Dear Parents,
A new, clearer way of keeping in touch with youOver the past few weeks, many of you have shared helpful feedback about how often and in what ways we communicate with you. Thank you – we’ve listened, and from the beginning of December we’re making a few changes so that information is clearer, more consistent and easier to find.Here’s what our new communication rhythm will look like:Daily Diaries • No change • You’ll continue to receive your child’s Daily Diary via eyParent as you do now.Weekly Observations – from Friday 5th December • Every Friday, you’ll receive a weekly roundup via eyParent with: • Highlights from your child’s week (including photos/videos where appropriate) • Key learning and activities • A look ahead to the coming weekMonthly Nursery Newsletter – from 23rd December • Our nursery newsletter will move from a weekly email to a monthly update via eyParent (using the new NewsFeed feature). • This will start with the newsletter on 23rd December, and then continue monthly. • In this newsletter you’ll find: • A reflection on the month just gone and a preview of what’s coming up • Important dates and reminders • News from across the nursery • Updates on events, projects and any changes you need to know about • Any other news from across the Hatching Dragons family • Today will be the final weekly newsletter. • From the next edition on 28th November, newsletters will no longer be sent weekly by email. Instead, the next full newsletter will be shared on 23rd December via eyParent, marking the start of our new monthly rhythm.Thank you again for your feedback and for working with us as we improve how we communicate with you. If you have any questions about these changes, please don hesitate to speak to your child’s key person, nursery manager or myself.
Andy GowlandCOO
Announcement,
Welcome to Our New Finance Manager! We’re delighted to welcome Anna Zamuraeva as our new Finance Manager, joining us as part of a refresh of our Finance Department. Anna is here to raise the standard of our finance operations and make things clearer, smoother, and more parent-friendly for our families.
Her focus is on clear communication, faster support, greater transparency, and always having a listening ear when it comes to fees, funding, or accounts. Anna says: “I’m excited to join the Hatching Dragons family and am committed to ensuring our financial processes reflect values that are fundamental to our way of working: premium care, strong communication and high quality services.”
We’re excited to have Anna on board and look forward to the positive changes she’ll bring to support our parents, teams, and nurseries.
Baby Room
Modern Language and Communication
This week, we focused on introducing expressive communication through a blend of Makaton and Mandarin language learning.Makaton of the Week:Our babies learned the signs for “rain” and “sun,” which tied beautifully into our circle-time weather songs. The children were fascinated by the contrast between the gentle wiggling fingers for rain and the big, bright circle for sun. Many of them began using the signs spontaneously during play, showing wonderful early language imitation.
Mandarin Exploration
We introduced the Mandarin word for green, exploring a wide range of green objects from leafy branches to soft fabrics and sensory toys. The babies enjoyed handling each item and hearing the repeated Mandarin phrase, helping build early recognition of both colour and sound patterns.
Regional Adventure
Our cultural discovery this week took us to South America, where we focused on the colourful flags of Brazil and Argentina.The babies had the opportunity to explore a variety of creative resources such as paint, tissue paper, foil, and textured materials. They tapped, dabbed, and pressed the materials onto their flag templates, creating vibrant, tactile artwork. These activities sparked curiosity while reinforcing early fine motor skills, creativity, and global awareness in a playful, sensory-rich way.
Outdoor Activities
The outdoor space was transformed into a baby-friendly adventure zone!We set up simple but exciting obstacle courses that encouraged crawling, balancing, and exploring at each child’s own pace. Soft blocks, mini tunnels, cones, and textured mats created a safe and stimulating environment.The babies loved the freedom to move, climb, and investigate different surfaces. These outdoor experiences supported their growing physical confidence, spatial awareness, and natural curiosity about the world around them.
STEAM
Our STEAM activity this week focused on exploring different textures using a large sensory tuff tray.Inside the tray, we offered materials with a wide range of tactile qualities such as smooth, crunchy, hard, crumbly, and more. The babies delighted in feeling each texture with their hands, fingertips, and even their whole bodies as they explored freely.This sensory experience encouraged curiosity, early scientific thinking, and tactile awareness, allowing each child to investigate at their own pace.We also introduced a simple science experiment with Skittles. The babies watched with amazement as the colours slowly spread and changed in water, creating a rainbow effect. This hands-on experiment sparked curiosity, encouraged observation skills, and helped the children begin to notice cause-and-effect in a fun and visual way.
Specialist Teachers – Mindful Molly
During our calming session with Mindful Molly, the babies learned about snails through gentle movement and soothing music.They practised slow crawling motions, listened to quiet songs about nature, and explored the idea of moving with intention just like a snail. This session supported early emotional regulation, body awareness, and connection with the natural world in a peaceful and mindful atmosphere.
Blue Dragons Newsletter
Phonics – Letter M
This week, the Blue Dragons delighted in discovering the letter M. The children practiced making the soft mmm sound by gently placing their hands on their lips, which helped them feel the vibration as they spoke. They looked at bright and engaging picture cards of moon, monkey, milk, and mango, pointing and naming the objects with growing confidence. Many children proudly repeated the new words while others traced the letter shape in the air with their fingertips. A small sensory tray filled with M objects, such as mini mice toys, pom-poms, and wooden letter pieces, encouraged curious hands to explore. The activity helped strengthen their early sound awareness while giving them a fun, interactive way to connect meaning to letters.
Math – Order and Sequence
Our math focus centered on helping the children understand order and sequence using moments from their familiar daily routine. With picture cards showing arrival, play time, circle time, snack, outdoor play, and home time, the children gathered around eagerly to help place the events in the correct order. Several children shared enthusiastic reactions when they recognized their favorite parts of the day. As they arranged the cards from first to last, they practiced early thinking skills and built an understanding of how their day flows. The activity created a sense of comfort and predictability, helping them recognize that each part of their routine has a special place.
Mandarin – Transport Words
In Mandarin class, the children explored this month’s theme of transport. They learned new vocabulary such as car, bus, train, and airplane through engaging songs, picture cards, and pretend play. The children loved matching toy vehicles to the Mandarin words while joining in actions like driving, rolling, and flying. Lifting toy airplanes high in the air quickly became a class favorite, and many children repeated the words with excitement. This playful approach helped the children absorb new language naturally through movement, sound, and joyful participation.
Mini Sports – Moving Our Bodies
During mini sports, the Blue Dragons practiced movement, balance, and coordination through age-friendly physical challenges. They tiptoed along a soft balance line, crawled through colorful tunnels, and practiced rolling and gently kicking balls toward a target. Teachers encouraged simple turn-taking and celebrated each small success, boosting the children’s confidence. The room was filled with laughter as children explored what their bodies can do, supporting physical development while allowing them to feel proud of their growing abilities.
Outing – Christmas Walk around Pimlico
To start the festive season, the children went on a Christmas exploration walk around the area. They admired sparkling lights, decorated Christmas trees, and shiny ornaments. Many paused to look closely at the colors and shapes, while others pointed excitedly as they discovered something new. The outing filled the morning with wonder and joyful anticipation as the children observed the magical details of the holiday environment.
Dragon Flights Newsletter
Circle Time & Understanding the World
This week, the Dragon Flights children explored our South America theme alongside our Festivals & Celebrations focus. During circle time, we introduced the story of the Nativity, discussing how Christmas is celebrated in different cultures. The children also learned about Thanksgiving, sharing ideas about traditions, gratitude, and special foods. These discussions supported communication, curiosity, and understanding of the wider world, while helping the children make connections between different celebrations.
Curious about how we combine culture, confidence, and creativity in the early years?
Literacy & Phonics
In phonics, the children focused on tracing the letter O, practising curved movements, pencil control, and letter formation. This activity helped develop early mark-making confidence, fine-motor skills, and phonemic awareness, forming a foundation for early reading and writing.
Mathematics – Number Recognition & Counting
The children practised number recognition and counted corresponding objects on worksheets. They developed one-to-one correspondence, problem-solving skills, and confidence in early numeracy while taking pride in completing tasks independently.
Cooking – Making Cookies
During a festive cooking session, the children mixed ingredients and shaped cookie dough to create their own treats. This hands-on activity supported fine-motor development, independence, sensory exploration, and the ability to follow instructions, while encouraging teamwork and shared celebration.
Creative Expression
The children explored creativity through activities such as shaping dough and creating small festive crafts. They practised decision-making, expressing ideas, and choosing colours and shapes, which nurtured imagination, problem-solving, and self-expression.
Special Activities – Yoga with Miss Molly
The children participated in a special yoga session with Miss Molly, practising stretches, coordinated movements, and mindful breathing. This supported physical development, balance, body awareness, and self-regulation, while providing a fun, calming experience.Storytime – Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Miss Molly read “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” to the group, and the children enthusiastically joined in, identifying animals and predicting what might come next. This activity supported language development, listening skills, vocabulary building, and early literacy, while encouraging participation and confidence in group reading.
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Extended Learning: Holiday Clubs & Weekend School
Our Holiday Clubs & Weekend School offer STEAM fun, language learning, and field trips for school-aged children.
Book Your Holiday Club Spot → Book Your Weekend School Spot →
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