Our Morning Basket
I am sure by now most everyone has heard of or even has their very own Morning Basket. If not let me give you a brief overview:
The concept of a Morning Basket is something that I first learned about through Pam Barnhill. It is simply the time of day (doesn't have to be morning) when the family gets together and learns certain subjects together, regardless of age or 'grade.' You can add anything that you would like to your families basket. It really is as unique as you and your family!
It took me far too long to get on the Morning Basket Train. In fact, I bucked the idea for years. I am not even sure why. I love teaching all of my children together one room schoolhouse style. If I were to be really honest, like brutally, I hated the idea of reading chapter books out loud. I don't know why, I just did!
Within the last year, we needed simple. We were moving from our spacious house to a 300sqft travel trailer while we began remodeling our new home. I knew that there was no way that I was going to fit all the books and things that I thought I needed for homeschooling. So, we went back....to Five in a Row. It is such a beautifully sweet curriculum that uses quality picture books to teach all the various subjects. It was during those weeks that I begin to truly love reading to my kiddos.
I also found tons of research about the benefits of reading aloud to even your older children. I knew that I needed to get past the chapter book phobia that I had acquired and truly embrace this time! And so I created our very own Morning Basket!
Now, our basket time isn't always in the morning, but it is something that we have all grown to love. We look forward to the time when we come together and read. It is constantly evolving to fit our current needs or lessons, and it is a perfect way to engage the kiddos in really good literature and biographies that they may not have normally chosen to read!
Here is a glimpse at what is currently in our basket. Please note that these books are always on loop, ever revolving. and fit what works for our family.
The books include:
Lessons In Yeshua's Torah- This is our morning devotional. It has our weekly memory verse, plus breaks down a reading for each day from the Books of the Law, the Prophets and the New Testament. It also includes color pages, handwriting pages, and activities to go with each week's lesson.
Christian Liberty Nature Reader- We use this for nature study and science. I love that it teaches from a creation standpoint. We have learned to find beauty even in a wasp building her nest!
Heroes Then and Now: Mary Slessor- These books have my heart. I want my children to understand the sacrifice that was made so that they have access to the Word of God freely. I want them to see that other countries do not always have that privilege. These books do not sugar coat the sacrifices made by missionaries to tell others about Jesus! We use these books to help us remember that when God calls us to do something that it isn't always easy.
Little House In the Big Woods- Seriously, who doesn't love Laura? We actually began watching the TV show first which lead to the kiddos requesting that I read the books!
Castle Diary- For history this year we are studying the Medieval time period. The boys wanted to learn about knights and lords, castles and battles. This book is a daily 'diary' of a young page during the time period. I love finding books like this that make history come alive in their minds!
That's all! Some people add art or foreign language, others geography and music theory. The possibilities are endless and really able to custom to each family. In fact, your basket could and should look very different than ours! It can start with simply one book that you read together everyday. Make this time work for you! The important part (at least as far as I am concerned) is simply being together, reading and learning together: However that fits into your daily life!
The concept of a Morning Basket is something that I first learned about through Pam Barnhill. It is simply the time of day (doesn't have to be morning) when the family gets together and learns certain subjects together, regardless of age or 'grade.' You can add anything that you would like to your families basket. It really is as unique as you and your family!
It took me far too long to get on the Morning Basket Train. In fact, I bucked the idea for years. I am not even sure why. I love teaching all of my children together one room schoolhouse style. If I were to be really honest, like brutally, I hated the idea of reading chapter books out loud. I don't know why, I just did!
Within the last year, we needed simple. We were moving from our spacious house to a 300sqft travel trailer while we began remodeling our new home. I knew that there was no way that I was going to fit all the books and things that I thought I needed for homeschooling. So, we went back....to Five in a Row. It is such a beautifully sweet curriculum that uses quality picture books to teach all the various subjects. It was during those weeks that I begin to truly love reading to my kiddos.
I also found tons of research about the benefits of reading aloud to even your older children. I knew that I needed to get past the chapter book phobia that I had acquired and truly embrace this time! And so I created our very own Morning Basket!
Now, our basket time isn't always in the morning, but it is something that we have all grown to love. We look forward to the time when we come together and read. It is constantly evolving to fit our current needs or lessons, and it is a perfect way to engage the kiddos in really good literature and biographies that they may not have normally chosen to read!
Here is a glimpse at what is currently in our basket. Please note that these books are always on loop, ever revolving. and fit what works for our family.
The books include:
Lessons In Yeshua's Torah- This is our morning devotional. It has our weekly memory verse, plus breaks down a reading for each day from the Books of the Law, the Prophets and the New Testament. It also includes color pages, handwriting pages, and activities to go with each week's lesson.
Christian Liberty Nature Reader- We use this for nature study and science. I love that it teaches from a creation standpoint. We have learned to find beauty even in a wasp building her nest!
Heroes Then and Now: Mary Slessor- These books have my heart. I want my children to understand the sacrifice that was made so that they have access to the Word of God freely. I want them to see that other countries do not always have that privilege. These books do not sugar coat the sacrifices made by missionaries to tell others about Jesus! We use these books to help us remember that when God calls us to do something that it isn't always easy.
Little House In the Big Woods- Seriously, who doesn't love Laura? We actually began watching the TV show first which lead to the kiddos requesting that I read the books!
Castle Diary- For history this year we are studying the Medieval time period. The boys wanted to learn about knights and lords, castles and battles. This book is a daily 'diary' of a young page during the time period. I love finding books like this that make history come alive in their minds!
That's all! Some people add art or foreign language, others geography and music theory. The possibilities are endless and really able to custom to each family. In fact, your basket could and should look very different than ours! It can start with simply one book that you read together everyday. Make this time work for you! The important part (at least as far as I am concerned) is simply being together, reading and learning together: However that fits into your daily life!
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