The Children's Garden in Dubai

Shelley Hibberd - Mother of Jemima, Leopard Class

I asked Jemima if she liked her school – her reply: “No, I love it!!” That pretty much sums up how we feel about The Children’s Garden (The Green Community). I am thrilled with the progress that Jemima has made at TCG, emotionally, creatively and academically. More importantly, she is proud of her progress in French and reading!
I could not want a better school for Jemima – Miss Vinciane and Miss Evelyne, her home room teachers are wonderful and have a genuine affection for the children and a firm line in discipline, as do Miss Cathy and Miss Christine. They spend time getting to know each child and actively engage parents as partners in the children’s education.
Jemima loved the sports day, the art day and the trip to the Birds of Prey show, though science day was her favourite and she loved Miss Vinciane’s mad scientist outfit! I am confident that Jemima will continue to be nurtured throughout the rest of PS1 and throughout PS2 and graduate from TCG as an independent, happy and curious little girl, who is comfortable communicating in several languages, both verbal and non-verbal. The big question is...... where do I put her next that comes anywhere close to the care and commitment that is found at TCG?

Cynthia Corby - Mother of Christian, Falcon Class

We were just finishing our supper and Christian firstly started identifying the patterns at the table and was then looking at his glass of water with spirals on it and he asked me, “mom do you know what symmetrical is?” To which I answered “no, will you tell me?” He then proceeded to explain what symmetrical was, I was so proud and so impressed! The school year is half way through and there have been many such proud moments where Christian shares his school day with me and explain what he has learnt. It makes you realise what a wonderful education our children are getting, all balanced with time for fun and time for learning. Christian is turning into a budding little mathematician and loves adding and taking away, he especially loved bringing the much coveted MATHS OCTOPUS home. We have been fortunate at TCG to have warm, friendly and encouraging teachers which have allowed the children to flourish in areas they are naturally strong in and to grow in confidence in other areas where a bit more nurturing was necessary. The topics are really a wonderful way for the children to learn and I have been rewarded with so many pictures of bugs, butterflies and beetles this month, which also show how Christian’s drawing has developed. At 4 years old I doubt that I was able to be the leader of the class and put a class mate on time out, develop my leadership qualities, write my name, sing loads of new songs, speak a foreign language, stand up and confidently join in show and tell, have a well developed imagination, know about different cultures and countries, start doing basic mathematics and most important of all have fun and play with friends from all around the world!

Rebecca Mattiske - Mother of Hugo, Ghekko Class & Lily, Diamonds Class

Finding the right place for my children's preschooling proved to be more difficult than I thought when I first moved to Dubai two years ago. Nothing seemed to fit what I had expected to find, other schools felt big, austere, not familiar to me as places for preschool . Then I found The Childrens Garden. EUREKA! My children, Hugo in Ghekko PS1 and Lily in Diamonds pre-nursery have such a rich learning environment filled with art, laughter, singing, different languages, different cultures and so much more. They come home singing almost every day.

Dalal - Mother of Sophia Foda, Arabian Oryx Class

I love this school since i crossed its gate from the first time, when I came to register Sophia in KG1 german english section.
I always feel happy when I drop her off, because I have the strong feeling that she will absorb the right things in the right way.
Every single corner in the school gives a warm and joyful atmosphere. The teachers dedicate sincerely their time to the children, they do a great job that reflect on our kids positively.

I am proud that my daughter is a student at The Children's Garden.

Dalya Ghali - Mother of Joanna, Gazelle Class & Julie, Falcon Class

My daughters Joanna (Gazelle class) and Julie (Falcon class) both really love their Kindergarten. Even on the weekend they keep asking “Do we have Kindergarten today?”
As parents we are very proud that our daughters do learn three different languages at the same time. Since the classes are held in half-day-terms (German-English) the input is so balanced that the kids don’t feel overstrained and learn in a very playful way.
Every morning while having breakfast my girls keep asking about there schedule for the day “Mommy do I have arts or music today??” They love both and are everyday again excited to go there.
But the most exciting day is Thursdays, when they practise “show & tell”. They both disappear in their room and come out with a handful of toys.
We are lucky that both of our girls, have very nice, affectionate and ambitious experienced teachers, who are always in a good mood and open for any issues.
Thanks to Ms. Jill (Gazelle class) and to Ms. Reshma and Ms. Nuket ( Falcon class) our girls are learning a lot in their young age so that even one day Joanna discovered a box in our storage room and asked if she could take it to school, because they were currently doing crafts of Friedensreich Hundertwasser in her art class. My husband and I were very amazed by her knowledge.
We are so impressed how the kids are challenged and with which methods they get to learn a lot of interesting things.
All in all I can say that "The Children’s Garden" is doing all the best to care for the children well- being in a thoroughly child-friendly atmosphere.

Lindi & Heinrich Kritzinger - Parents of Joshua, Diamonds Class

Joshua really enjoys going to Miss Louise's class at The Children's Garden. At the moment, he attends 3 days a week but every morning, he gets very excited when he leaves the house and can't wait to go to class. We believe this experience is invaluable for Joshua's future development and will equip him well for his future schooling. We are fortunate that we can take him to an institution of such high calibre as The Children's Garden in the Green Community!

Claudia Bergamini Huellou - Mum to Claire, Ghekko Class and Diane, Arabian Tahr Class

When we moved to Dubai in 2005, one of our main concerns was tot find the right school for our two children. We looked for a school with spacious classrooms, restricted class sizes and a large outdoor play area. After visiting several nursery schools, the one which made the most profound impression on us was The Children's Garden in the heart of the Green Community.

As a bilingual family (we speak French and Italian) we were also delighted to discover an additional language - we had the choice of French or German alongside English. I read in several medical magasines that a bilingual child is more creative nad being exposed to two languages helps build their personality. At The Children's Garden, a variety of field trips are organised throughout the year and there is an annual Sports Day, Dress up Days as well as other special events.

The children learn by playing games, class themes, craft activities and cooking. The school also has its own swimming pool. My daughters have been at TCG for nearly four years and since their first day, have been very happy and contented. The Children's Garden has remained one of the best choices we have made since arriving in Dubai and we feel very fortunate that our children have had the opportunity to live such a unique experience in their Education!

Oliver and Alexandra Fenkl - Parents of Louis, Arabian Oryx Class

We are very happy that our son started Pre-School at The Children's Garden. From the first moment we walked into the building to register our son, we felt as if we were in good hands! We can say the same for Louis. Here are the arguments to confirm why Louis loves The Children's Garden so much!!!

He likes to go to school every day and is often the first to wake up in the morning (It would be nice for him if you were to opent 6.30 0r 7.00am!!)
You have very good ideas about how to educate him and provide him with new things. He always talks about his day at school.
He sings the songs you teach hime in school (result being: my wife and I know the songs off by heart now!!)
He is interested in foreign languages (English and Arabic) and after only a short time, he can count in English from 1 to 10.
We only hear positive things about the teachers from Louis.
He loves learnig new things in a playful way.
He is very proud to help and assist the teachers and loves the reward of a stamo on his hand.

In our estimation, your school is more than 100% the right thing for our son. It is a good place for him to learn 'life lessons' as well as learning from the International atmosphere.

Paul and Linzay Canham - Parents of Drummond, Lavender Class

We have had children at The Children's Garden since its inception 5 years ago and we are so pleased with how the school gets better and better. Drummond loves going to school and would even attend at the weekends if he could - why?

The school is busy, bright and fun and Drummond is happy and excited to be there to play with his classmates. He loves his teachers and is a constant chatterbox at pick up time, replaying the whole day and telling us " What Miss Julie said ". Dress up days, themed days, International celebrations, the school fair, the Art Exhibition and much more, all combine to make education relevant and interesting to the children.

Everyday is a revelation to us as Drummond tells us a new topic fact, sings a new song, shows us his artwork or giggles as he tells us the latest pool escapade (usually involving poor Miss Julie and a soaking!!) Drummond adores movement class and Miss Nadja. He has great fun singing and dancing. He enjoys being able to play outside with the options of climbing, digging, building, swinging and sliding - it's all there for him to experience and explore.

He takes part in the after school Maths Club and enjoys it so much that he wants homework to do every week! He is learning without realising it because everything is taught in a fun, practical hands on way and he just wants more.

At the end of the day, if Drummond is happy then we are too. The Children's Garden certainly provides the right environment for him.

Ava Parissay - Mum to Tufan, Indigo Class

Tufan has been able to adapt to his new school surprisingly well!! With no prior knowledge of German, he came home after a few days and sang a German song to his dad!

He loves his teachers and wants to take his little sister to class with him. More importantly, he has picked up many skills, such as; taking time to express himself, trying to plan activities for himself and his friends ahead of time and explaining patiently various topics to his sister. I believe these skills will be the fundamental tools he will need to succeed in life.

Munira Haque - Mum to Sara, Lavender Class

Thanking the class teachers is probably the best place to start. They are loving and caring towards the children and very professional in the work they do. The first few days were naturally filled with excitement as well as anxiety and with this came tears and nerves for Sara as well as me!! However, this only lasted for the first week and by the second weekend, Sara wanted to go to school even though it was the weekend! For me, this is great satisfaction and a true sign of how much Sara enjoys school.

The activities she does are well thought of and she is learning a great deal through play and social interaction. She loves singing German songs and is adamant on teaching me too!! There are plenty of opportunities to talk with the teachers, therefore, I always feel part of my daughter's school life. Simply, a great community school which builds on a solid foundation for the children's academic schooling.

Desiree and Johan van der Vorm - Parents of Sera, Indigo Class

Upon stepping into The Children's Garden, my husband and I had a good feeling about the school. The vibrant environment of the school, the design of the classrooms, the playgrounds around the perimeter of the school... it all came together very nicely. The bilingual programme was an added bonus and very intuitive. We chose the German/English programme because my husband said, "It's the closest thing to dutch".

Sera, we feel, is thriving in Indigo class but as well in Lavender Class when the children switch languages. Her Indigo teachers, Miss Andrea and Miss Sandra, have been a very positive influence on Sera. not only has she picked up many German songs and words, she has learned to respectively interact with her friends in class, cultivated basic manners during meal and play times or when greeting people. These are simpe things which often get neglected by parents/childminders. We're also very impressed with the creativity and much thought out curriculum and the timely feedback from all of her teachers.

Sera goes for one after school activity, "In motion", with Miss Christine and it is great how Miss Christine injects fun into the spectrum of motion, balance and coordination. Again, we appreciate that the school offers such activities that further develops and nurtures children to be all rounded!

We are very pleased with The Children's garden and the committed team of people it takes to run it. We can only hope that we stay in Dubai long enough for our second daughter to experience The Children's Garden, like her big sister!

Marie-Christine and Rody Yared - Parents of Andre Alexis, Ghekko Class

Last year when the time came to find a school for our son, we were very ambivalent between a French or English school. We visited a few schools and after every visit it was always the same feeling... "seems like a good school but". When we visited TCG, we immediately liked it. It wasn't an artificial visit with a marketing speech but rather a simple and warm tour of the school and a straight explanation of the unique curriculum.

We were pleased with the bilingual opportunity offered to our son with the diversity of activities and the quality of the facilities but the first feeling we had was the serenity of the school. Two months later, we still feel this serenity and we can add, respect. The respect of childhood. "Childhood should be a journey, not a race" is not a slogan - it's the spirit of the school.

We, along with our son, are very happy at TCG. We are delighted about the nice and fast integration he had, the way parents are involved in the school life and how the teachers are dedicated. We hope the experience at TCG will follow him for the rest of his life.

Hafsa & Laith Meshhen - Parents of Josef, Arabian Oryx Class

When we started looking at the possibility of moving to Dubai, our primary concern was finding the right kindergarten for Josef. Knowing how much he liked his Kindergarten in Regensburg and how attached he was to his friends there, we wanted to make the move as easy as possible for him.

The next point was the language issue. It was very important not to lose the German language, due to the fact that we have to be prepared to move back to Germany if things do not go well for us in Dubai. On the other hand, English would be essential for him if we stay in Dubai and Josef might go to an English school later on.

I remember that we contacted the Children’s Garden and the first question we had, was about the teaching language. Once we learned that the teaching languages are 50% of each German/English plus Arabic hours, we knew this was the place for our son! We started showing Josef pictures of his new Kindergarten, while we were still in Germany so that he could become familiar with it before we moved here.

Now just after less than two months, it is amazing to hear him tell words and songs in German, English and Arabic. It is for us wonderful to see how much he enjoys being in the Kindergarten with his new friends and teachers. We feel lucky to have found such a place for Josef and we are very impressed with the concept of the school and we appreciate the way in which the children are treated by all members of staff.

This Kindergarten is like a really beautiful garden with different flowers from all over the world. We have already applied for our second boy Jakob to join Pre-nursery in January 2010 and we wish to see school expand to offer primary school classes.