Westminster School Highlights: Fostering Cultural Awareness and Language Development at Hatching Dragons (March 07)

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Babies at Westminster Nursery

Language and Communication - Songs, Stories, and Makaton

This week, we sang songs like Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes and One Little Finger. The babies had a great time pointing to their body parts, clapping, and bouncing to the music.

We also introduced Makaton signs for "big" and "small," showing the difference with our hands. Some babies tried copying the signs, while others watched and smiled. During story time, we used puppets and funny voices, which made the babies giggle, clap, and babble along in excitement.

For World Book Day, all the rooms dressed up in their favourite book character costumes and had an amazing time! The children were thrilled to watch our teachers perform Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and it was a fantastic celebration filled with laughter, imagination, and fun!

Sensory Play - Exploring Nature and Wildlife

For World Wildlife Day, we created a sensory area filled with plastic animals, feathers, grass, leaves, and soil. The babies had a great time exploring different textures—some enjoyed the soft feathers, while others squeezed the soil in their hands. A few were excited to pick up the animals and make animal sounds, while others simply enjoyed observing the activities. TThey also enjoyed listening to songs as a practitioner played guitar while having a picnic in the park, exploring nature, playing games, and soaking in the beautiful surroundings, making the day even more special!

Pancake Day Fun!

The babies had a fun time exploring different fruits on Pancake Day. They squished, rolled, and even tasted raspberries, blueberries, lemons, and bananas. Some of them pulled funny faces at the sour lemons, while others happily squished the soft bananas between their fingers. It was a great sensory experience!

Outdoor Play 

The babies had a wonderful time exploring the outdoors at Bessborough Gardens, Causton Park, and St. George Park, Victoria. They enjoyed running, crawling through tunnels, playing ball games, and watching birds. The water fountain was a big hit, with some babies mesmerised by the splashing water, while others had fun playing in the sand, feeling its soft texture.

STEAM - Science Fun

This week, we did an exciting experiment with oil, paint, and water. The babies watched the colourful paint slowly sink through the water, creating fascinating patterns. It was a calming and magical experience, and the babies loved pointing at the moving colours, which fostered early STEM skills and encouraged curiosity and scientific exploration.

Creative time- Ramadan cards and design

The babies got creative and messy, making Happy Ramadan cards with bright paints. They loved feeling the paint on their fingers and dabbing it in different colours. Their finished cards looked amazing! This activity served as a wonderful introduction to cultural appreciation and fostering cultural awareness for children, allowing them to connect with Ramadan traditions in a hands-on way.

Toddlers

Modern Languages & Communication - Opposites 

Chinese Club: Story Time – Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

This week in Chinese Club, we explored the beloved bilingual story Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (棕色的熊，棕色的熊，你在看什么?). During story time, the children learned about colors and animals in Mandarin through the book’s repetitive structure. Each character introduced a new color, helping children recognize and reinforce vocabulary naturally. After reading, the children got creative by making their own animal puppets, bringing the story to life in a hands-on way. This activity not only fostered language development but also helped with fostering cultural awareness for children through the introduction of Mandarin.

Key Vocabulary:

Brown Bear – 棕色的熊 (zōng sè de xióng)

Red Bird – 红色的鸟 (hóng sè de niǎo)

Yellow Duck – 黄色的鸭子 (huáng sè de yā zi)

Blue Horse – 蓝色的马 (lán sè de mǎ)

Green Frog – 绿色的青蛙 (lǜ sè de qīng wā)

Purple Cat – 紫色的猫 (zǐ sè de māo)

White Dog – 白色的狗 (bái sè de gǒu)

Black Sheep – 黑色的羊 (hēi sè de yáng)

Gold Fish – 金色的鱼 (jīn sè de yú)

Teacher – 老师 (lǎo shī)

Regional Education: Pancake Day Fun!

The Blue Dragons had a fantastic time celebrating Pancake Day, discovering delicious pancakes from around the world! They explored different styles, including those from China, the Netherlands, America, and England, gaining a deeper appreciation for global traditions. A highlight of the day was making maple syrup pancakes playdough. The children excitedly measured, mixed, and decorated their own pancakes, developing fine motor skills while fostering a sense of independence and creativity. This activity also supported global learning for toddlers, introducing them to the concept of different cultural traditions surrounding food.

Exciting Excursion: Causton Park Adventure

This week’s adventure took the Blue Dragons to Causton Park, where they explored the natural beauty of the landscape, filled with vibrant plants and flowers. The children observed their surroundings with curiosity. One of the most exciting moments was experimenting with sandcastle construction. Through trial and error, they learned about structure, stability, and problem-solving—key skills for any budding architect or engineer!

STEAM Activity: Measuring Water Play

Water play took center stage this week as the children explored concepts of measurement, volume, and fluid movement. Using measuring cups, containers, and funnels, they eagerly filled and emptied different-sized vessels, observing how water behaved in different situations. A particularly exciting moment was when they predicted whether objects would sink or float, sparking curiosity and discovery. The children also experimented with sponges, observing how they absorbed and released water. This sensory-rich experience encouraged teamwork, problem-solving, and language development as they described their observations and discoveries.

Preschoolers

Exploring Spring in the Park

This week, the lovely spring weather led us on a fun trip to the park! The children had a fantastic time discovering nature, spotting signs of spring, and getting active with games. They enjoyed kicking footballs and played the game “Wolf, Wolf, What Time Is It?” in both English and Mandarin. It was wonderful to see the children laughing, running, and working together as they played. This helped foster cultural awareness for children by exposing them to both languages and promoting inclusion.

Festival Celebrations

We had a busy week celebrating different festivals! We started by celebrating Pancake Day, where the children learned about pancakes from around the world. They played in the kitchen area, taking turns as chefs and customers, serving and buying pancakes. Through discussions, the children learned about pancakes from countries like Japan, China, Denmark, America, and the UK. We also shared some fun facts about why people flip pancakes and the tradition behind it.

We also introduced Ramadan to the children, teaching them about fasting and the importance of mosques. The children made their own mosque designs using various shapes, blending math, art, and learning about the world. It was a wonderful chance for them to engage with different cultures and traditions, fostering cultural awareness for children and encouraging respect for cultural diversity.

Then came World Book Day, which was full of excitement! The children dressed up as their favourite book characters and proudly showed off their costumes. As a special treat, the teachers performed the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, which the children loved. It was a day full of imagination, role-play, and fun!

Mathamatics

In maths, we focused on addition and number recognition. The children practised identifying numbers and matching them to the correct quantities. We used pipe cleaners and number blocks to make learning hands-on and interactive. The children moved blocks to the correct answer, developing their counting skills while having fun.

Literacy & Phonics

This week, we reviewed the letter "s" and introduced the letter "a." The younger children focused on Phase 1 sounds, while the older children explored Phase 2 phonics, practising recognising, writing, and decoding words with these letters. The children loved singing Jolly Phonics songs, which made learning phonics even more enjoyable. The older children have also been practising writing their names, getting ready for big school in September.

Chinese Club

In Chinese Club, we read the story Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? in both Mandarin and English. The children learnt new words for colours and animals in Mandarin. They also enjoyed making animal puppets, practising their new words in a fun and creative way!

Here are some of the new words they learned this week:

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