Hatching Dragons Canada Water Blog

Canada Water School Highlights - November 29, 2024

Written by Klara | Nov 29, 2024 7:34:00 PM

Preschool

Amazing Excursion - Greenwich Cutty Sark

What a great fun it was!

Our preschoolers were buzzing with excitement as they dove into the fascinating history of Cutty Sark. This beautiful Victorian ship, that transported tea, is one of the most famous ships.

Children loved the grandiosity if this cargo ship which was the fastest of its time. We reflected on different materials the ship was build from, its history as a tea clipper and what the life on the boat was like, children especially enjoyed learning the ship’s salute, a gesture of respect for the ship captains.

We also seen Memorial obelisk, Duck Fountain and heard beautiful music from the nearby Conservatory of Music.

 

Peru - Rainbow Mountain

As we continue to explore the beautiful and colourful country Peru - children went on a virtual adventure to the mountains, and what the mountain range Andes offers. Our preschoolers had lots of fun exploring the mountains, including alpaca farms, barren valleys, beautiful lakes, snow plumes and our main focus - The breathtaking Rainbow Mountain!
Children in Preschool learned about the colours of the mountain, which come from variety of different minerals, mud and limestone, the colours are the result of water mixing with minerals in the ground after the ice melted. We can find the the mountain is made of colours like red, yellow, purple, green, white and brown. We extended our learning into very colourful craft, creating our individual Rainbow Mountain, using tissue papers of the colours of different minerals to create the mountain.

Peruvian Textile and Rugs

The children have been engaged in art project last few weeks inspired by colourful Peruvian textile and rugs. Children focused on colours and unique design of the rugs. In previous session children designed their rugs using paints and focused on choosing colours and their unique design options, using brushstrokes from top to bottom to create the design. This time we focused on children having the opportunity to understand different patterns and creating sequence using stripes of coloured papers.

Colombia - The Story of Coffee

At the second part of the week in Preschool children were introduced Colombia and mainly focusing on the produce of coffee as Colombia is part of the famous coffee belt and because of its unique position can have coffee beans grown all over the country. This unique position creates perfect conditions for growing Arabica Coffee. Coffee in Colombia has a rich history and has been part of family traditions for many years. Children had lots of fun exploring coffee through multi sensory activities, particularly the smell and texture of the coffee. They used the ground coffee to prepare ‘cup of coffee’ using glue and the ground coffee.

Extra curricular activities

Molly’s Mindful Movement

This week our favourite Miss Molly came topically with a Pirate theme, after our trip to Cutty Sark children had lots of fun during the yoga and mindfulness session, they used variety of balancing resources to walk across to ‘walk the plank’ just like on a pirate ship, children also had opportunity to engage in mindfulness breathing and relaxing, they had a little boat placed on their tummy and as they breath they could feel it moving, just like on the waves of the sea.

Sporty Minis

During sporty minis this week children had lots of fun with different size hoops, they used them as steering wheels during Traffic lights game and they used soft balls to kick and throw, the took turns with with teachers throwing the balls.

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

Cultural experience from South America

The Baby Dragons participated in a creative activity where they made their own version of the Amazon Rainforest using a variety of materials and colours. The children enjoyed designing the different layers of the rainforest, using crayons and tissue paper to add vibrant details. They had a fantastic time moulding a river out of blue pipe cleaners and using glue to stick their creations down.

This activity not only sparked their imaginations but also helped develop their understanding of environments. Some children were even able to name animals that live in the rainforest, such as tigers. The different textures of the materials intrigued the children, encouraging them to explore and develop their creative skills.

 

Molly's Mindful Movement

The children had a wonderful time during their session with the amazing Molly today! They were full of energy and excitement as they sang their favourite nursery rhymes, including “Open Shut” and “Sleeping Bunnies.” The children also had a great time using shakers and clapping along to the music.

Next, they enjoyed a fun bubble activity, running around and popping the bubbles with great enthusiasm. To finish the session, the children gazed at the magic stars on the ceiling before joining in to sing the “Goodbye” song.

It was a delightful session full of joy and engagement!

Sporty Minis

This week in their weekly sporty mini session, the children focused on improving their balance and coordination through a series of fun, interactive activities. One of the key exercises was balancing on one foot, which challenged the children to maintain stability while strengthening their core muscles. This simple yet effective activity also helped develop their focus and concentration, as they aimed to hold the pose for longer periods of time.

The session also featured a creative twist, as the children mimicked various animal poses to enhance their flexibility and coordination. They had a blast pretending to be crocodiles, lions, and monkeys, each pose designed to engage different muscle groups while encouraging imagination and movement. Whether they were slithering like crocodiles or leaping like lions, the children enjoyed blending physical exercise with playful, animal-inspired movements, making the session both fun and beneficial for their overall development.

 

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!