As soon as you enter the homeschool world, one of the terms you might come across is homeschool morning basket. It is a popular concept used by many homeschoolers. If you are unsure what the term morning basket means or are looking for more ideas, then read further.
What is a Homeschool Morning Basket?
A morning basket is a time when the family gets together to do focused activities and the subject material needed is often but not always, placed in a basket. These activities include anything like reading out aloud, learning poetry, science, history, or journaling. There are no rules about what you must do. Every family makes it work as they need.
Some people also call it morning time or circle time. The idea is to bring everyone in the family together, regardless of age.
Do You Do Everything Every Day?
You could do everything every day, or not.
People use morning baskets for different reasons and in different ways. Some people like to have a few core activities for an hour of the morning and finish them before moving on with the day. Others split their day and do a bit throughout the day with regular breaks in between.
Sometimes this is simply a time to read stories to your kids while they are busy crafting or lying on the floor, listening.
For some people, structure helps. If you prefer you can have a fixed schedule of topics or activities to do every day.
Many parents also follow a loop schedule. This means, you don’t have a specific subject for a specific day. Instead, you have a list of subjects you work through. On Monday you might get geography done and half of your art studies. Tuesday, you carry on with art study and will only come back to geography once you have done all the subjects in your loop.
Do I need a basket?
A morning basket is about the activity and family getting together. I enjoy having a physical basket. I feel less stressed when I know everything I need is in one place. And when we see the weather is good, we often grab the basket and a picnic blanket and move our schooling outside.
You don’t have to have a basket though. The idea is to have all your resources and tools together in one place. Whether you use a basket or shelf for this, is a matter of personal choice.
Must Morning Basket Be in The Morning?
The beauty of homeschooling is that you make your own rules in your house. The best time to do morning basket is the time that works for you family. Many homeschool parents work or run businesses from home, so sometimes it makes sense to have a morning basket in the afternoon or evening.
There is no right or wrong here. Do what suits your family best.
How Long Must Morning Basket Be?
Most people spend about an hour on morning basket but it really depends on what you want to cover, the ages of your kids, and how much time you have available.
It also does not need to be the same every day. Some days kids enjoy the activities so much that you forget the time and other times there might be a doctor’s appointment scheduled that doesn’t fit in with the planning.
I have learned that it is best to stay adaptable. I usually have a general timeline in mind but life happens and you adapt accordingly.
You May Be Interested in: Homeschool Questions Answered
What do You Put in Your Morning Basket?
The answer to this really depends on your goal with the morning basket. Sometimes people use this as an hour of family connection and enrichment, while other people use it to teach all educational subjects.
I enjoy the simplicity of having everything in one place. But with an eleven-year age gap, I had to adapt and make sure my older daughter doesn’t get bored while her younger sister is still learning the alphabet.
I use our morning basket time for family connection and enrichment. Once we are done, my older daughter decides if she wants to stay or work on her own. I then continue with my youngest doing more basic academic work. Most families complete all the activities together.
Here are ideas of what to put in your morning basket
- Poem memorization
- Poetry reading
- Read-aloud
- Art appreciation
- Nature study/journaling
- Music appreciation
- Art work
- Audio stories
- Religious/Spiritual reading
Additional activities we enjoy are
- Storytelling
- Board games
- Learning the national anthem
- Mindfulness activities like yoga/meditation or breathing exercises
- Puzzles
- Deep conversations
- Gratitude/prayer jar
With so many ideas it can be overwhelming but thankfully some parents did the hard work already.
If you are looking for extra help with putting your morning basket together, have a look at these awesome themed homeschool morning baskets.
Conclusion
Morning baskets are an exciting way to start or end your homeschool day. It is easy to change your morning basket routine according to your needs and make the most of it.
I hope you enjoyed this article and build a stronger life in your homeschool day.
