Baby Dragons Newsletter
Theme of the Week: Exploring the Middle East through stories, songs, and play
This week, our Baby Dragons began an exciting new adventure as we explored the Middle East through stories, songs, art, and play. From singing in Mandarin and designing Egyptian flags to sculpting clay pyramids and celebrating National Read a Book Day, our little learners enjoyed a week full of creativity, curiosity, and discovery.
Curious about how we help our youngest learners thrive through play and care?
Communication & Language
The children had a joyful time reinforcing their Mandarin greeting song “Nǐ hǎo” with cheerful singing and actions. We introduced colour words — purple, red, and green — through fun matching games. Our energetic “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” routine helped the babies learn body parts in both Mandarin and English — a wonderful blend of movement and language!
STEM
Creativity was in full swing as the babies designed their very own Egyptian flags. Using red, white, and black crayons, they carefully coloured the stripes and learned about the flag’s meaning. This activity sparked pride, curiosity, and fine motor practice.
Regional Education
Our little historians travelled back in time through clay play! They rolled, shaped, and moulded pyramids, temples, and even the Sphinx. Imagination shone as children added details like steps and eyes, while teachers shared stories of these ancient landmarks. It was a perfect mix of sensory play, cultural learning, and history.
Festival of the Week: National Read a Book Day
The nursery buzzed with excitement as we celebrated National Read a Book Day. With a cuddly owl puppet, we shared It Was a Cold Dark Night, which quickly became a favourite. Afterwards, the babies enjoyed exploring books about animals, farms, and transport — a joyful day full of stories and imagination.
History
The babies became brave little firefighters, using spray bottles to put out a painted “fire” in our tuff tray. With teamwork, giggles, and curiosity, they learned about an important moment in history while building problem-solving skills.
Specialist Teachers
Our teddy bear–themed session was full of joy! We sang “I’m a Little Teapot,” twirled to the Teddy Bear Song, and popped bubbles with glee. We ended with calming sensory lights, creating a lovely balance of excitement and relaxation.
From roaring like tigers in the Tiger Song to squeaking like mice in the Mice Song, the babies explored rhythm and imagination with energy and laughter. Shakers, soft music, and colourful scarves added a magical touch — blending mindfulness, creativity, and movement.
It has been a week packed with discovery, culture, and fun. We are so proud of our Baby Dragons for their curiosity and joy as they grow in confidence. Thank you, families, for supporting their learning journey with us each day.
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Pre-School Newsletter
Theme of the Week: Autumn Explorations
This week our Preschoolers warmly welcomed the arrival of Autumn. Together we explored the changing season — noticing the cooler, rainy weather, falling leaves, and earthy colours all around us.
The children created seasonal artwork and enjoyed sensory play with autumn-toned playdough. Through moulding, cutting, and shaping, they strengthened their fine motor skills while engaging in thoughtful discussions inspired by books and pictures. These conversations encouraged them to share their observations about the natural world and the weather changes they are beginning to notice.
Looking for a preschool that blends learning with global culture and creative play?
Modern Languages & Communication
In Mandarin this week, the children had a wonderful time revising colours, focusing on green, red, and yellow. Using colourful tokens in group games, they listened carefully for the Mandarin words and selected the matching colours. Finger hats added an extra element of play and imagination, making the learning fun and memorable.
Regional Education
As part of our monthly geography focus, we introduced the Middle East. The children explored its desert habitat, using maps, images, and stories to compare it with their own environment. They created a beautiful collage of golden sand dunes with tissue and gold paper, sparking their curiosity about new places and cultures.
Outdoor Learning & Excursions: Autumn Adventures
Outdoors, the children experienced autumn firsthand — observing changes in trees, feeling the cool breeze, and collecting treasures like pine cones and colourful leaves. With magnifying glasses, they explored nature closely and were especially excited to discover a caterpillar crawling across a leaf. This moment led to wonderful discussions about living things and how creatures grow and change.
The Great Fire of London
We revisited the story of the Great Fire of London, bringing history to life through storytelling and small-world play. The children explored why the fire spread so quickly, comparing how wooden buildings fuelled the fire while stone buildings were more resilient. This activity linked storytelling with STEM learning, sparking scientific curiosity about materials and fire safety.
National Read a Book Day
To celebrate National Read a Book Day, we focused on the much-loved story Owl Babies. Through storytelling, discussions, and creative activities, we reflected on themes of reassurance, family, and belonging. This celebration also supported early literacy skills, listening, comprehension, and — most importantly — nurtured a love for reading.
Specialist Teachers
Children practiced animal-inspired yoga poses, focusing on balance, body awareness, and mindfulness. A highlight was when they took turns acting out an animal under a blanket while others guessed the creature — a fun and calming way to combine imagination and movement.
The children worked on coordination, agility, and spatial awareness. A favourite challenge was keeping a ball balanced on different body parts while moving — a playful way to build physical skills.
Our new music teacher Hally filled the room with joy as the children sang animal songs, practiced projecting their voices, and danced freely to rhythms. This session supported self-expression, language development, and confidence through music.
We are so proud of our Preschoolers for their enthusiasm and growing confidence in every activity.
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Supporting a Cause Close to Our Hearts
Hatching Dragons is proud to support our founder Cenn John, running the Cardiff Marathon this October to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital. Inspired by the loss of a sibling to congenital heart disease and Down’s syndrome, this fundraiser aims to help children facing life-threatening illnesses.
We would love for our Hatching Dragons community to join us in supporting this cause. Every donation, no matter how small, can help change a child's future.
In case you missed our update last week regarding important changes—including the new fee structure starting 1st September 2025—we kindly ask you to review the details.
Please take a moment to catch up and see how this may affect your family:
Extended Learning: Holiday Clubs
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