Hatching Dragons Westminster Blog

Westminster School Highlights - 3rd October, 2025

Written by Westminster Manager | Oct 3, 2025 4:23:26 PM

Baby Room 

Theme of the Week: Exploring North America through Language, Play, and Discovery

This week in the Baby Room, the children enjoyed a mix of playful learning, sensory adventures, and exciting trips outdoors. From stories and songs about North America to cookery, sensory play, and specialist sessions, every moment encouraged curiosity, language development, and joyful connections.

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Quick Update

Settling-in sessions are going really well, and we’re delighted to see our new babies feeling more comfortable each day. We’re also looking forward to our Halloween Party on 31st October, 4:30–5:45pm. We’d love to see you dressed up and ready for some festive fun!

Modern Languages and Communication

The babies explored early communication through stories, songs, and signs. They enjoyed Good Morning, Canada and a story about North American animals, sparking pointing, babbling, and smiles. We introduced the Makaton signs for “happy” and “sad” with songs and mirrors. In Mandarin, the children sang about farm animals and practiced numbers in both English and Mandarin using everyday objects.

Regional Education

We began our North America theme with stories, pictures, and small-world play. The babies explored a snowy Canada tuff tray, smiled and reached out at the scenes, and danced along to music. Cars and buses were also introduced, encouraging looking, touching, and sound play.

Amazing Excursion

Our babies enjoyed little adventures to St George Park and Bessborough Gardens, as well as crossing Vauxhall Bridge. They watched trees blowing, listened to birds, and observed buses and people. These trips supported their awareness of the wider world while we named sights and responded to their reactions.

Sensory Play

Sensory fun included exploring leaves, sticks, and acorns, plus smelling mint, cinnamon, and orange. The babies reacted with smiles, giggles, or curious faces as they explored textures and scents, building confidence and curiosity.

Cookery Club

In Cookery Club, the babies prepared their own snack with bananas and bread. They squashed, mixed, and spread using spoons and fingers while learning words like “banana,” “bowl,” and “yummy.” This hands-on activity supported communication, independence, and physical skills.

Sensory Play

Sensory fun included exploring leaves, sticks, and acorns, plus smelling mint, cinnamon, and orange. The babies reacted with smiles, giggles, or curious faces as they explored textures and scents, building confidence and curiosity.

Specialist Teachers

Mindful Molly brought calming lights, textures, and parachute fun. The babies enjoyed song time with Incy Wincy Spider, followed by a joyful Lucy Sparkles music session about body parts. These activities encouraged listening, movement, and playful interaction.

It’s been a wonderful week of exploration, communication, and sensory play in the Baby Room. We’re so proud of how engaged and curious the children have been, and we can’t wait for more exciting learning ahead!

Blue Dragons Newsletter

Theme of the Week: Exploring Autumn, Numbers, and the World Around Us

The children have been full of curiosity, creativity, and energy as they explored new ideas in Maths, Literacy, Phonics, Music, Sports, and Understanding the World. We also enjoyed a special outing that helped us connect with nature and the changing seasons. It has been a joy to see the children working together, trying new activities, and growing in confidence each day. Here are some of the highlights from our week:
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Modern Languages

The children explored Mandarin through a lesson about tigers. They learned the popular Chinese song Liǎng Zhī Lǎohǔ (两只老虎) and joined in with actions. They also studied the tiger’s stripes and colours while practising new vocabulary, making language learning active and fun.

Math

In Maths, we focused on volume and measure. The children used pasta, cups, and spoons to investigate how much each container could hold. They poured, filled, and compared, developing important early maths skills such as estimating and measuring. Alongside this, they explored shapes and puzzles—fitting pieces together, spotting familiar forms, and noticing how shapes can combine to create new ones.

Phonics & Literacy 

In Literacy, the children worked on spelling and recognising their names. Using soft cotton wool to trace letters, they strengthened fine motor skills while proudly seeing their names come to life in a creative way.
 In Phonics, the sound of the week was “L.” The Blue Dragons sang the Jolly Phonics song, searched for objects beginning with “L,” and confidently shared their learning with friends.

Amazing Excursion

One of the week’s highlights was our trip to St George’s Park. The children explored the outdoors, collecting shiny conkers, spotting squirrels, and noticing autumn’s signs—falling leaves, acorns, and crisp air. This adventure connected them with nature and sparked lots of excited conversations with friends.

Specialist Teacher

The children had a magical music session with Miss Ella Sparkle, where they celebrated the theme of autumn. Singing joyful seasonal songs, dancing with colourful scarves, and exploring lights combined with music made the experience truly enchanting.
 In Sports, the children focused on hand–eye coordination through playful games. They practised throwing, catching, and controlling movements—building teamwork, confidence, and listening skills.

Understanding the World 

Back in class, we explored hot and cold climates. The children sorted animals into desert dwellers and Arctic explorers, discussing what makes each climate unique. This hands-on activity encouraged teamwork, sorting skills, and a deeper appreciation of our diverse world.

Arts & Crafts

The Blue Dragons explored the changing season with an autumn leaf hunt in the garden. They noticed the leaves turning from green to brown before using them in leaf paintings. This activity encouraged creativity, observation, and a deeper appreciation of nature’s changes.
The Blue Dragons had a fantastic week filled with exploration, creativity, and teamwork. We can’t wait to see what adventures next week will bring!

 

Dragon Flights Newsletter

Theme of the Week: Exploring North America, Numbers, and the Wonders of Space

This week, Dragon Flight went on a learning adventure filled with geography, numbers, literacy skills, science experiments, and mindful movement. The children explored the diversity of North America, practiced number recognition, strengthened their writing skills, and even discovered the magic of the solar system. Alongside these activities, they enjoyed sports, yoga, and an exciting STEM experiment that brought science to life!

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Literacy

Literacy learning this week focused on pencil control and tracing the letters s, i, t, p. To make writing fun, the children also created rainbow crafts, carefully cutting and pasting pieces onto a larger rainbow. These tasks built fine motor skills, independence, and pride in their creations.

Math

The focus in maths was on recognising and naming numbers from 0 to 10. Through songs, games, and hands-on activities with number cards and blocks, the children practiced connecting numbers to quantities. Their growing confidence was clear as they spotted numbers in their environment with enthusiasm.

Understanding the World

The children were captivated by their journey into space, learning about the planets in our solar system through songs, stories, and craft. They asked thoughtful questions about what makes each planet unique, sparking imagination and scientific curiosity.

STEM

A highlight of the week was the “dancing rice” experiment. Using vinegar, baking soda, water, and rice, the children watched in awe as bubbles lifted the grains, making them “dance.” This playful activity introduced them to scientific ideas of reactions and gases while inspiring curiosity and excitement.

Regional Education

During circle time, the children learned fascinating facts about North America. They looked at maps, images, and landmarks while sharing their own thoughts and questions. This encouraged active listening, confidence in speaking, and an appreciation of cultural diversity.

Specialist Teacher

With the sports coach, the children practiced teamwork, balance, and coordination through active games. In yoga with Miss Molly, they explored mindfulness and body awareness, following gentle movements inspired by calm breathing. These contrasting activities supported both physical health and emotional wellbeing.

Thank you for your continued support! Each week, your children grow in confidence, skills, and curiosity. We look forward to more exciting adventures ahead!

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