Gymboree of Forest Hills - Review Part Deux!

(EDIT: Please see my third and final Gymboree of Forest Hills review where I fall back in love with the place. So fickle, so fickle... but trying to be as honest as can be!) 

We finally got to go to our second Play & Learn Class at Gymboree in Forest Hills after a snow cancellation and Andrew being sick, and I should have waited just a tad longer before I gave this Gymboree location such a glowing review. I mean, I wasn't so off base with my previous post, but yesterday's class left a bit more to be desired than our first time there.

First, we found out yesterday that the teacher we loved so much--Miss Amanda--was actually a substitute. Our real teacher is Gabriella Paez and, sadly, she is not nearly as good. I don't mean to be rude, but the class with her seemed so disorganized. We rushed from one activity to the next and the children didn't really get a chance to enjoy anything. Also--and this is going to sound very mean--but I couldn't really understand what Miss Gabriella was saying. I by no means intend to disrespect anybody who has an accent--my father and most of my older relatives have them--but I couldn't follow the class most of the time. This probably doesn't matter to Andrew now, of course, but I want him to learn to sing London Bridge with "my fair lady" and not "my fur lady."

I know, I know. I'm horrible. But, I can't help wanting more out of a Gymboree teacher when the class after us is led by the fabulous Sean Reilly. He is just so happy and full of energy, and we enjoy listening to his great singing voice as we are packing up to go. Andrew would really just like to stay around to hang out with his class, but, alas, it is for infants 6-10 months.

So, what to do? We are taking a makeup Play and Learn 3 class this coming Friday and, if we like the teacher, we are going to transfer to that group. I'll be sure to let you know how that goes!

Also, there never seems to be anybody at the front desk at this Gymboree, which is super annoying. I wanted to buy a pack of bouncing balls for Andrew after class yesterday and talk about some makeup issues, but their was nobody to talk to. It seems like this is a common problem at this location. Next class I'll have to grab the teacher before she runs out the door (like Miss Gabriella literally did!)

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Freebie Flyby

Here's a quick freebie for you all today! Yoplait is giving away one million free cups of their original yogurt while supplies last. For a coupon for a free cup, click HERE. I particularly love their fat-free raspberry yogurt. Yum!

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Gymboree of Forest Hills - Play & Learn Class Review

(EDIT: Please see my third and final Gymboree of Forest Hills review where I fall back in love with the place. So fickle, so fickle... but trying to be as honest as can be!) 


(EDIT: Please check out my Gymboree of Forest Hills - Review Part Deux too. I found some things to gripe about of course!)

I've been wanting to take Andrew to a mommy and me type class for a while now. It can be so hard to meet and get together with moms of other kids in the winter (especially when its always snowing and the standard apartment in the neighborhood is itsy bitsy), so I took him over to a free trial Gymboree Play & Learn class in Forest Hills last week. I'd heard mixed reviews of this particular Gymboree location and class, but Andrew really loved it and--as I'm a sucker for seeing him have fun--I bit the ($300) bullet and signed him up!

My little one just turned one year old and has been walking for over a month (the time has flown!), so he was in a Play & Learn 3 class with kids ranging from 10-16 months. The 45-minute class consisted of a number of group activities--rolling on a big ball (most of the children hated this one), making music, singing songs, blowing bubbles, playing with a big parachute, etc. The other children in the class were super-involved, but seeing as it was Andrew's first class, he just wanted to explore the wonderland of a padded play space (and the plugged-up electrical sockets of course).

If you check out the gallery on Gymboree of Forest Hill's Facebook Page, you can check out the play area and the downstairs music and art studio. While not humongous, the space actually is fairly large and isn't as small as the photos make it out to be, and Andrew had a ball tearing it up. There are tunnels to crawl through, ramps and stairs to climb, and balls to throw around. The only thing that got me about the space is that some of the electrical outlets, while plugged up, did seem like they were old (but I am neurotic when it comes to this.)

Each class is led by a teacher (they all seem to be young aspiring actors/musicians) and we had Miss Amanda who was very nice and extremely adorable. Miss Amanda also updates the Gymboree of Forest Hills Facebook page, which is a good place to find out about weather cancellations, upcoming parties, etc.

Lets get down to the dollars and cents of it: The class is $109/month for one child with (what I believe to be an uneccessary) 3-month minimum sign up period. The one-time registration fee is $40 bucks and the whole package includes free daily 45-minute open gym play sessions. The open play sessions are important to me because I could not otherwise justify paying basically an adult gym membership fee for Gymboree. If you sign up before February 28th, you'll also recieve $50 to use toward the class fees, $50 in Gym Bucks to use at Gymboree retail clothing stores (note: you need to buy $100 worth of goods to get $50 off; $50 to get $25 off), and a free set of Gymboree's super long-lasting Bubble Oodles.

The bottom line for us? We're going to enjoy playing at Gymboree until it gets warm enough for us to head outdoors. By the time it gets cold again, Andrew will be more secure in his walking and we'll be able to hang out in free indoor play places (McDonald's, etc.) and save ourselves a lot of money. If you've got the cash, though, or are in the same situation as us, I'd definitely reccomend you give Gymboree of Forest Hills a try. At the very least, you'll have had a free day of fun if you do a trial and you'll have checked out a great place to host an indoor birthday party for the under five set.

For more about Gymboree and their numerous locations in NY (and beyond) visit http://www.gymboreeclasses.com/b2c/customer/why_gymboree.jsp.

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Product Review: Fisher Price Learning Home

You know when you come up with an idea for an awesome invention and then you find out somebody has done it already? That's what happened to me in the case of the Fisher Price Learning Home--and I would have been rich, I tell you, because this baby retails at around a whopping $115!



My son loves this toy and, luckily, we inherited ours from a cousin, because I don't think we could have justified paying so much for it even in all its awesomeness. Its a toy door (that was my "great" idea!), with a light switch, ringing doorbell, mailbox, clock, window, and numerous other open and closing and spinning and sound-making/singing/teaching devices. Really, what baby could stay away?

I do have a few bones to pick with the toy, though, and they are safety related (so you toy makers at Fisher Price better listen up!) After some time, the stickers start to peel off, which could definitely be a choking hazard (I don't know why children's toy makers don't just print images directly onto the plastic). The window closes really forcefully and can slam little fingers. And, finally, my son has learned to push the whole darn thing over, which scares the hell out of me, but which there really is no remedy for (he is, apparently, the incredible hulk baby).  

That said, I really feel so lucky to have inherited the Fisher Price Learning Home and would consider it a must-purchase item for crawling to walking babies if it wasn't for the ridiculous price. Fisher Price has a Learning Farm with fewer bells and whistles for around $50 as an alternative, but if you could spare the dough or score the Learning Home as a gift (registry!), I'd say "go for it, mama!"

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