Graceful Hands - Creative Moves

jychan

Did anyone's kids have join the "Creative Move" class for toddlers by Graceful Hands? Any comments on Graceful Hands' classes?

Woodymom

My son has been joining Creative Move I since he was 13 months old. Now he is 22 months old. He enjoys the class and he seems to have learnt something from it, e.g. tidying up toys, playing with stickers, singing, etc.

jychan

Thanks, woodymom. Actually my kid joined the playgroup at Smart Learning Centre since she's around 16 months. She used to attend the class once a week. But now she attend it 4 times a week during the weekdays.
I think attending playgroup with your kids is really a great relationship building activity between mom & kid. To give her some new stimulation, I chose Creative Move of Graceful Hands as our weekend activity, in supplement to her weekday classes in Smart Learning Ctr.

I am very satisfied with what Smart Learning taught my kid so far. Hope Graceful Hands is also my other smart choice.   

jychan

I brought my kid to attend her first Creative Move class at Graceful Hands. It's just a great disappointment to me!!!
The teacher is a Filipino woman, totally cannot draw attention to the kids. Her accent tells she's a Filipino & she just like performing all the necessary tasks she need to do without any real care to the reactions of the kids. During the storytime, she just use her soft voice to read the story. Actually, as I can see, 8 out of the 10 kids in the room were not listening to her & just day-dreaming themselves. the parents were talking with each other themselves but the teacher or the assistant didn't stop for such disturbing behaviour!
I enrolled this class for my kid as I want to spend some quality time with her in the weekends by joining these playgroups & hopes she could learn something new out of her weekday playgroup class at Smart Learning Centre in Sai Kung. I picked Graceful Hands as their advertisements & website are really very attractive in terms of their discription of their class. Originally, I thought they don't offer trial class as it's really good & it's quite full. In reality, it's because the classses are really #### as any one who takes the trial lessons won't join. Poor me who paid over $1000 for 8 lessons already! (the minimum payment amount for joining its class) It's really no motivation for me to bring my kid here.
My advice to all parents in BK is always take a trial lesseon first before you commit your kids to a playgroup or any other courses. Otherwise, it's just a waste of money & time!  

jychan

I talked to my friend bout my bad experience with Graceful Hands last night. Both of us agreed that we can't trust the advertisements & sort of recommendations in those magazines of Eugene Group. Plagroup can be very commercial & trial lessons is really necessary.
Although a good trial lesson doesn't guarantee all future lessons are good. However, at least u can have a feel of the teachers & the schools if they have "hearts" in teaching the kids.
I really can't bear Graceful Hands' practice of employing a Filipino teachers with accents similar to the Filipino maid to teach kids English & charge such a high fees. I wonder if other parents who brought their kids to Graceful Hands joined any other playgroups & how they feel about it.
My girl joined Littleton & Smart Learning Centre before. If compared to Graceful Hands, they are just wonderful.
The class my kid joined in GH is one of the most popular class in their centre but it's still like this poor.
Besides, as GH claims in its ads that it provides nice environment, that's true it's very clean but the books & toys it offered to the kids are just so-so.  
Besides, it doesn't have any cushioning on the floor for the room which suppose to be for kids age 2 or below. In my kid's classs, there was a boy fell down to the ground  quite hurt. I thinks those cushioning are very basic stuff for a playroom for aged below 2.        

jychan

Really feel so bad & feel like being cheated that forced me wrote so much!
Want to hear comments of other parents if u have encountered any similar bad playgroup experience!

jychan

I paid a whole term of fee to Graceful Hands (for 8 classes) but finally I did bring my girl for 2 lessons only. But this playgroup didn't call me to follow up why I didn't bring my girl to the classes after enrolling so far. Instead, they send me a bill to ask for payment for next 8 lessons.
What a commercial playgroup which really not my cup of tea.   

Christmas

Dear jychan,
I'm really sorry to hear about your bad experience with GH, to be honest, I have not visited thier new school, but my son did joined GH 3 years ago, the place was a little small, but I think GH offers one of the best classes ever!Thier courses are great, and I could tell that they spend lots of time and money preparing for those lesson, and thier craft and teaching method are really creative, and I personally think Heide, the person incharger is great!
For the teacher wise, if I'm not wrong they are still using the Filipino teacher, no doubth she is Filipino, but she is really kind and patient, and the reason why Heide is still using her is because she has the heart for GH, and ofcourse, I dont see any difficulties to replace an Native teacher, I personally feel that Heide treasures the relationship between her staff ...
Just my personal opinion.