Cassi's Place

10/05/2026

🎃🦇 Learning Through Play at Cassi’s Place! 🦇🎃

Sometimes I set out an activity with an idea of what the littles might create…and then they remind me why I love child-led learning so much. ❤️

Today I introduced our new Monster Making Playdough Bin! 👻 The invitation was simple: choose some playdough, squish it, roll it, shape it, add some silly monster pieces, and CREATE!

There were googly eyes, spiders, bats, colorful pieces, and all kinds of fun Halloween goodies ready for little imaginations.

The example showed how to make a monster.

But did we make a monster?

Nope. 😂

We made a BAT CAKE! 🦇🎂

And THAT is the learning.

The directions gave her a place to start, but they didn't tell her where she had to finish. She looked through the materials, made her own plan, changed the original idea, and created something completely her own. 💚

While it looks like we're “just playing with playdough,” those little hands and minds are actually working on so much:

✋ Fine-motor strength through squeezing, rolling, pinching, and pressing
👀 Hand-eye coordination while placing all those little pieces
🧠 Planning & problem-solving as an idea becomes a creation
🎨 Creativity & imagination by using materials in unexpected ways
🗣️ Language development as we talk about what we're making
💡 Independent thinking by deciding, “I have a different idea!”
❤️ Confidence when their own ideas are valued

One of my favorite parts of learning through play is that there doesn't always have to be one right answer or one finished product.

I can provide the invitation, the materials, and a little inspiration…

but the imagination belongs to them. 🌱❤️

And today, apparently, that imagination wanted cake. 😂🦇🎂

10/02/2026

❤️ Trust Friday | Behind the Scenes at Cassi’s Place

These two pictures were taken just hours apart.

The first one might look like a sink full of dishes. 😂

But when I look at it, I see our day.

🍳 The pan from making homemade eggs for breakfast.
🐟 The mixing bowls and cutting boards from little hands helping make homemade Goldfish.
🥣 The bowls from sitting together and enjoying lunch family-style.
❤️ And all the little messes that come from a day spent cooking, learning, playing, and caring for littles.

During daycare hours, there are times when the dishes can wait.

A child needing help, a story being read, little hands making something in the kitchen, someone needing a cuddle, or simply being present with the children in my care comes first.

But then comes the part families don't always see.

When the day winds down, everything gets washed, cleaned, sanitized, put away and reset.

And by morning… ✨ we're ready to do it all over again.

A clean sink.
A fresh kitchen.
Another day waiting to be filled with meals, projects, conversations, little hands—and probably another mountain of dishes. 😂❤️

Because providing childcare isn't about keeping everything picture-perfect every minute of the day.

It's about providing a clean, safe, lived-in space where children are allowed to actually LIVE, learn and participate—and making sure it's ready for them again tomorrow.

❤️ Sometimes the mess is just evidence of a really good day.

10/02/2026

10/01/2026

🍂🎃 Happy October, Cassi’s Place Families! 🎃🍂

It’s officially my favorite month of the year! I might be a little biased since it’s also my birthday month 😂, but I absolutely love the fall weather, the leaves changing colors, and ALL things apple and pumpkin! 🍎🍁🎃

We have so much fun planned this month!

📚 October Learning
Throughout October, we’ll be exploring the letters Cc, Dd, and Ee through stories, sensory play, art, hands-on activities, and lots of play-based learning.

👻 Halloween Week
We’ll also have a special spooky week all about Halloween! We’ll learn a little about where Halloween traditions came from, enjoy Halloween-themed books, sensory activities, art, games, and plenty of spooky fun. 🎃

We’ll finish our Halloween learning with a special Halloween Pajama Party for our Cassi’s Place littles, complete with games, activities, and a spooky lunch! 🧡👻

🍁 Fall Weather Reminder
One of the best parts of this time of year is being OUTSIDE! We typically head outdoors about three times throughout the day—morning, afternoon, and evening—which means the littles get to experience quite a range of temperatures.

Please make sure your child has rain gear here along with an oversized sweater, sweatshirt, or coat as the temperatures begin to drop. Layers are always welcome! We can easily take something off as the day warms up, but we want everyone comfortable when those chilly mornings and evenings roll in. 🌦️🧥

🧡 A Few Friendly October Reminders
• Check your little one’s extra/change-of-clothes supply and switch summer items for weather-appropriate clothing.
• Make sure their rain gear is here and still fits.
• Enrolled families will receive all the details they need about our Halloween celebration privately. 🎃

I’m so excited for another month of learning, exploring, playing, and making memories with your littles.

🍂 Bring on October! 🎃🧡

09/29/2026

🎶💚 Music Tuesday at Cassi’s Place — Letter Cc! 💚🎶

Can you hear that /c/ /c/ /c/ sound? 👂

This week we're learning all about Letter Cc, and our Music Time playlist is packed with C words for our little learners to hear, sing, move and laugh along with!

🐛 C is for caterpillar
🐔 C is for chicken
🎂 C is for cake
🥕 C is for carrots
🚗 C is for car

Along with our Letter C songs, we keep some familiar favorites in the mix to continue practicing concepts we've already learned—because young children learn so much through repetition and review. ❤️

Our weekly Music Time isn't about sitting still and watching a screen. Sometimes we're dancing. Sometimes we're doing the motions. Sometimes a song is playing while we're working or playing. And sometimes somebody requests the same favorite AGAIN. 😂🎵

All of it gives us another playful way to practice:

🔤 Letter recognition & beginning sounds
🗣️ Vocabulary and language development
👂 Listening skills
🧠 Memory and recall
💃 Rhythm, movement & gross motor development
🎨 Colors and shapes
🔢 Early learning concepts
❤️ Confidence and participation

And now Cassi's Place families can bring our Music Time home, too!

🎧 Listen to our Letter Cc playlist:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbwlTBcU___f3TJ-jLTKsY0_fZkpdo1qY&si=feHdVKmZqB7dJloo

What C words can you find around your house? 👀💚

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

09/22/2026

🍂🎶 Music Tuesday at Cassi’s Place — Hello, Autumn! 🎶🦉

The seasons are changing, and so is our Music Time playlist! 🍁❤️

This week at Cassi's Place, we're exploring Autumn, and our songs are helping bring everything we're learning about the season to life.

Throughout the week, we'll be singing and moving along to songs about:

🍂 Falling leaves
🍁 The colors and changes of autumn
🎃 Pumpkins
🦉 Owls
🔢 Counting with fall friends
🎶 And lots of seasonal movement and fun!

Music is such a fun way to reinforce what children are seeing and experiencing in the world around them.

As we talk about leaves changing colors, cooler weather, pumpkins, animals and other signs of fall, our songs give little learners another opportunity to hear that vocabulary, remember new ideas and make connections to what we're discovering through books, play and time outdoors. 🌳🍁

And there's plenty of learning happening while we're singing!

🎵 Listening and following along
🗣️ Building seasonal vocabulary
🔢 Practicing counting and early math skills
💃 Developing gross motor skills through movement
🧠 Strengthening memory through repetition
🌎 Connecting classroom learning with changes in the world around us
❤️ Building confidence participating together

Our playlist gives us songs to choose from throughout the week—we might repeat a favorite, use part of a song, get up and move, or simply enjoy singing together.

And now our Cassi's Place families can join in at home! 🥰

🎧 Listen to our Autumn Music Time playlist:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbwlTBcU___e035s_Te6Tym07OPTCBlcV&si=eVYoIQkwoNnLe3i7

Maybe you'll even hear a familiar little voice singing one of these around the house before the week is over. 😉🎶

🍂 Watching the seasons change.

🦉 Discovering the world around us.

🔢 Learning through songs and repetition.

❤️ Making learning meaningful through music.

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

09/22/2026

09/21/2026

📚🖍️ Learning Time at Cassi’s Place! 🖍️📚

One of my favorite things about our Learning Time is that everyone can be working together while learning at their own level. 💛

Our preschoolers were busy with their learning papers — practicing tracing, pencil/crayon control, following directions, letter recognition, and building those important pre-writing skills. ✏️🔤

And today we had a little first! 🥰

While the big kids worked, our baby got to explore crayons for the very first time! 🖍️ We used large, round crayons that are easier for little hands to grasp and explore. At this age, it isn't about staying in the lines or making a picture — it's about discovering:

🖍️ What happens when I move this across the paper?
👋 How do I hold it?
👀 Look — I made a mark!

Those simple discoveries are the beginning of hand-eye coordination, cause-and-effect learning, fine-motor development, and eventually all those future scribbles, drawings, and letters. ❤️

Different ages. Different abilities. Different learning goals. One table full of little minds growing together. 🌱

09/18/2026

💛 Trust Friday — The Smile Before the Door Even Opened 💛

Sometimes the smallest moments say the most.

Yesterday morning, I opened the door to welcome one of our little ones and was greeted by the biggest smile. 😊

Then Mom said something that absolutely made my day:

💬 “He was smiling before you even opened the door.”

That one little sentence meant so much to me. ❤️

Because trust isn't only about a child being comfortable after Mom or Dad leaves. It's about a child beginning to recognize where they're going and feeling happy, safe, comfortable, and excited before they even walk through the door.

For little ones who can't always tell us how they feel with words yet, sometimes that smile tells us everything. 🥰

At Cassi's Place, relationships come first. The learning, playing, exploring, meals, cuddles, routines, and adventures all grow from children knowing that this is a place where they are loved and cared for.

And sometimes, we get the sweetest little reminder that they know it too. 💛