Twins are fascinating. They've been the subject of myth, mystery and sometimes curiosity to many. One of the magical mysteries associated with twins or multiples is that they share a special connection beyond that of ordinary siblings. You'll often see them doing the same thing, saying the same thing and even getting sick at the same time. While the twin bond is a special aspect of their unique relationship, do they really have extraordinary qualities? Do they share the same thoughts or read each other's minds?

Let's find out more from our Gymboree instructors who are very experience in managing twins in their classes.

Emilia & Sofia

These two pretty identical twin girls who attend my Play & Learn 4 on Mondays are so adorable. We are fascinated seeing them dress in matching outfits everytime they come to Gymboree either for a class or for a play gym. They are a bit new at Gymboree that is why most of our staffs still having a hard time telling who's who. They act alike, love to dance and love to share toys to each other. Though, they share similarities they also have some differences and unique characteristic from each other in which only their mom and dad can point these out. We would like to hear more from them these funfacts about Emilia and Sofia the next time they come here! 

Tin & Nan

They are our fraternal boy and girl twins from Play and Learn 5 on Sunday. These two active and clever twins really amazed us the first they joined our class. Yes, they are clever, knowing the facts that they have a very good listening and social skills they are also good at imitating teachers. Why? Simply because they do and follow exactly what the teacher is doing. Even the way how I clap and sway side to side at the same time, they will imitate me. Of all their similarities and characteristics, there is one thing I really admire them the most, it is their special twin bonding that shows great love and concern for each other. 

BY: DINA  

Alex & Max

BY: JENG

Gia Hung & Gia Han

Han and Hung are sweetest pair of twins around. One would not move or play during Sports class unless the other is ready. They have to be by each other's sides when we perform tasks by pairs, or else they would refuse to do the activity. They hold each other's hands while waiting for their turns; and they even give each other hugs and kisses if they did the sport well! They make a very active, inseparable pair.

BY: KIM

Huy & Khoa

Another set of twin boys are Huy and Khoa from Play & Learn 4 on Sunday. Their mom is so proud of them as they do have very distinctive similarities as well as differences. Huy who is after his father when it comes to physical features based from his mom is much more active, friendly can easily adapt to his new environment. On the other hand, Khoa who is after his mom shows great interest in playing their home gadgets like lap top, remote control and cell phones. Their mom even stated that maybe in the future Khoa will be in the field of I.T. and Huy in business. I was quite surprised when I heard these funfacts about them.

BY: DINA & HANH

Bao Ngoc & Bao Vy

Identical twins, Ngoc and Vy attend my Play & Learn 4 on fridays. They always look so adorable running around the playfloor, wearing the exact same clothes! Calling them by their names is quite the challenge because I always mistake one for the other. Identical as they may be, they have very different personalities. Ngoc tends to be more shy, while Vy always the adventurous one. But one thing remains constant with them-they both absolutely love bubbles.

BY: KIM

Benjamin & Simon

One look at Simon and Ben, you would not automatically think that they are twins. But ask them and they would confirm that they are! These twin boys who always claim to be 3 years old do not really shows their real age because they are quite tall and big compare to the other kids of same age group. They attend our Sports class on Mondays and Fridays under the supervision of Kim and Dina. Each is very unique and with his own special qualities. Ben is the more gentle and enthusiastic one; while Simon is the more active and playful twin. One thing I learned about Simon is, he is good at listening and following instructions when only few kids are around!

BY: KIM & DINA

The unique bond between twins either identical or fraternal is commonly known, but one thing we are sure of; multiples bring so much joy to each of their parent as we also experience DOUBLE THE FUN AT GYMBOREE!!!

Woohooo! It is my turn to write on our Gymboree blog.

I will start with our most recent event that we had cooperated with Abbott Vietnam to celebrate their members’ 1 year old, 2 years old and 3 years old children birthday. We were so pleased to be invited to be a part of their birthday event that was held at Sheraton Hotel, HCMC. As we are new here in Vietnam, some parents might not know what Gymboree is about and how interesting is our program. So, this was really a good chance for us to introduce ourselves to the local community and it was great to see the kids having a fun time.

It was also a great experience for us and I could say that our whole team learnt a lot from this event be it in the preparations (planning, liaising, arrangements etc) and the real event day itself. We are definitely getting better and stronger in arranging events.

Though we were only able to get the event schedules, venue and space layout two weeks before the event, I was so impressed with our team effort and every staffs were so excited and keen to help. I believe this is what team work is and it really made us shine on the event day. Thanks to everyone!

 By the way, kudos to the Abbott Vietnam marketing and event planning team as well.  Really impressed with their effort and energy for all the events.

 Okay! Let’s share some event picture here.

 We actually wanted to print out this as our event poster but because of some technical problem we were not able to print as our wish. It was not as easy as it look for this shot! Therefore, I would like to share it here.(Ooops! I missed out Jeng, one of our beautiful instructors. She was having her art class while we took this picture. I promise we won’t miss you out next time =D)

Event day team!

By Ekkie

My son Gregory joined Gymboree when he was eight months old. I still remember how much he enjoyed the bubbles and parachute activities on his first day. Now he is enrolled in Play and Learn 2. I am very satisfied with this program.  It has lots of music and physical activities. The facility at HCMC Gymboree is great. Every time Greg takes a class, he becomes more active and shows more interest.  

He is also learning lots from being with other babies.  It is amazing to watch Greg grow and to see the differences in him over the weeks. Clapping his hands to music for the first time was the latest surprise and it happened during his favourite activity, bubble time! I have no doubt that Gymboree assists in the physical and mental development of my son.

 The instructors and the assistants are great and I really appreciate the effort and caring that they put in and show. Gymboree would not be the same without their dedication. My son loves them all!

Ms. Takayo Nakai (Gregory's mom)

     

Click here to download:

we-love-eddiiiiiiie-eoIFGsnovqrEnEzmJEed.zip (2466 KB)

This is what you’d hear from Eddie, along with the soft pitter-patter of his feet, as he enters our center. Every time he is in Gymboree, he charms his way into everybody’s hearts with his funny antics and sweet smile. Even when he first started out with Gymboree, he was already a very active and friendly little boy. He explores the playroom with much enthusiasm that is rubbed off on. Thus, we were all bluer than blue when we found out that Eddie and his family were bound to leave for their home country at the end of June.

Having been with us for four months, Eddie is always ready for just about anything. It always brings us fulfillment to see that whenever we pose a task for him (and his classmates) in Play & Learn 4 class, he thinks of clever ways to achieve the goal. He has grown into a curious toddler who knows how to use his body and mind together for a purpose. We marvel at his memory as well! We joke that he could be one of the teachers because he could sing the Welcome, Bubbles, and numerous other songs, and imitate the teacher in most of what she does during class.

One of the most memorable activities with Eddie would be The Freeze dance when he’d shout “freeze!” and swiftly bring his hands to the top of his head. Another would be Bubbles Time when he’d ask for “BIIIIG bubbles!” and pretend to blow bubbles himself. There are actually too many fond moments with Eddie that this list would go on and on.  But, needless to say, every minute that we shared with Eddie would remain in our hearts forever.

We’d like to offer our deepest thanks to Ate Janeth, Mommy Anna, and Daddy Scott. It was with your guidance, love, and support that we have worked together for Eddie. We thank you for joining our Gymboree family and trusting us with your beloved child. We wish your lovely family all the best. And thank you, little Eddie Berney, for the brightness that you’ve brought to our days. We miss and love you so much!

By Kim and Hanh

     

Click here to download:

thank-you-gymboree-vietnam-iHtJpbpqAevjHbzqfkat.zip (5697 KB)

By Dina

I was really sad knowing that Daisy and Lily will no longer be attending Gymboree starting next week. They had their last Play & Learn 3 class on Monday, 28^th of June. Daisy’s family moved to Indonesia and Lily’s family to Singapore. They have been with us for almost four months and in that span of time they have touched our lives. We have seen how they have grown with so much curiosity each time they attend their class. I remember Daisy’s first time at Gymboree, she was just a crawler who always loves to cling to her nanny Ate Doriss but now she’s an experience walker who loves running around the play floor. Lily is the youngest kid I have in Play 3, but being the youngest doesn’t matter to her at all because she has her own unique way in showing how she explores and interacts with the other kids around her.

Some of Daisy’s favourite activities in Play & Learn are “Airlog Push”, “Parachute Bubbles and Ride” and “Peek-a-boo with Gymbo Stick Puppet”. I believed that these activities have really great impact on her and made her become a successful little communicator. Every time she arrives at Gymboree she cannot wait to enter the play floor, she will insist you to bring her in by extending her arm and pointing out to the room. She makes full use of her body gestures to communicate with others and be able to know what she really wants, thinks, needs and feels.

I will always remember Lily for her pretty smiles. I never saw her with a cranky face even once. She brightens up our day when she enters the room with a big, pretty smile. When I begin singing the welcome song she will start clapping and reaching for her toes though the lines are not asking her yet to do so. It just shows that even an opening activity has a great impact on her too which is building her memory through song. She is very much focused especially when giving her own bubbles, she will make her eyes really, really big and track for the bubbles that come her way trying to reach, catch and hopefully pop them out.

These two little princesses of Gymboree Play and Music Vietnam have touched our lives. We want to send our deepest thanks to their parents for letting them experience what Gymboree family is all about. Thank you very much for the trust and support you have given to us throughout your stay here. We will surely miss you both Daisy & Lily!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

By Dina

 Hello everyone,

My name is Le Hanh. I am an instructor at Gymboree Vietnam.   It’s fun working at Gymboree because we are like a big warm family. I would like to share my experiences about Quyen, one of my colleagues, who left quite an impression on me.

The first time I saw her, she was so strange that I could not believe that she was Vietnamese. With big curly hair, full lips, huge round earrings together with a brocaded suit, she was not Vietnamese at all. However, time flew and we worked and spent a lot of time together.  I gradually discovered her amiability, creativity and independence. I really admired her strong character.

Recently we had to say our goodbyes to Quyen when she left to go abroad for her modern exploration. She received a scholarship from an Italian Institute in fashion design. A bright future is sure to come to her.

I know you will make your dreams come true!

Bye Quyen!  We love you and miss you!

By Le Hanh

My family and I went for a holiday in Brisbane and decided also to pay a visit to Gymboree Play & Music Australia.  Elaine Beitz, owner and director of Gymboree Australia was so hands-on at her  Sunnybank Plaza site; she was greeting customers, tracking down their attendance, giving class information to new and on going customers.....I believe in the 5 minutes of standing at her site she must have managed more than 10-15 customers.....Wow! The energy she had was tremendous!  Despite her very busy day, she was so nice and took a quick break to have coffee with us and showed us around. Also, Elaine shared with us some very valuable advice and ideas that we can  put into good use at Gymboree Play & Music Vietnam.

Although it was a short visit, it was a very memorable one.  Thank you so much for having us!

Cheers! 

Leelian

This was our first event with SCC and this is my first time blogging. So please bear with me!

March 13, 2010 was Gymboree’s first experience participating in the Cyclo Challenge.  This is SCC’s annual fund raising event and we were very excited to be a part of the fun. We really wanted to create a fun space for kids and families to enjoy together.

On the day of the event, I woke up earlier than normal and went to a wet market near my house as my boss asked me to buy some potatoes and carrots for the kid’s art activities. It is not so easy to choose 20 potatoes and 20 carrots that are all the same size.  I found some nice and round shaped potatoes at one shop from this small market. The shop owner was so surprised to know that her vegetables would be used to paint t-shirts!  The first task was completed successfully; it should be a lucky day I thought!

At 12:30, the doors opened and our first participants arrived, three boys eager to get into the sandbox. They all were so excited to see plastic shovels and pails to play with.   They asked their parents’ permission to join “Dinosaurs Digs”.  The rules were simple, to dig and find 5 things hidden in the sand.  We had dinosaurs, dinosaur eggs and bones.  It seemed very easy but our student volunteers from American International School (AIS) did quite a good job at hiding these small materials!

Playing in the sand never seems to lose its charm, not only for little kids but also for the AIS teenagers!

It was so HOT and so BUSY on that day!
Here are some highlights from the event.

Some of the parents were so surprised to find Gymboree here in Vietnam. Thank you everyone for coming by and playing with us!  We had a great time and hope you did too! 

P.S. Thank you Tarnie Liew and his son for coming to Gymboree’s class right after the event and becoming a Gymboree member.

Also, I would like to say that I had a great time meeting and working with the fantastic students from AIS. Before the event, they asked me whether they would have some break time to watch the cyclo race. However, the students must have really enjoyed their time with all the kids because their teacher had to come and remind them when it was time for their school’s race! 

Thank you so much, Alison Lockwood and all the AIS students who helped support Gymboree. All your hard work and dedication made for a wonderful day at the event.

Thanks again to AIS for designing our activity posters and thank you to Tung Nguyen Co., Ltd. for sponsoring the printing of our posters.

AIS Poster Designers:  Phuong Y Duong, Anh Phuong Nguyen, Minh Tran, Julieanne Nguyen

And finally, thank you so much to Huong and her husband for preparing everything for the event from the beginning until the last minute!

Hip Hip Hooray!!! It’s A Gymboree Day!!!

By Hoang Anh