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Westminster School Highlights, 6th June 2025
- 14 mins
🍼 Weekly Newsletter – Baby Dragons
🌊 Modern Languages and Communication
This week, our babies dove into the wonders of the ocean world! 🐳 We read the delightful book That’s Not My Whale, and the babies loved feeling all the different textures on each page. 📖💙 Our Makaton sign of the week was “shark” 🦈, and it was heartwarming to see some of the babies copy the sign with their little hands and big smiles. 😊👐 We made plenty of ocean sounds and enjoyed babble time together—these fun moments help build early language skills and encourage the babies to enjoy communicating. 💬
Regional Education: Russia
Our cultural exploration this week took us to Russia—a country famous for its snowy winters ❄️, colourful buildings 🎨, and rich storytelling traditions 📚. We shared a simple tale about Mr Fox 🦊, a clever character from traditional Russian folktales where animals often teach valuable lessons.
After the story, the babies explored textures and shapes through imaginative play with soft animal toys 🧸, supporting their sensory development and early cultural awareness. We also played calming Russian lullabies 🎼 in the background to inspire curiosity through music and rhythm. Experiences like these help open the door to global understanding from an early age, supporting our commitment to values-based education. 🌍
☀️ Outdoor Play and Excursions
Outdoors, our babies splashed in water trays 💦 and played with sea animal toys 🐠. They giggled as we sang ocean songs like “Baby Shark” 🎶 and moved like fish and whales 🐋. Being outside with water and bubbles gave them space to move freely, explore nature 🌿, and enjoy the fresh air 🌬️. These fun sea themes will continue to be part of our outdoor adventures!
If you’d like to see how we bring these engaging activities to life, consider exploring our holiday childcare program at Westminster—a place where every day is a new adventure. 🚀
🎉 Festival of the Week: Father’s Day
This week, we got ready for Father’s Day with lots of colourful, sensory fun! 🎨👣 The babies made handprint and footprint art using soft paint—there were giggles and curious looks as they felt the squishy paint on their hands and legs. We also helped them stick shapes and scribble on special cards 💌, creating lovely surprises for their daddies next week. 💙 The babies enjoyed the colours, textures, and one-on-one time with their practitioners during these special moments.
🔬 STEAM Activities
Messy play was the highlight of our week! The babies explored ocean animals that were a little stuck in soft, squishy cornflour mixed with blue and white—just like sea waves 🌊. Curious looks, little fingers poking and patting, and happy squeals filled the room as they tried to free the animals. 🐚 This sticky challenge not only brought smiles but also strengthened their fine motor skills. 💪
We also made our very own playdough! The babies helped mix flour, water, and blue and white paint 🖌️, watching in wonder as it all came together. Adding uncooked rice and salt gave the dough extra texture, and the babies loved squishing, squeezing, and poking it. 👶 Some even gave it a good taste! 😄 It was a joyful, hands-on experience that sparked lots of giggles and sensory exploration.
🍌 Cookery
For our cooking fun, we smashed ripe bananas 🍌 and mixed them with smooth yoghurt 🥣. The babies loved the smell and texture, and some even had a little taste! 😋 This easy recipe helps them explore food in a safe and playful way—perfect for tiny hands (and tummies!).
🧘♀️ Lessons with Specialist Teachers
This week, Mindful Molly led the babies through calm baby yoga 🧘♂️ and quiet sensory play. Soft lights ✨, gentle sounds 🎶, and slow stretches created a peaceful atmosphere, helping the babies relax and slow down after lots of exciting activities. These sessions support emotional well-being 🫶, an important part of our holistic learning approach.
At Hatching Dragons, we believe in creating a nurturing, culturally rich environment that supports every child’s growth. 🌟 Learn more about our innovative approach through our Workplace Nursery Scheme—because we know that every child (and parent!) deserves the best start possible. 💛
🌟 Blue Dragon Newsletter – 06/06 🌟
Dear Blue Dragon Families,
What a magical week we’ve had! Our little learners have been full of curiosity, movement, and imagination. From zooming into space to diving under the sea, every day has been packed with wonder and discovery. Here’s a peek at the fun-filled week we shared:
✏️ Writing Adventures
Our Blue Dragons practiced pencil control in a fun and interactive way! Using whiteboard pens, they carefully traced lines around 3D shapes drawn on the whiteboard—without touching them! Like a mini obstacle course, this activity challenged them to stay focused and steady, building fine motor skills, coordination, and early writing confidence in a playful and engaging way.
🔢 Math and Phonics Fun
We blasted off into outer space with a multi-sensory tray that brought math and language learning to life! Our Blue Dragons filled numbers with stretchy, squishy sand, practicing number recognition through touch and play. They counted down from 9 to 1 in both Mandarin and English, cheering each number with big smiles.
Our phonics focus this week was the buzzing letter Z! We sang the space-themed song “Zoom Zoom Zoom” in both languages, dancing and moving to the rhythm while learning how to pronounce Zzz like zooming rockets. Learning has never been this exciting!
🤸 Specialist Time
Sports:
Our little athletes balanced, climbed, and tiptoed their way across the ladder bridge and carefully stepped through the cone snake path. These fun challenges built confidence, coordination, and brought plenty of happy giggles!
Mindful Molly:
We took a gentle journey under the sea, where the children imagined swimming with dolphins, spotting jellyfish, and gliding through the ocean. This calming session helped them slow down, breathe deeply, and connect with their imaginations in a peaceful way.
🐠 Mandarin Magic
This week’s Mandarin lessons took us deep into the ocean! We introduced sea-themed vocabulary like “sea” (海 hǎi) and “boat” (船 chuán). The children practiced steering boats across a wavy “ocean” while mixing paint to create shimmering blue waters. We ended the session with a barefoot dance party, feeling the textures beneath our feet and celebrating with joyful movement.
🌍 Special Day: World Environment Day
To celebrate World Environment Day, our Blue Dragons became little heroes! They rescued stuffed animals that were “trapped” in a pretend forest filled with litter, learning how human actions can impact nature. Through this hands-on activity, we talked about keeping our planet clean and safe for all creatures.
At Hatching Dragons, we believe in nurturing global citizens who care for the world around them. Our approach is deeply rooted in the values we teach, ensuring every child grows up with compassion, curiosity, and respect for the world.
📚 Story, Show & Tell
One of our friends took us on a storytelling journey to Nigeria, sharing photos and stories from a recent holiday—what a special moment! We also enjoyed a cheerful puppet show of Little Red Riding Hood, sparking laughter and imaginative role play as the children retold the story in their own creative ways.
🌳 Outing Time
This week, the children went on a nature exploration outing to the park. Equipped with magnifying glasses, they eagerly searched for signs of nature. They discovered flowers, bees, and ladybugs—both on the blossoms and scattered across the grassland—developing their observation skills and curiosity about the natural world.
We capped off the outing with a lively parachute session at the park, accompanied by music. The children worked together to lift, shake, and run under the parachute, promoting teamwork, coordination, and rhythm in a fun and active way.
We’re so proud of all the curiosity, creativity, and compassion our Blue Dragons have shown this week. Thank you for sharing this journey with us!
✈️ Dragon Flights Newsletter ✈️
Week of 2nd–6th June 2025
An Amazing Week of Learning and Exploring!
What a rich and exciting week we've had! The children were deeply engaged in activities that supported their development across all learning areas—through play, culture, creativity, and exploration. Here’s a peek at the wonderful experiences we shared:
➗ Maths Magic
Our little learners worked with two paper palms numbered from 1 to 10, using them to explore simple addition in a fun and visual way. They demonstrated great focus while combining numbers and proudly sharing their findings with their friends.
✏️ Writing & Phonics Fun
The children practiced tracing the first letter of their names and focused on vowel recognition through sound-based games. These playful activities supported their early literacy skills and helped them make connections between letters and sounds—making phonics both fun and meaningful!
🌍 Exploring Russia & Eastern Europe
As part of our cultural journey, the children created their own flags and were introduced to the Cyrillic alphabet. They matched the letters with the initials of their names and, with a little help, proudly wrote their names using the new script. We also explored Russian weather and discussed how people adapt to the cold—sparking wonderful conversations about different cultures and climates!
🔍 I Spy Literacy Hunt
Our “I Spy” game turned the classroom into a playful literacy adventure! Letters and numbers were hidden around the room, and with magnifying glasses in hand, the children eagerly searched for clues. Shouts of “I spy with my little eye…” followed by the correct letter name filled the room with excitement as the children raced to uncover each hidden clue.
🎨 Expressive Arts: Kremlin & Ice Snowflakes
This week, the children painted the Kremlin in Moscow, learning about its shapes, colours, and its importance as a Russian monument. Their creativity shone through in every brushstroke!
They also took part in a sensory-rich ice painting activity. Using salt and hot water, they melted patterns into ice blocks before using brushes to create delicate snowflakes. This fascinating blend of art and science gave them a hands-on way to understand how salt affects ice—while also learning about Russia’s famously cold weather!
🍽️ Cooking Club – Blinis!
In celebration of Russian cuisine, the children made blinis—traditional pancakes topped with yogurt, banana slices, and a touch of syrup. Yum! They loved mixing ingredients and, of course, tasting their delicious work. These cooking activities build both fine motor skills and an appreciation for different cultures’ cuisines.
🧘 Mrs. Mindful Molly
Mrs. Mindful Molly brought calm and balance to our week with her yoga and mindfulness sessions. Through storytelling, breathing exercises, and gentle movements, the children learned how to find peaceful moments amidst their busy days—building emotional awareness and resilience.
🤸 Mini Sporties
Our Tuesday Mini Sporties session was filled with energy and excitement! The children ran, jumped, balanced, and practiced coordination with support from our enthusiastic coaches. These sessions not only build physical skills but also boost confidence and teamwork.
🏫 Want to See More?
We love welcoming families to see our creative learning environment in action. If you’d like to experience the joy of learning firsthand, we’d be delighted to show you around! Book a tour at our Westminster nursery today.
🌟 What a Week!
From maths and writing to snowflakes and Cyrillic letters, this week has been a beautiful blend of discovery, creativity, and fun. We can’t wait for the adventures that lie ahead!
