children have been fire fighters and doctors! I was very lucky enough to capture their cheerful smiles as they proudly pose with their artwork.

Weng Ga with his vest and fire hose

Charmaine presenting her doctor's bag

Jennifer

Toby

Better late than never

2008-11-28T17:04:00.007+08:00

Hallu!

Arianne here...

This is long overdue. I've promised the parents I was going to load these pictures almost a month ago.

Wait no longer. Here it is...

Push and Pull was such a fun theme. Parents and children showed a lot of teamwork. WELL DONE with a SUPER E for EXCELLENT.

Safiya and Family
Catch mommy and pull that pink SCARF!

Cyrus and family
Push the rainbow barrel

Howard and family
Push push push that handle ball!

Jeremy and family
Pull Jeremy down the slide...weee....

Airlog freeze time!
TAP TAP TAP TAP

and FREEZE...

I adore my L4 Sunday. Everybody is determined and more than willing to have FUN FUN FUN!

till next time.

ciao bella,
_me_

Peek-a Boo

2008-11-28T16:51:00.001+08:00

Hallu!

Arianne here.

Photos, photos, photos!
Finally, I've got the time.... here goes

Art 1 Sunday
I'm not sure when was this. I had Jolie, Ian and Jocelyn for Art 1 on an easy Sunday. It was FUN!
"Jolie and family"
Jolie has been in my class from the start. I loved seeing her progress especially her "I don't want to wear a smock" stage to " I'm gonna wear that smock but let me play a game first" stage. I am so proud of her and thank you so much mommy and daddy for all the encouragement, support and smiles. See you on Sunday!!! Love you Jolie...
"Ian Tan and family"
Ian -Ian! I miss you a lot and thank you for trying Art 1 for a bit. I've seen your Art 2 projects and they are NICE!!! "Jocelyn and Family"
Such a cheerful and smart little girl. It was a pleasure teaching Jocelyn! Mommy was such a joy!
This was such a beautiful Art 1 class. It was the first time I saw Jolie showing effort in making art. In her own way of course but nonetheless she was participating and enjoying it. I could see the sparkle in Mum and Dads eyes.

I told Ian's family that it was alright to be messy. I showed them that they can use their hands instead if the paintbrush wasn't to Ian's liking and Ian took over and as you can see ....

Jocelyn didn't have any problems being little ms. messy. When she saw Ian painting with his hands she followed and painted to her heart's content.

It was such a funny art class.

ciao bella!
_me_

Happy Children

2008-11-28T11:21:00.009+08:00

In response to Irene's post on November 20, I've got 2 pictures to share here showing just how cute and funny Jayla and Markus are!!! Look at them putting "scary faces" on our door as they were waiting for the elevator; using every second to spread fun all over the place! I wish all children can be as playful, and as confident, and as happy as they can be!!

Talking about happy children, Hayley who had her 2-year-old birthday party at Gymboree on Novemeber 2nd had a very good and happy day too!
Hayley was carrying a charity box from Unicef collecting donations from her guests in her birthday party! I am very impressed and think it is such a wonderful idea to teach a child performing good deeds at early age, learning another meaning of happiness!!

Starting at Gymboree....

2008-11-27T15:31:00.011+08:00

Finally! ..I've been promising myself that I would share my experiences at Gymboree for a long time and with some playful prompting here it is!Although Hong Kong is very different to England, I'm finding Gymboree life very interesting and challenging with every class acting as a new learning step... Every class is so different. The children are so adorable and funny! :) I thought I'd share some of the few moments I managed to capture on camera!

Art 2 on a Thursday, usually Lucas, Aden and Delos who all have very different imaginations and every week they surprise me with something and make me giggle...

We did vegetable printing with real vegetables!

And Today was out first day of Community Helpers and they all made their very own fire hoses. They even dressed up as Firefighters wearing their individual fire vests!

About Play

2008-11-24T12:21:00.005+08:00

TED talks every year is one of the most important events that I won't miss online. (Perhaps it's because I'm on advertising as well) And this year, Tim Brown's presentation about play & creativity is a talk that best encapsulates our believe here at Gymboree. Should adults find play essential in their work lives, can you imagine the importance of play to our little ones!

It's a nice presentation. Plus it's interesting and encouraging to know that firms and organizations in the adult world are trying to get back to environments like Gymboree for inspirations.

It's Jayla Chan's turn!

2008-11-20T20:12:00.021+08:00

Yes, Jayla also turned TWO
on November 19, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAYLA!

Here are some pictures we took:

Jayla is Markus Chan's little sister.

Jayla was not in my class long enough, but I immediately felt familar with her. She's as active and fun as Markus is. Jayla and Markus have the same body gestures and facial expressions! They have the same jumping running shaking head style and the same way in saying yes/no! Jayla really looks up to his big bro ; ). They actually look like twins.

I tried my best to take a picture of her.

I should borrow Markus and Jayla for a week (no, a year), look at Mrs.Chan, she's always slim and fit! Thanks for your kind visit, everybody was so entertained by Markus and Jayla. They're just happy running around in a circle haha!

Two Bunnies

2008-11-18T10:06:00.005+08:00

We've got two bunny visitors in the morning today!!

When they found each other, they hugged and kissed. What a precious moment!

Brianne and Chloe are the cutest bunnies I've even seen. ^^ Seeing them playing with each other is the best way to start my day at Gymboree. These two very sweet little girls both started coming here at around 8-months old. I still remember them looking like little marshmallows; now, they can run, they can talk, they can sing, they can do art works, and soooooo many other things. As teachers, we have the privilege of watching a child growing up and learning; aren't we so lucky?? ^^