Important Reminders and Updates

Safety First

Please remember to close the gate securely behind you when entering or leaving the premises. For safety reasons, kindly ensure you do not let others in; if someone needs access, they should use the buzzer. This helps us keep all our children safe.

Christmas Holidays

Our Christmas holidays will begin on 24th December and reopen on Friday 3rd of January. For fully funded children we are closed Monday 23rd Dec and reopen 6th of January. Please make a note of this in your diaries, and we’ll provide further updates as the holidays approach.

Preschool

PhonicsLanguage, Phonics, and Mandarin

To celebrate Christmas, the children formed the word “Christmas” using tiny sticks on paper, enriching their vocabulary and communication skills.
In Mandarin, they traced characters for “winter” and practiced the “w” phonic sound, linking their learning to the season. These activities supported fine motor development and introduced them to new linguistic concepts.

Understanding the World

In honor of World Mountain Day, the children engaged in a creative mountain-building project. Using shapes wrapped in paper and painted in earthy colours, they added trees made from pipe cleaners and sticks from our garden. A sprinkle of snow and play dough gave the scene a wintry touch. Through this, we explored fascinating facts about mountains, fostering curiosity and a deeper appreciation for the environment.

We also explored Scandinavian culture, discovering its majestic landscapes, wildlife such as reindeer and Arctic foxes, and traditions like Midsummer and Christmas. These activities broadened the children’s understanding of global diversity, sparking engaging conversations.
Our Arctic exploration continued with a Polar Bear sensory tray. This hands-on activity captivated their senses and encouraged curiosity about animals adapted to cold climates.

The highlight of the week?

The children performed their Nativity Play on Thursday afternoon! It was a delightful celebration of the season, and the children’s hard work during rehearsals truly shone through. We hope you enjoyed the performance as much as they enjoyed presenting it.

Art and Design

Our budding artists created stunning festive crowns from pipe cleaners and glittering tinsel. By shaping and wrapping the materials, they developed their creativity and fine motor skills while embracing the festive spirit.

Physical Development

This week’s sports session with a coach from Sports Mini had the children pretending to be reindeer, gathering presents scattered across the playground to fill Santa’s bag. This activity improved their coordination, teamwork, and brought a dose of festive fun!
A matching game involving coloured sticks helped sharpen their visual discrimination and reflexes, adding a playful challenge to the day.

Mathematics

Festive counting took centre stage as the children counted gifts under the Christmas tree from 1 to 20 in both English and Mandarin. This bilingual activity reinforced numeral recognition and quantity understanding while celebrating the season.

Amazing Excursion Highlights

Our trip to Vauxhall Farm was a favourite this week. The children enjoyed meeting farm animals and learning about their habitats and characteristics, strengthening their connection to nature.
We also visited a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, its sparkling lights and ornaments captivating the children. They shared their thoughts about the decorations and contributed ideas for our own classroom tree.

Blue Dragons

This week in the Blue Dragons class was truly special as we wrapped up the year with a mix of creativity, storytelling, and festive joy. Here's what we’ve been up to:

A Year in Review: Our Learning Wall

We created a magnificent wall display at the nursery class that captured everything we’ve learned throughout the year—from mountains and deserts to bustling villages and cities, and even the polar extremes of the North and South Poles. At the center, we placed a map of the continents, complete with clock hands symbolizing how time moves across the world.
The children were especially thrilled discussing Santa Claus' incredible journey around the globe in just one night! To add to the magic, the teachers shared an original story titled "Santa's Magical Solution." The tale followed Santa as he used his magic to fix a little mix-up caused by his elves, with presents folding themselves and tying their own ribbons. This enchanting story sparked the children’s imagination, bringing festive cheer and a sense of wonder to our classroom.

Storytelling Through Movement: The Nutcracker

A new favourite activity for the Blue Dragons is storytelling through movement, and this week, we brought Christmas spirit to life with a classical twist. The children engaged with The Nutcracker, using music and movement to explore the story with their peers and nursery teachers.
They marched like wooden soldiers, learned about the famous musical themes like "Candy," "Coffee," and "Tea," and danced to the Waltz of the Snowflakes while shaking fabric cloths to mimic falling snow.
Incorporating classical music into their learning is not only enjoyable but also incredibly beneficial for their development. The rhythm, melody, and emotion in the music help boost cognitive skills, improve memory, and enhance motor coordination. It was heartwarming to see them connect with the story, music, and movement with such enthusiasm and creativity.

Festive Fun: Christmas Crafts

The Christmas season has inspired a flurry of creative activities! The children have been busy crafting festive decorations, including colourful ornaments, glittering stars, and snowy scenes. These activities are wonderful for fine motor skill development and allow the children to express their holiday cheer through art.

Our partnership with Little Village

As an early years education and childcare institution, we put great value on helping children in need.

This is why we partnered with Little Village, an organization that helps babies and young children living in poverty all across London.

Want to help children in need? Donate to Little Village below!

Baby Room

This week in the Baby Room has been a delightful journey of festive fun and enriching learning experiences. Here's a glimpse into our activities:

Introducing Makaton Signs for "Happy" and "Sad"

We introduced the Makaton signs for "happy" and "sad," and it was heartwarming to see the children taking part in the activity! This activity helps them connect words with actions, laying the foundation for early communication and bilingualism skills in an engaging way. Using Makaton signs for emotions enables children to express their feelings, needs and interests before they develop full verbal abilities, reducing frustration and promoting emotional well-being.

Heuristic Play with a Christmas and Winter Theme

Our heuristic play sessions embraced the festive spirit with shiny tinsel, sparkling baubles, pinecones, and soft wintery fabrics at our Westminster nursery. The children delighted in touching, shaking, and exploring these items, discovering their textures, sounds, and colours. Their curiosity blossomed as they engaged with these sensory-rich materials.

Book of the Week: Hats of Faith by Medeia Cohan-Petrolino

We explored Hats of Faith by author Medeia Cohan-Petrolino, a beautifully illustrated book introducing headwear from various cultures and traditions whilst we were learning about International Immigrants Day. The children were captivated by the vibrant images and enjoyed trying on hats inspired by those in the book, fostering curiosity and excitement as they connected with the story.

Creative Play with Festive Playdough

This week, our babies had a wonderful time exploring festive playdough. They squished, rolled, and moulded the dough into various shapes, delighting in its soft texture and the lovely scents of cinnamon and peppermint. This fun activity also helped strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers, which are important for skills like writing and buttoning clothes as they grow.

Outing to the Sand Park and Christmas Decorations

We enjoyed a walk to Causton park, where the children experienced the sensation of sand between their fingers. Along the way, they were mesmerised by twinkling Christmas lights and bright decorations, sparking joy and wonder as they explored the festive surroundings.

Mandarin Storytime and "Liǎng zhī lǎo hǔ" Song with Teacher Dong

This week, we had a special Mandarin session with Teacher Dong, who introduced the children to a Mandarin storybook and taught them the traditional nursery rhyme "Liǎng zhī lǎo hǔ" ("Two Tigers").
The children enjoyed learning the song's simple lyrics and melody within the authentic Chinese learning lesson! This activity not only introduced them to a new language but also supported their listening and auditory discrimination skills. This week in the Baby Room, we've had a wonderful time engaging in a variety of activities that have supported the babies' growth, development, and learning.

It’s been a week filled with excitement, discovery, and plenty of sensory exploration!

Holiday Clubs in the Center of London

Why our clubs are the best for the school aged children?

Read along about our fantastic and most exciting holiday clubs in central London and learn about activities, excursions and classes we provide through our specialist programes led by expert teachers!

Check out his blog here!