Westminster School Highlights - November 15, 2024

Baby Room

This week in the Baby Room, our youngest learners explored a range of sensory and hands-on activities tailored to support their early development through play and discovery.

Let's have a recap of our week!

Remembrance Day Art and Craft

To support the children's personal, social, and emotional development, we introduced a Remembrance Day art activity.

With gentle hand-over-hand guidance, the babies enjoyed sticking and pressing soft leaves and poppy shapes onto paper, which helped them practice fine motor skills.

We used descriptive language to discuss colours and textures, encouraging their communication and language skills.

Rainbow Macaw Handprint

This week, the babies created vibrant “Rainbow Macaw” handprints inspired by the colourful animals of the Amazon rainforest.

This activity encouraged expressive arts and design as the children experimented with colours and textures.

Watching their reactions to each color allowed us to foster their curiosity and wonder, key aspects of understanding the World.

Makaton Sign of the Week: “Milk”

Our Makaton sign this week was “milk,” supporting communication and language development by helping babies express their needs.

During mealtimes, we practiced the sign together, making connections between gestures, objects, and routines.

Book of the Week: Amazon Animals

Our story of the week took us into the Amazon rainforest, promoting Understanding the World and introducing the babies to new environments.

Using props and plush toys, we created a multi-sensory storytime, making animal sounds and adding rhythm, which the children loved.

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!

Preschool

We’ve had a fantastic week full of learning and fun here at preschool! Here’s a glimpse of what our curious preschoolers have been up to.

Mandarin Highlights

In our Mandarin sessions, we explored the theme of the sky (天空).

The children learned new vocabulary, including 月亮 (moon), 星星 (star), 太阳 (sun), and 雨 (rain), and practiced writing the Chinese character 月 (moon).

They also enjoyed a memory card game, building focus and memory as they identified, matched, and memorized cards.

To enhance their Mandarin learning, we introduced rainforest animals, focusing on where each animal lives—whether in trees, on the ground, or in the sky.

Mathematics Fun

This week, we practiced numbers 1 to 4 in Chinese using clay, allowing the children to form each number by hand.

They also had fun guiding pom-poms through paths, an activity designed to improve fine motor skills and spatial awareness.

Extra-Curricular Excitement

Our week was extra special with sessions from Miss Molly’s Mindful Moments, Ella Sparkles’ music, and a “Sporty Minis” with our sports coach.

These activities offered a balanced mix of mindfulness, music, and movement, which the children loved!

Smooth Transitions

We’re incredibly proud of how smoothly the children are adjusting to preschool life.

They participated eagerly in each activity, gaining new skills and creating wonderful memories together.

Blue Dragons

Bringing the Jungle to Life!

This week, our South America-themed activities took the children on an exciting journey into the heart of the rainforest!

Forest Box Making

The children unleashed their creativity, painting and adding vibrant trees to their own "forest boxes" to create mini jungles.

Each box was a burst of colour, filled with their unique creations and excitement as they brought their imaginary forests to life.

Jungle Adventure

Our little adventurers had fun cutting out animals native to South America—like parrots, monkeys, and more—and carefully sticking them onto our large jungle paper. It was wonderful to watch them bring the jungle to life, animal by animal!

Phonics Fun: Learning “S” and “A” with Rhythms

This week’s phonics focused on the letters “s” and “a” - perfect for our South America theme!

The children started by tracing each letter in a sensory tray, then practiced with phonics songs and tracing activities.

They loved singing along to Jolly Phonics tunes, making letter learning joyful and interactive.

Math Marvels

Our math sessions were full of hands-on fun!

Using transparent 3D shapes, the children traced shapes and practiced colour recognition, enhancing their visual skills as they explored shapes together.

They also identified shapes on paper and matched them with wooden blocks, boosting shape recognition and problem-solving skills.

Using Lego blocks, they also went to build and match quantities with numbers, bringing counting to life in a fun, creative way!

Honoring Remembrance Day

To commemorate Remembrance Day, we introduced the children to poppies through a painting activity.

Using red and black paints, they created beautiful poppy artwork while learning that these flowers symbolize kindness, peace, and love.

Physical Fun: Hands-on and Active Play

In our food play, the children enjoyed “cooking” green rice, using tweezers and tools to scoop, stir, and explore textures.

This activity strengthened their fine motor skills in a fun and sensory way.

Sports Sessions with Sporty Minis

During this action-packed session, children worked with coaches on gross motor skills, bouncing, passing, and catching balls. It was a fantastic way to practice teamwork and coordination.

Mandarin: 月亮 (Moon)

In our Mandarin lesson, we introduced the word for “moon” (月亮).

The children decorated papers with yellow circles as symbols of the moon, guided by our Mandarin teacher as they learned to say and recognize the word—a beautiful way to connect language with cultural symbols.

What’s Coming Up Next Week

Are you excited to see what we're doing next week? Because we sure are!

Here’s what we have planned for next week:

Autumn Leaf Exploration

We’ll go on a small nature walk to collect colourful autumn leaves and explore their textures and shapes back in the Baby Room.

This activity will support their sensory and motor skills and connect them to seasonal changes, which will help them foster their understanding of the world.

Makaton Sign of the Week: “All Done”

Next week, we’ll be introducing the Makaton sign for “all done,” which will help the babies communicate when they have finished an activity or meal.

We’ll practice this sign during playtime and snack time, using repetition to support their communication and language skills and encouraging them to express their preferences confidently in a way that’s easy for them to understand.

South America

We're taking our preschoolers to South America!

In literacy, we’ll continue with phonics, building on letter recognition and sounds.

In mathematics, we’ll begin exploring different coins and notes, introducing basic concepts of money in an engaging way.

We’re also excited to kick off a cooking class, where the children will work together to make a simple recipe, exploring new ingredients and practicing early kitchen skills in a fun, hands-on way.

We hope to see you next week!

Parenting in the age of AI

Are you curious to learn about how modern technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), can positively or negatively impact parenting in this day and age?

If so, you might be interested in subscribing to our CEO’s blog on Parenting in the Age of AI.

Check out his blog here!