At the Charlotte Sharp Children’s Center, in addition to welcoming our new practicum students, we have been actively engaging in exciting new research initiatives, including Project NEST and TexCS. One classroom favorite has been programming the robot mouse—children eagerly collaborate to plan routes and problem-solve as they decide where to send it, building early coding and critical thinking skills.
Literacy learning has been hands-on and engaging. Children selected letters, practiced identifying and producing letter sounds, and searched the classroom for objects that began with those sounds. This meaningful connection between print and environment strengthens phonological awareness in authentic ways. Math exploration has been just as active. Children rolled dice and added the corresponding number of objects to their cups, then counted the total once their cups were full—building number sense, one-to-one correspondence, and counting fluency. In another activity, children used hole punchers to create the exact number of holes to match a given numeral, reinforcing numeral recognition and quantity concepts through fine motor practice. Our young researchers also observed birds, documented their findings, and created detailed drawings of the species they discovered—integrating science, observation skills, and representation.
This month, children learned about and celebrated the Lunar New Year, explored the meaning of friendship and love, and practiced signing the word “friend.” Valentine’s Day inspired a burst of emergent writing as children created cards for classmates and staff throughout the center.
Classrooms have also been refreshed with new materials introduced during our recent professional development day. Teachers thoughtfully enhanced interest areas and classroom environments to further support inquiry, engagement, and independence.
Finally, our “Walking Across Texas” initiative has kept everyone moving. The parachute activities and obstacle course have been particular favorites, promoting gross motor development, teamwork, and lots of joyful movement.