Please remember to close the gate securely behind you when entering or leaving the premises. For safety reasons, kindly ensure you do not let others in; if someone needs access, they should use the buzzer. This helps us keep all our children safe.
Our Christmas holidays will begin on 24th December and reopen on Friday 3rd of January. For fully funded children we are closed Monday 23rd Dec and reopen 6th of January. Please make a note of this in your diaries, and we’ll provide further updates as the holidays approach.
To celebrate Christmas, the children formed the word “Christmas” using tiny sticks on paper, enriching their vocabulary and communication skills.
In Mandarin, they traced characters for “winter” and practiced the “w” phonic sound, linking their learning to the season. These activities supported fine motor development and introduced them to new linguistic concepts.
In honor of World Mountain Day, the children engaged in a creative mountain-building project. Using shapes wrapped in paper and painted in earthy colours, they added trees made from pipe cleaners and sticks from our garden. A sprinkle of snow and play dough gave the scene a wintry touch. Through this, we explored fascinating facts about mountains, fostering curiosity and a deeper appreciation for the environment.
We also explored Scandinavian culture, discovering its majestic landscapes, wildlife such as reindeer and Arctic foxes, and traditions like Midsummer and Christmas. These activities broadened the children’s understanding of global diversity, sparking engaging conversations.
Our Arctic exploration continued with a Polar Bear sensory tray. This hands-on activity captivated their senses and encouraged curiosity about animals adapted to cold climates.
The children performed their Nativity Play on Thursday afternoon! It was a delightful celebration of the season, and the children’s hard work during rehearsals truly shone through. We hope you enjoyed the performance as much as they enjoyed presenting it.
Our budding artists created stunning festive crowns from pipe cleaners and glittering tinsel. By shaping and wrapping the materials, they developed their creativity and fine motor skills while embracing the festive spirit.
This week’s sports session with a coach from Sports Mini had the children pretending to be reindeer, gathering presents scattered across the playground to fill Santa’s bag. This activity improved their coordination, teamwork, and brought a dose of festive fun!
A matching game involving coloured sticks helped sharpen their visual discrimination and reflexes, adding a playful challenge to the day.
Festive counting took centre stage as the children counted gifts under the Christmas tree from 1 to 20 in both English and Mandarin. This bilingual activity reinforced numeral recognition and quantity understanding while celebrating the season.
Our trip to Vauxhall Farm was a favourite this week. The children enjoyed meeting farm animals and learning about their habitats and characteristics, strengthening their connection to nature.
We also visited a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, its sparkling lights and ornaments captivating the children. They shared their thoughts about the decorations and contributed ideas for our own classroom tree.
This week in the Blue Dragons class was truly special as we wrapped up the year with a mix of creativity, storytelling, and festive joy. Here's what we’ve been up to:
We created a magnificent wall display at the nursery class that captured everything we’ve learned throughout the year—from mountains and deserts to bustling villages and cities, and even the polar extremes of the North and South Poles. At the center, we placed a map of the continents, complete with clock hands symbolizing how time moves across the world.
The children were especially thrilled discussing Santa Claus' incredible journey around the globe in just one night! To add to the magic, the teachers shared an original story titled "Santa's Magical Solution." The tale followed Santa as he used his magic to fix a little mix-up caused by his elves, with presents folding themselves and tying their own ribbons. This enchanting story sparked the children’s imagination, bringing festive cheer and a sense of wonder to our classroom.
A new favourite activity for the Blue Dragons is storytelling through movement, and this week, we brought Christmas spirit to life with a classical twist. The children engaged with The Nutcracker, using music and movement to explore the story with their peers and nursery teachers.
They marched like wooden soldiers, learned about the famous musical themes like "Candy," "Coffee," and "Tea," and danced to the Waltz of the Snowflakes while shaking fabric cloths to mimic falling snow.
Incorporating classical music into their learning is not only enjoyable but also incredibly beneficial for their development. The rhythm, melody, and emotion in the music help boost cognitive skills, improve memory, and enhance motor coordination. It was heartwarming to see them connect with the story, music, and movement with such enthusiasm and creativity.
The Christmas season has inspired a flurry of creative activities! The children have been busy crafting festive decorations, including colourful ornaments, glittering stars, and snowy scenes. These activities are wonderful for fine motor skill development and allow the children to express their holiday cheer through art.
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!
This week in the Baby Room has been a delightful journey of festive fun and enriching learning experiences. Here's a glimpse into our activities:
We introduced the Makaton signs for "happy" and "sad," and it was heartwarming to see the children taking part in the activity! This activity helps them connect words with actions, laying the foundation for early communication and bilingualism skills in an engaging way. Using Makaton signs for emotions enables children to express their feelings, needs and interests before they develop full verbal abilities, reducing frustration and promoting emotional well-being.
Our heuristic play sessions embraced the festive spirit with shiny tinsel, sparkling baubles, pinecones, and soft wintery fabrics at our Westminster nursery. The children delighted in touching, shaking, and exploring these items, discovering their textures, sounds, and colours. Their curiosity blossomed as they engaged with these sensory-rich materials.
We explored Hats of Faith by author Medeia Cohan-Petrolino, a beautifully illustrated book introducing headwear from various cultures and traditions whilst we were learning about International Immigrants Day. The children were captivated by the vibrant images and enjoyed trying on hats inspired by those in the book, fostering curiosity and excitement as they connected with the story.
This week, our babies had a wonderful time exploring festive playdough. They squished, rolled, and moulded the dough into various shapes, delighting in its soft texture and the lovely scents of cinnamon and peppermint. This fun activity also helped strengthen the small muscles in their hands and fingers, which are important for skills like writing and buttoning clothes as they grow.
We enjoyed a walk to Causton park, where the children experienced the sensation of sand between their fingers. Along the way, they were mesmerised by twinkling Christmas lights and bright decorations, sparking joy and wonder as they explored the festive surroundings.
This week, we had a special Mandarin session with Teacher Dong, who introduced the children to a Mandarin storybook and taught them the traditional nursery rhyme "Liǎng zhī lǎo hǔ" ("Two Tigers").
The children enjoyed learning the song's simple lyrics and melody within the authentic Chinese learning lesson! This activity not only introduced them to a new language but also supported their listening and auditory discrimination skills. This week in the Baby Room, we've had a wonderful time engaging in a variety of activities that have supported the babies' growth, development, and learning.
It’s been a week filled with excitement, discovery, and plenty of sensory exploration!
Read along about our fantastic and most exciting holiday clubs in central London and learn about activities, excursions and classes we provide through our specialist programes led by expert teachers!
Check out his blog here!