How I Build a Simple Morning Basket

Following up on last week's post, I thought I'd share with you a more in-depth look at what we include in our morning basket to start our homeschool day.  Morning time has been a great jumping off point for our family and I love starting our time together like this.

Our basket typically includes:

2-3 readings for science
2-3 readings for history
Scripture to memorize
Composer study
Chalk pastel lesson
Hymn to learn
Map work
Memory work
Devotions

Things I'm thinking about adding:

Biographical studies

Science Reading:

In the past, I've checked out several books that apply to what we're learning in science.  Whether, we're studying plants, bees, birds or whatever, I use my local library to find a plethora of books to enhance our study.  We try to reading in our science books 1-2 x/week.

History Reading:

The same goes for our history studies.  This year we're using Story of the World Vol 2 and there is always more literature suggestions that we can ever get through.  I try to pick 1-2 /week (or a biography) to read through.

Scripture Memorization:

We love memorizing Scripture together and studying God's word.  Typically I try to help the kids memorize 1-2 verses a month and this year I'm hoping we'll be able to memorize the Books of the Bible as well.

Hymn Memorization:

Last year I put together a Youtube playlist of upbeat hymns for us to learn together.  There's so much good theology and history in hymns that I didn't want to be lost in our family.

Map Work and Memory Work:

We've always memorized facts based on our science or history studies.  But this year, I have a fellow homeschooler who gifted us a set of CC memory cards.  I've been going through them and pulling out those that will best suit what we're currently studying and help us develop a framework for those concepts.

Music Appreciation:

This is fairly new to us, but around February of last year, we started using Confessions of a Homeschooler's Composer Study.  So far, we are only two units in, but we are enjoying it and planning to use it further this year.

Chalk Pastel lessons:

Once a week, we abbreviate some of our other subjects and spend 20-30 min doing a lesson from ChalkPastel.com.  We are loving learning about this new medium and I can see us enjoying it for many years to come.

Biographical Studies:

This is something we already do a little bit.  Sometimes as we come along history figures in Story of the World or our science studies, we'll read a chapter a day in a biographical book.  I find that it adds a very personal aspect to our studies.  I'd like to do more of that this year as time allows.

Devotions:

I know some families like to start with devotions, while we like to seal our morning time with devotions.  It's a good way of closing this time together and morning on to individual studies.  It's a solid way of dedicating our time of learning and asking the Lord to bless it.  So we end our morning time with reading in a family devotion and praying together.

What does your morning basket look like?