This week, our preschoolers engaged in hands-on activities that explored history, celebrated international culture, and connected learning with nature. From marching for VE Day to mixing flower pies in the garden, it’s been a joyful and reflective week packed with discovery and celebration.
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To commemorate VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), the children participated in a reflective activity centred around peace, unity, and the end of conflict in Europe. We held group discussions about the importance of harmony and the reasons why this day is remembered, helping the children develop a sense of empathy and community.
They embraced the festive spirit by designing and colouring their own UK flags and dressing up in vintage-style clothing to reflect the time period. We ended the celebration with a cheerful VE Day march around the garden, where the children proudly waved their flags in unison—creating a wonderful moment of shared pride and historical awareness.
This activity is part of our wider approach to international observances, helping children connect with global traditions in meaningful ways.
As part of our regional learning, we explored the vibrant country of India. After identifying the location of this beautiful country, the children learned about the colours of the Indian flag—orange, white with a blue Ashoka Chakra, and green—and practised colouring it in order from top to bottom, developing their fine motor skills and knowledge of international symbols.We also introduced Henna art, a traditional form of body decoration in Indian culture. The children traced their hands on paper and used brown markers and paint to create their own decorative Henna designs. They were curious and thoughtful throughout the process, showing appreciation for artistic expression and cultural traditions.
These activities form part of our creative arts programme, which encourages children to celebrate cultural diversity through hands-on expression.
In maths, the children worked on counting and number recognition using flower counting cards. They picked a card, counted the flowers shown, and clipped a peg to the number they believed matched—building their one-to-one correspondence and fine motor control.We extended the activity by tracing the Mandarin character for five (五) and practising numbers one to five through Mandarin counting songs. Some children even confidently counted all the way to ten, showing growing familiarity with Mandarin numbers and pronunciation. We integrate Mandarin into our language and literacy programme to make learning fun, global, and deeply engaging for little minds.
This week’s Mandarin theme was “Farm Animals” (农场). We introduced animal names in Mandarin—chicken (鸡), duck (鸭子), dog (狗), cow (牛)—and the children loved learning the sounds and actions that matched each one.We played a musical game set to the Chinese version of Old McDonald Had a Farm, where children responded in Mandarin to animal prompts. Later, they played “I Spy” with a farm animal board and practised writing the Mandarin words for sheep (羊) and five (五), building vocabulary through movement, music and mark-making.
Our trip to Vauxhall City Farm was a highlight of the week! Before setting off, we hosted a puppet role-play session where children acted out farm scenes and practised animal names in Mandarin such as 兔子 (rabbit), 羊 (sheep), 鸡 (chicken), 鸭子 (duck), and 豚鼠 (guinea pig).At the farm, the children were thrilled to see real animals up close and confidently used their new vocabulary to identify them. This hands-on experience deepened their connection to our Mandarin learning and helped build empathy and care for living things.
Back in our garden, we hosted a flower-themed cooking club, where the children created their own imaginative flower pies using petals, leaves, herbs, and natural materials. They carefully collected and washed garden ingredients before mixing them together with great care and creativity.This sensory-rich activity supported language development, nature exploration, and collaborative play. As they stirred their mixtures, the children chatted about their “recipes,” proudly sharing their pies and learning that cooking can be both imaginative and inspired by the world around them.
This week’s Sports Mini session took the children outdoors for a dynamic mix of activities, starting with gymnastics and finishing with an introduction to tennis. They practised basic tennis skills, such as swinging and bouncing the ball, developing hand-eye coordination, focus, and movement control in a fun and active setting.With Lucy Sparkle, the children explored music and movement through farm-themed songs. They particularly loved the Snail Game, where they used their fingers to mimic a snail climbing up their arms and shoulders while singing. This playful activity combined fine motor skills with imagination, encouraging self-expression and a sense of wonder. These sessions are part of our holistic sports and outdoor learning programme that blends physical play with skill-building and joy.