My Day Home

Our family lives in a welcoming, two-story single-family home in the peaceful community of Coopers Crossing, located on the SW side of Airdrie. Coopers Crossing is known for its beautiful walking paths, parks, and family-friendly atmosphere, making it the perfect setting for children to explore and enjoy the outdoors.
Our street is quiet and tucked away from the main roads, which means there’s minimal traffic and lots of room for kids to feel safe. Inside, our home is clean, smoke-free, and designed with comfort and safety in mind. We have central air conditioning to keep everyone cool during the summer months, and a security system to ensure peace of mind for both parents and children.

What do we do each day?

At my day home, I offer a fun and engaging environment where children will look forward to each day and be excited to return! As an educator, my primary goal is to provide a safe, happy, and supportive space where your child can learn, grow, and thrive.
I believe that children’s minds are like sponges, ready to absorb everything around them. That’s why I offer endless opportunities for play, exploration, experimentation, and discovery. Children learn best through play, whether it’s guided by me or in free play with their peers.
I provide developmentally appropriate activities that cater to the individual needs and interests of the children in my care. At the same time, I empower them to take the lead in their learning experiences, fostering independence, creativity, and collaboration with others. By encouraging both structured and child-led activities, I help children build confidence and develop important social and cognitive skills.

Every day at my day home is filled with a wide variety of activities that keep the children engaged and excited. Some activities are educator-led, while others are child-led, giving the children the freedom to explore their own ideas and creativity. We enjoy a balance of free play and provocations—where I introduce a new twist on familiar activities to spark curiosity and wonder.
The children love to dance, sing, and explore through storytelling. Reading books and coloring are favorites, but we also spend countless hours each week immersed in sensory and gross motor activities like playdough, building with Lego, and exploring sensory bins. These activities not only provide fun but also support fine and gross motor skills, as well as creativity.
One of the biggest highlights for the children is our science experiments. From mixing vinegar and baking soda to making oobleck (a classic favorite that provides hours of fun as it dries and can be reconstituted), the children are always excited to dive into the ooey-gooey world of slime and other sensory-rich experiments. I'm always on the lookout for new, exciting ways to engage the children in hands-on learning.
​We love to learn and explore new concepts, especially when it comes to early literacy and numeracy. The children practice cutting, recognizing, and even writing letters, numbers, and words. Since the children in my care range in age from 1 to 8, I adapt activities to suit each child’s developmental stage, ensuring they are challenged and supported in ways that are appropriate for their age.

A busy board and stacking blocks I recently added to our ever growing list of Montessori/Reggio Emilia type toys!

Fall Sensory Bin Provocation I set up for the children.

Our daily schedule.

This schedule is a guide and does vary based on our plans that day.
7:00 am to 8:30 am

• Arrival & Free Play
• Children settle in, enjoy free playtime.
• School drop-offs for children attending school.

8:30 am to 9:15 am

• Morning Snack
• Snack prep, eat, and clean up.

9:15 am to 11:00 am

• Morning Activity. This could be a choice of:
  • Craft or sensory play
  • Outdoor play (weather permitting)
  • Playroom activities

11:00 am to 12:15 pm

• Lunch prep, eat, and clean up.

12:15 pm to 2:45 pm

• Nap & Quiet Time
• Diaper changes for little ones, followed by nap time.
• Quiet activities, no playroom fun or outdoor play for non-nappers.

2:45 pm to 3:00 pm

• Wake Up & Snack Prep
• Diaper changes for nappers.
• Bathroom breaks, wash up for afternoon snack.
• School-age children arrive from school.

3:00 pm to 3:45 pm

• Afternoon Snack prep, eat, and clean up.

3:45 pm to 4:30/5:00 pm

• Children can engage in free play, participate in an activity, or enjoy outdoor play until pickup.

Our playroom.

Our finished basement hosts our wonderful playroom, and I also have a space on the main floor where the children can play, explore, and engage in learning. I have a wide variety of toys that cater to all ages, and I’m always on the lookout for new, fun, and educational items to add to the collection.
Since completing the "Alberta's Early Learning and Care Framework Course FLIGHT" through MacEwan University, I’ve been inspired to reimagine the way I set up the environment for the children. This course has challenged me to think more deeply about the impact of the environment on children's learning and development. As a result, I’ve been gradually updating the theme and structure of my playroom to better support the children's growth.
I’ve been focusing on incorporating more Montessori- and Reggio Emilia-inspired materials, which encourage hands-on learning, independence, and creativity. I’ve started adding more wooden toys and open-ended play pieces that foster exploration, while also removing some of the plastic toys and pieces that aren’t as engaging for the children. This ongoing update ensures that the environment continues to evolve and remain stimulating for all the children in my care.

Our nap room.

We have a dedicated, separate napping room upstairs, designed to provide a quiet and restful environment for the children. This room is away from the play area to ensure that nap time remains calm and free from distractions.
For children who need to nap, I provide comfortable cots or cribs, as well as sheets, blankets, and pillows, all of which are washed at the end of each week. If preferred, parents are welcome to supply a sleep sack for their child.
To ensure the safety and well-being of all the children while they rest, I use a video monitor system with multiple cameras. This allows me to keep a close eye on the children, ensuring they are safe and comfortable during nap time.

Outdoor play & field trips.

We have a fully fenced backyard that’s perfect for outdoor play! The gates leading to the backyard are always securely locked from the inside to ensure the children's safety while they explore and play. The yard is equipped with a variety of toys and activities designed to encourage movement, creativity, and fun.
​The children love our large wooden play structure, outdoor chalkboard, sandbox, mud kitchen, water table, and dirt table. We also have ride-on toys, a soccer net, a baseball machine, and so much more! We spend as much time as possible outside, weather permitting, taking full advantage of our yard as well as the nearby parks. It’s the perfect setting for active play and exploration.
In addition to outdoor play, we occasionally enjoy playdates with other local day homes, giving the children the opportunity to socialize and make new friends. I also love planning field trips to exciting local destinations when car seat space permits. We’ve visited the local fire department, police station, zoo, pet stores, bowling alleys, library, leisure centre, the Aerospace Museum, and many more fun and educational places! These outings offer a great chance to explore the community and learn about the world around us.

Celebrations at the day home.

At Shooting Stars Day Home, we love to celebrate! We enjoy honouring many different Canadian holidays and traditions, and I’m excited to expand our celebrations to include those from other countries and ethnicities. ​We embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion in our day home community and beyond. Every family has its own unique traditions and ways of celebrating, and I believe it’s important to reflect that in our daily activities.
I would love to hear more about the celebrations and traditions that are meaningful to your family and explore ways we can incorporate them into our time together. Whether it's a holiday, cultural tradition, or a special family custom, I’m excited to celebrate it with the children and help them understand and appreciate the diversity of the world around them.

Easter

Christmas

Halloween

Valentine's Day

Pink Shirt Day

Birthdays

National Day of Truth & Reconciliation 

Remembrance Day

Crafts, sensory, messy & science fun.

Staying connected.

I have platforms on both Facebook and Instagram where I share updates and connect with friends and family. However, the privacy and security of the children in my care is always my top priority. For this reason, I never share children’s faces or names on these public profiles—faces are always blocked or blurred, and names are never included.
For current families, I offer two ways to stay connected and share the wonderful moments from our days:

1. Private Facebook Group
   I maintain a secret, invite-only Facebook group where I share photos, updates, and special moments from our days together. This group is exclusively for current, active clients and their families, including grandparents who love to see photos of their grandkids. This group has been a wonderful way to preserve memories over the years, and it holds thousands of precious moments.
2. StoryPark App: 
   ​I use an app called Storypark to communicate each child’s day directly to parents. It covers diaper changes (if applicable), naps, meals, snacks, and so much more. I find that during pick up, parents are often arriving back-to-back, or there isn’t a lot of time to fully go over their day. This is helpful in that regard and allows us to be on the same page. Only the parents can see their child’s daily activities. As my days are busy, I add things as I can during the day. The activities are timestamped for when they occurred though, so you have an accurate agenda of your child’s day. This program can be accessed via a free, downloadable application on your phone or tablet (there are two – ensure to choose the one that says Storypark for Families) and can also be accessed via web browser at https://main.storypark.com/families. Once the deposit has been received and forms are completed, I will send you a link via email to set up your child’s account. As with the secret Facebook group, once your childcare services are terminated, I will “archive” your child from my program and their profile will be removed from communications, but parents retain access to their portfolio stories unless you remove them from Storypark.

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Click the link below to learn more about StoryPark and how it helps me share important updates with parents!

StoryPark