Baby Dragons Newsletter
Theme of the Week: Exploring Animals, Culture, and Creativity
This week, our Hatchlings enjoyed a wonderful mix of learning, play, and exploration. From discovering new Mandarin animal words and creating colourful snakes to adventuring outdoors and sharing a teddy bear picnic, every activity supported curiosity, imagination, and development in joyful ways.
Come see how our Hatchlings grow through language, discovery, and creativity.
Modern Languages
Teacher Sara led an exciting Mandarin session where the children learned animal names, including kangaroo (袋鼠 Dàishǔ) and ostrich (鸵鸟 Tuóniǎo). The little ones loved hearing the new sounds and copying them with big smiles.
To build on this, they explored a sensory tray divided into three habitats—sea (tissue paper), land (sand), and snow (playdough). Practitioners modelled play by placing animals in their environments while the Hatchlings enjoyed squeezing, touching, and moving materials. New Mandarin vocabulary was introduced:
- 土地 (tǔ dì) – Land
- 水 (shuǐ) / 海 (hǎi) – Water/Sea
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- 雪 (xuě) – Snow
- 雪 (xuě) – Snow
Amazing Excursions - Barbican High Walk
On our weekly outing to the Barbican High Walk, the children noticed different textures, shapes, and colours of plants while practising their gross motor skills as they moved through the space. A perfect balance of nature, movement, and discovery!
Regional Activity
Creativity flourished as the children crafted their very own spiralled snakes using painted paper plates. They experimented with colours and patterns, strengthening fine motor skills and hand–eye coordination. To extend the activity, we explored how snakes move and practised the “ssssss” sound—making it a playful early language-learning experience too.
Fine Motor Focus
An insect hunt gave the children opportunities to practise careful hand movements, problem-solving, and observation. They also explored playdough by pressing, rolling, and squashing it—adding insects into their creations for imaginative fun. These activities built physical skills while encouraging curiosity and creativity.
Pretend Play
With a sensory version of The Tiger Who Came to Tea, the Hatchlings joined in a pretend tea party using cups and cake props. They also explored orange sand to make tiger-like patterns, blending imaginative play, social interaction, and early literacy engagement.
Specialist Session
The highlight of the week was our Teddy Bear Picnic! The children brought their cuddly teddies, enjoyed a “tea party,” and sang “I’m a Little Teapot” with Miss Molly. We ended the session lying back to gaze at the sky, enjoying a mindful, calming moment of peace and connection.
Our Hatchlings had a joyful week of creativity, language, and play—laying the foundations for learning in fun and meaningful ways.
Blue Dragons Newsletter
Theme of the Week: Celebrating Cultures Through Art, Stories, and Play
This week, our Blue Dragons enjoyed a rich blend of cultural exploration, creative activities, and joyful learning. From Aboriginal art and Hawaiian dancing to underwater adventures, city-themed Mandarin play, and specialist music sessions, the children had opportunities to express themselves, build new skills, and connect with different cultures in exciting ways.
Come see how we prepare children for school and the world beyond.
Regional activities
The children explored Aboriginal stories and traditions through The Rainbow Serpent and The Story of Creation from Billabongs. Inspired, they worked together on a large-scale snake artwork, decorating it with vibrant red, orange, and yellow patterns to celebrate the beauty of Aboriginal art.
Creative Exploration
Using play dough, seashells, and colourful strings, the children designed their own coral reefs and marine landscapes. This sensory-rich activity encouraged creativity, imagination, and fine motor development.
Beach Sensory Play
With joyful music and movement, the Blue Dragons celebrated Hawaiian culture by dancing to traditional rhythms. They also explored a beach-themed sensory tray filled with sand, shells, and palm trees—perfect for imaginative play and sensory discovery.
Modern Languages
In Mandarin, the children explored a city-themed sensory tray while learning new words for butterflies, people, ducks, trains, and farms. They practiced vocabulary with excitement and creativity.
To extend the fun, the children rolled toy cars dipped in brightly coloured paint (some mixed with sand) across large sheets of paper. This mark-making activity combined sensory exploration, texture play, and lively conversations about movement.
Specialist Teacher
Music and laughter filled the room during Miss Molly’s session. The children enjoyed a teddy bear picnic sing-along, an exciting “Hide Jake in the Box” game, and bubble-chasing fun. The session ended with calm reflection under twinkling star projections, blending rhythm, joy, and relaxation beautifully.
The Blue Dragons had a week full of creativity, culture, and connection—we’re so proud of their curiosity and enthusiasm!
Dragon Flights Newsletter
Theme of the Week: Exploring Australia Through Art, Language, and Discovery
This week, our Dragon Flights children embarked on a rich journey of creativity, science, culture, and play. From exploring Aboriginal art and learning about Australian animals to creating reef-inspired artwork, experimenting with science, and enjoying mindful yoga, the children deepened their curiosity and love of learning in meaningful ways.
Regional Education
The children explored Aboriginal culture by painting and drawing on small wooden pieces with traditional-style designs. Their creativity sparked curiosity and led to lively conversations about the shapes and patterns.
Continuing our Australian journey, we learned about native animals and their habitats—discovering that koalas live in trees while crocodiles live in the water. This learning came alive through imaginative small-world play and storytelling. Later in the week, we turned to the Great Barrier Reef, creating vibrant reef-inspired art with a variety of textures and materials, bringing Australia’s underwater world into the classroom.
STEM
Science came alive as the children conducted their own lava lamp experiment. By mixing water, oil, food colouring, and salt, they observed bubbling, lava-like reactions up close with magnifying glasses. The children were fascinated, asked thoughtful questions, and developed early scientific thinking through hands-on discovery.
Modern Language
In Mandarin, we continued our “Our City” theme, learning the word for city—城市 (Chéngshì). The children discussed the many sights and activities in a city while practising tracing Chinese characters on dotted lines. This supported both language learning and fine motor development in a fun, interactive way.
Excursions & Outdoor Fun - London Wall Garden
Our visit to London Wall Garden gave the children time to connect with nature, watch ducks by the pond, and admire the spring fountain. A lively game of Duck Duck Goose added excitement, while bubble play and outdoor games back at nursery filled the week with laughter and energy.
Specialist Sessions
Yoga with Miss Molly was a joyful highlight. Following the story Brown Bear, What Do You See?, the children practised yoga poses that connected movement with storytelling. Calming stones were introduced to encourage mindful breathing and relaxation, supporting both physical and emotional wellbeing.
Library Visit
At Barbican Library, the children enjoyed a lively storytelling session with nursery rhymes before exploring the shelves. Some chose quiet reading time, while others shared books with friends or teachers. It was a peaceful, enriching trip that deepened their love of stories and reading.
It has been a week full of creativity, exploration, and joyful learning—thank you for sharing your child’s journey with us!
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.
Please take a moment to catch up and see how this may affect your family:
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