Little Miss Rockstar Goes To Bebegarten

She’s cooking something…

It takes awhile to get used to some of the policies; the first time I went down to submit our cheque at admissions, the Miss toddled into the reception lounge – yes, with her little soft leather Shoo Shoes on, oh, the horror! – yes they have a strict no-shoe policy. Being asked to not linger in the lobby, mid-conversation with a mum friend whose kid was already attending because the Miss wouldn’t start for another couple weeks was another. I hope and trust they do that with everyone, because then it certainly is super-comfy for me to see the Miss running about delightedly touching everything. I sanitize her hands (Mucky Pups toddler-safe hand foam!) far less during the course of the 2-hour session than at any other place we visit. And it’s generally quite peaceful because they are so strict about people traipsing about the place who don’t belong there. (At least I hope they are this way with everyone; actually the reason I lapsed on the Shoo Shoes that first time was because I saw another lady walk in with shoes on… When they stopped Miss and me, I couldn’t bring myself to say another woman had walked on by, she was heavily pregnant – but she’d overheard and come back and taken her shoes off, which was how I’d known they weren’t indoor shoes.. I’ve never seen anything like that happen since…)

One of the Miss’ older classmates even puts on the spare socks in the basket over her own, before going in to class. I should do that too, then I don’t have to keep changing her socks after class – just dump the used school socks in the bin provided.

Yes dis is she, after someone told her her brush was “dirty” (well not dirty so much as covered in foam), she got the idea from an older classmate who’d dipped a brush in…

….From playing with the pink shaving foam

See, I like that aside from the anal retentive at the door (which, when you follow the rules you might even start to enjoy when not directed at you) no one stops her from the relative freedom of messing with the pink foam or soapy water and well, I do enjoy the comfort of knowing the place must really be clean.

(YES I KNOW SOME GERMS ARE GOOD FOR THEM. Right up until the pediatrician tells you to not let them get too sick too often because especially if they are small it can hamper growth of their respiratory organs as their little bodies are too busy fighting every kind of bug known to mankind and Hong Kong. Anyway the kids do get the occasional sniffle and how sterile can their environment be, growing up with JD who’s quite an outdoorsy dog.)

But we likes soapy water and sponges. And trying to lift heavy soapy sponge, compared to when it’s dry.

And… water/ jelly beads?

(They’re supposed to practice their pincer grip by squeezing the beads between thumb and index finger – this was her favorite though the little beads went flying every. time.)

Guess where:

Whee!

This one was “dry” play week I think… What I loved was the sparkly different-colored table clothes which were a nice bonus!

But it’s not just the pine cones and coconut husks, there are some really unusual things in the basket, including one where everyone was debating whether it was a dried custard apple… I haven’t seen custard apple since my Sandakan days..

And this one was also “dry” play week, where the paint is UNDER the plastic…

…..So that’s the place. I took awhile to write about it because I didn’t initially like the anal retentive at the door – but neither I nor any of my friends who went for tour or whose kids go here have anything negative to say about the actual classes.

I love the little, slightly lavish “extras”. They change things around a lot. One time the kids were playing with dinosaurs in a little “sand bin” filled with……… really yummy smelling oatmeal. I never get the feeling anything is grimy, germy or hasn’t been cleaned in awhile. And the amount of thought that appears to go into the various activities the kids get to explore – texture, smells – whether it’s all “wet” activities, “dry” ones, stuff that makes noises…. Yes I could fill a lot of bottles with pasta and sequins and beans and shells but by the time I’m done buying all those things and using them for one or two sessions….. And I especially like that they don’t just use store-bought toys. They mix in home-made stuff with quite a bit of creativity. Cooking utensils used as musical instruments. Lotsa empty jars and tupperware and unusual tins where everything from English shortbreads to exotic Japanese teas used to live. And yes, most importantly I can see teaching staff observing, taking note of, the different toddlers’ personalities……

Another thing that never ceases to amaze me is Snacktime. Another mum friend who goes here says their snack is prepared in consultation with a nutritionist, which in itself is something (I can relax and leave Miss to scarf all the seconds she wants, of these homemade gluten free low sugar coconut or cocoa cakes or sunflower seed bars and it certainly does wonders for her palette – remember she throws up very easily, sometimes when all she’s had is a spoonful of grownup food, depending on the sauces? Touch wood never happened no matter how much of all the specially prepared snack she has here), but more than that was how they get some 6-10 toddlers to sit down around the table and not touch their snack until everyone has been served. 

Now, if they take only quiet, well-behaved, Emily Post-ish toddlers then sure. But the Miss doesn’t have super-quiet classmates, some of her classmates are pretty darn active during playtime. The Miss herself is pretty darn active, in fact I was a teeny bit concerned as to whether she was going to sit down nicely enough at circle times*, is why I was looking for a “nice” place for her. But somehow with the lights a little dimmed and calming music being played, the toddlers for the most part all sit and wait for everyone to be served, and then take turns pouring their own water from a little beaker <amazed>. (No really, I keep telling mum friends this and they’re all OMG Really?? But…. they’re toddlers!! I don’t know what it is, but some combination of dimmer lights, soft music and probably seeing all their other friends sitting down nicely, collectively not touching their snacks, has something to do with it.)

So here we go Bebegarten. Letcha know if we get kicked out because we can’t keep up with the anal 😀

*Original Rockstar wasn’t one for Circle/Music Time at Wisekids either – he’d formed some dislike, as he is wont to do because he is a fusspot who often forms dislikes, and he would walk out politely. The Miss also doesn’t sit – but she walks to the teacher or whoever is conducting the class or right to the front of the class to get a better look. Or….. “take over” <cringe>. Sigh. Also not sitting.