It started with this small idea; a beautiful notion. Then, it quickly snowballed and became something much bigger. Bigger, and better!
Earlier this week, I mentioned our family’s desire to spend more time in purposeful group reading of good literature. We’ve set aside our morning time for this goal, starting our day contemplating beautiful books.
What started off as a basic notion of reading a few chapters a day soon spiraled into something more. If we were already going to be sitting down reading a chapter or two of our current read and select poetry, why not use this opportunity to transition into Bible time? And, since we’re doing Bible time, this might be a great opportunity to start making our way through that awesome devotional we picked up at a homeschool conference. Once we finish our current read, this would be an excellent opportunity to walk our children through the “Story Coaster“, sharing the five key components of good literature.
You see where this is going, don’t you? What I envisioned taking us only a half hour or so is now taking us a little over an hour. But, you know what? I don’t mind at all! Together, these items constitute our “Morning Basket“, an incredible concept put forth by Pam Barnhill.
What is a “Morning Basket”? Exactly what it sounds like! It’s a basket of goodies your family goes through each morning before starting your day. There are no rules about what has to be in your basket or what should not be in your basket. Only that you fill your basket with great reads and inspiration to start your learning day off on the right foot.
So, what’s in our Morning Basket? I’m glad you asked!
- Current Read – Sometimes this read corresponds to the era of history we’re studying and sometimes it’s just a great piece of literature I feel would benefit our family.
- Poetry – Again, usually this selection reflects the era of history we’re studying, but we’ve also been known to pull in a few poets we enjoy just for fun. These selections are for exposure and to teach various forms of poetry.
- Story Coaster – We use this as a wrap up for all of our current reads.
- Bible Reading – We read through one chapter a day, plus the Proverb of the day.
- Devotional – A pointed, inspirational devotion to encourage us in our spiritual walk.
- ‘Artist of the Week’ – Each week we take time to do a brief study of a particular artist. Usually the artist will somehow correspond to the era of history we’re studying; if not in direct connection to the time period, at least by influence. While each of us takes turns reading, the rest of us attempt to create our own renditions of the artist’s work.
This has definitely advanced beyond my original imaginings. But, as I mentioned, I believe this is a move in the right direction. Thus far, we’ve learned a lot and enjoyed this quiet, gentle start to our day.
Time to Chime In: What’s in your morning basket?
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Love it! I think I’ll try this. We have a morning reading routine that’s before the other work: prayers, bible, story of a different saint, our current reading book and story of the world 🙂
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Let us know what you decide to put in your basket and how you enjoy the new routine!
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We recently started doing something similar–a tea-time on a picnic blanket on the floor. We gather there about mid-morning and read our poetry and our Bible lesson. Then we usually end with a couple chapters of the Little House book we are currently reading. It’s been a nice thing to look forward to:)
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Picnics are always a great idea!
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Yes! We just made out “Bible Basket” with everyone’s bible study material in it, from my 3 year old right up to my 15 year old and myself. (3 more kids in there of varying ages) I absolutely love it, and my kids are EXCITED to do our devotions every morning! Thanks for your post!
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That’s awesome!
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What a great idea. I’ll have to ponder what we could put in our basket!
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We’d love to hear what you decide on.
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Our basket was always singing a few hymns, and then reading the same chapter of the Bible over each day, until we had it memorized, then moving to the next. Every school year, we memorized an entire small book of the Bible, such as Jame or 1 John. Also did small sections, such as The Letters to the Seven Churches, in Revelation.
Now that the children are all grown and gone, I just read my Bible and have a cup of coffee. Then prayer. It is such an ingrained habit, now, I love it and miss it if I am inadvertently away from a Bible…
I know re-reading like that sounds boring, but the Word of God is alive and always does something He purposes, new every morning, living and active and able… 🙂
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What a fun idea! It sounds very similar to what we did with our girls — but I like the basket. We read the Bible and our character building lessons, and then a chapter or two from a classic novel. This is the stuff memories are made of!
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Absolutely!
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I’m so glad I found this post! My son & I have started circle time in the morning and I thought I might try to find a little basket to keep all of the things we use, but that has inspired me even further!
Also, thank you for “liking” my new blog post, it’s my first post & you’re the first person who has liked it so I feel very thankful 🙂 xx
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We love meeting new homeschooling families, and sharing in the adventure of learning. We look forward to reading more posts, and hearing about all your fun.
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This is GENIUS! Can’t believe I didn’t see it before!! I will definitely be incorporating this! I am all about togetherness, peace, and fun all wrapped up in one! Thanks for sharing! I’d also like to know any good reads you can suggest for an 8-year-old [9 in November] who reads on a middle school level! Thanks! ❤
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We run a monthly post, “Our — Reads”, at the end of each month. Do a quick search on the blog or check under the menu heading, “Our Year”, to see a complete list of books we’ve covered this year in Our Morning Basket!
New reads posted each month!
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Wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing!
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