Gymboree Fun

For the last two months, I have been taking Maddie and Will to Gymboree Play and Music at Brookfield Square Mall for a "Learn and Play" class that meets once per week.  The class gives children the opportunity to play in a safe, fun environment while learning basic concepts like "Up and Down", "On and Off", and "Over and Under".  

When I took the twins to preview the class back in early September, they were hesitant to participate in the activities.  Maddie, especially, stayed close to me.  Over the last two months, though, they have both grown much more comfortable there.  In fact, they all but hijacked Thursday's class.  They had their own agenda for the class, and it didn't match the teacher's plans!  

Maddie and Will have loved going to Gymboree (as the smiles in the pictures below will show), and will most certainly miss our weekly visits.  We plan on returning, though, when we're back in the good ol' US of A next summer!

Will was obsessed with the giant tube on Thursday.  He chose to ignore the teacher's directions, and to roll the tube back and forth instead!

Maddie typically heads straight for the big bucket of balls as soon as we arrive each week.  She was holding a yellow ball while rocking on the double-sided rocking horse when this picture was taken.

Will liked to flirt with some of the young women that work at Gymboree.  He was flashing this huge smile at one of them!

While Will was busy flirting, Maddie was burying herself in foam blocks!

I think that she completely emptied out the block buckets all on her own!

One of the twins' favorite activities is "The Freeze".  During "The Freeze", children in the class pound their hands on the giant tube in rhythm to the song.  When the music stops, they "freeze" until it starts again.

Most of the children and adults freeze by putting their hands on their cheeks; Maddie and Will put their hands over their eyes!

I think Will's having fun!

Each class includes parachute activities.  The children are invited to run and dance under the parachute while we sing songs.

Each class ends with the appearance of the Gymboree mascot, Gymbo the Clown.  The children are given Gymbo puppets to use in singing a song about the clown.  Here, Maddie moves along to the song.

As much as I dislike clowns, I purchased a Gymbo puppet as a souvenir of our Gymboree experience on Thursday.  The things that I will do for those kids!

Families are invited to stay for "Open Gym" after each class.  We usually stay about 10 to 15 minutes after class before taking a stroll into and around the mall for a while.

Yes, that is a lion that you see in the background.  Some children came to class in costume on Thursday.

Nothing beats playing with a super huge ball!

Bye-bye, Gymboree!  We'll see you next year!