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Westminster School Highlights: March 28
Reminders
- Please remember to trim your little one’s nails regularly to help keep them safe and comfortable as they explore and play.
- Good Friday (18th April 2025) and Easter Monday (21st April): These are public Bank holidays, and the nursery will be closed.
- Half-Term Break: From 7th April 2025 to 21st April 2025 (for children on term-time, fully funded)
Babies at Westminster Nursery
Modern Language and Communication
This week, we introduced the Makaton signs for "mum", "hug" and "love." The babies have been excited to practice these signs during play and mealtimes. It’s been lovely to see them start expressing themselves and showing their affection in new ways.
We also sang some songs for Mother’s Day! The babies had a great time joining in with the actions for songs like "Hugs and Kisses," "You Are My Sunshine," and "Our mummy." It was a fun way for them to show their love and celebrate this special occasion!
Mum (妈妈, Māmā), Love (爱, Ài), Flower (花, Huā), Heart (心, Xīn)
Festival of the Week - Mother's Day
In preparation for Mother’s Day, the babies got creative by making beautiful cards with bright colours, stickers, and sparkles. They also enjoyed making handprint clay ornaments, which were filled with love and care. A big thank you to all the mums and special figures who came to join our Mother’s Day celebration. We hope you all had a wonderful day filled with love and joy!
Exciting Outings & Outdoor Fun
This week, we had two wonderful and fun outings:
Market Adventure: The babies had a blast visiting the local market! They explored the colourful fruits and vegetables, touched the smooth skins of apples, and smelled the fresh herbs. It was a great opportunity for them to see new sights and experience different smells, all while giggling and pointing at their favourite items!
Library Visit: At the library, the babies enjoyed looking at the big, bright picture books. They loved listening to the gentle stories about families, while some even joined in with wide eyes and little giggles as we turned the pages. They discovered new words like "mouse," "squirrel," and "parrot" as we pointed to the pictures together.
Back at the nursery, we had lots of fun outside! The babies played hide-and-seek, giggling as they crawled, walked, and peeked around the garden. The babies spotted new flowers blooming in the garden and had a great time gently watering them with big smiles. We all enjoyed the beautiful sunshine, which made the day even more special, with lots of wriggling, laughter, and moments of joy in the fresh air!
Toddlers
STEAM Activities
This week, the Blue Dragons dove into the fascinating world of spring birds! The children explored how birds build their nests to keep their eggs safe, how they travel long distances to find new places, and how they care for their little chicks once they hatch. They had fun looking at pictures of different birds and their nests, sparking conversations about the types of birds they know and what makes each one special.
The children got creative by making their own bird creations! They drew pictures of birds and added soft feathers to create their very own feathered creatures, which brought lots of giggles and joy. The children enjoyed feeling the different textures of the feathers and seeing their bird creations come to life.
In science club, we did a fun experiment called "Dancing Rainbows!" The children watched in awe as milk, food coloring, and dish soap combined to create swirling patterns and colors that seemed to move on their own. The children were fascinated by the changing colours and how the experiment worked, sparking curiosity and wonder about how different materials interact. It was a wonderful way to introduce them to the magic of science while having fun with colours and movement! Through these activities, the Blue Dragons not only learned about nature but also developed their creativity, observation skills, and understanding of the world around them.
Music & Communication
Mother's Day Celebration
The Blue Dragons had so much fun getting ready for Mother’s Day! They sang songs for their mums, joining in with the actions and showing lots of excitement. The children decorated their cards with bright colours and created special gifts to show how much they love their mums.
It was wonderful having all the mums and family members join us for the celebration! Everyone had a great time playing games together and sharing the joy of the day.
Phonics & Mathematics nursery
For phonics this week, the Blue Dragons focused on the sounds of the letters “s” (snake), “a” (ant), and “t” (tennis). The children loved singing the Jolly Phonics songs for these letters, making the sounds and actions as they sang along. The songs made it fun and easy for the children to connect the letter sounds with the words, and they enjoyed saying them out loud. To support learning at home, parents can use the Jolly Phonics video as a helpful resource. Watch it here: Jolly Phonics Video.
They also worked on their fine motor skills with an activity where they counted the gaps in pictures and added stickers. This fun exercise supported their number recognition and counting skills.
In celebration of Maths Appreciation Day, we added new number flashcards to our classroom wall. The babies loved pointing at the numbers, while the older children practiced counting and learning about finger representations of numbers. It was a great opportunity for everyone to engage with both letters and numbers in an interactive way!
Sporty Minis
Sports Coach for children Charles led the Blue Dragons through a variety of exciting physical activities that helped them develop important movement skills. The children had a great time running around cones, jumping over them like little rabbits, and practising their balancing skills by walking along a line of cones without tipping over.
They also took part in fun activities like sorting the cones by colour, which helped improve their coordination and focus. In addition to running, jumping, and balancing, the Blue Dragons worked on their throwing and catching skills by tossing soft balls into hoops, and practising kicking them into targets. They finished with some exciting bouncing exercises, hopping from one spot to another, like frogs in a pond!
It was an action-packed session full of fun and movement, where the children learned teamwork, coordination, and had a blast while staying active!
Preschoolers
Springtime nursery Excursion
This week, the preschoolers embarked on a delightful adventure to Millbank Park to discover the signs of spring! As they explored the park, they were amazed by the new buds on trees, the bright blossoms starting to bloom, and the burst of colours all around them. They took time to observe the vibrant yellow daffodils, the lovely purple crocuses, and the fresh green leaves gently swaying in the breeze. Inspired by the beauty of the park, the children couldn't wait to capture what they saw. With brushes in hand and paints in bright, bold colours, they painted the scenes unfolding before them—vibrant flowers, lush greenery, and the lively atmosphere of spring. The park became their creative canvas, and each painting reflected the excitement and wonder,
Life Cycle & Garden Explorations
In our garden, our preschoolers had a wonderful time exploring the life cycle of plants and learning about the important roles of insects like bees and butterflies. They spotted some of these buzzing and fluttering insects in our garden, observing them closely as they moved around the flowers and plants. The children were full of questions and curiosity about how the insects helped the plants grow. They enjoyed watching the little creatures up close and even looked at the life cycle of the insects themselves, seeing how they change and develop. As they explored, the children also had the opportunity to care for the plants by watering them and observing how they grow, deepening their understanding of the world around them.
A Special Thank You – Mother's Day
The children put their hearts into creating beautiful Mother’s Day cards, filled with vibrant collages, drawings, and sweet messages. They also practiced songs with great excitement, eagerly looking forward to the celebration. It was truly heartwarming to see their joy as they sang and expressed their love for their mums and all the important figures in their lives. We hope these thoughtful creations and songs brought smiles, laughter, and warmth to all the mums and caregivers.
A huge thank you to all the incredible mothers and caregivers who inspire and care for our little ones – your love, support, and dedication mean the world to us!
Mandarin Club
This week in Mandarin Club, we celebrated the beauty of spring (春天, Chūntiān) by learning new vocabulary related to the season. The children discovered words like flower (花, Huā), tree (树, Shù), leaf (叶子, Yèzi), and insect (昆虫, Kūnchóng). They had a blast during Mandarin storytime, using props to bring the words to life. We also had a fun vocabulary scavenger hunt and a lively spring song-action game where the children mimicked the growth of a plant.
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