Morning Basket, Morning Time, Circle Time, Bible Time, Morning Table all these titles are used interchangeably to describe the same idea. A time in your homeschool day, typically in the morning around breakfast where you read, memorize and savor.
Here are a few definitions:
“A morning basket routine is a way to ensure that you get some quality homeschool time in before the chaos of the day may hit. … Kids thrive with boundaries and routines; a morning basket is a reassuring habit that signals a transition to the start of the homeschool day.” – BookShark
“Morning Time contains subjects that the family can do together that emphasize truth, goodness, and beauty in their homeschool. Morning Time is a liturgy — one part of Charlotte Mason’s “atmosphere” of education. These small practices done daily over time are not only a means to an education (and a good one at that), but a means to shaping virtue in ourselves and in our children.” – Pam Barnhill
In its simplest form, a morning basket is a collection (usually a basket) of books, poems, art, music, etc that you have chosen for your family to enjoy together. This time usually happens as a beginning to your homeschool day.
This idea has been around for a long time but has recently gained some real popularity. My mom did this with us our entire school life but we didn’t call it a morning basket, it was just called Bible Time. I didn’t recognize it under another name until it was described “oh, you mean Bible Time!” I said out loud as I listened to Pam Barnhill’s podcast on the subject. I am not sure if my mom got the idea from her but Cindy Rollins is the one who gets credit for the Morning Time message. She has a blog archive where you can learn from her 25 years of experience with this practice. Pam Barnhill has taken up the mantle for Morning Time and the Morning Basket. You can find her blogging and podcasting all kinds of great homeschool information. I am a regular listener 🙂
Everyone’s morning basket will look different. As moms and teachers we all have different passions and priorities for our families and this will be reflected in what we deem worthy of a place in our morning basket. As a general rule here are a few things that all Morning Times have no matter what the specific content…
Routine – This time happens at the same time every day and serves as a touchstone in your child’s day. It is something they know is going to happen no matter what the rest of the day looks like. That was definitely true for my family growing up. Even if math and science didn’t get done we always knew we would have Bible Time. It was a priority and something we all enjoyed.
Books – Reading is a fundamental part of Morning Time. In my family we always read the Bible first, which is why it came to be called Bible Time but we also read from our read aloud book as well. Sometimes mom would share a poem or other reading as well but our favorite part was coloring. During the read aloud time, my mom would let us color in our special Dover coloring books. We literally spent hours at the kitchen table taking turns reading and coloring. Happy times 🙂
Memorization – Whether it be a poem, hymn or scripture, morning time usually includes some type of memorization and recitation time. In our morning time, my children memorize the catechism as well as Bible verses and poems. Children are like sponges so it is easy for them to memorize. I don’t give them everything all at once but I am always surprised at how much you can accomplish working a little at a time.
Rest – This might sound like a funny thing to say since not every day is restful but I think ideally Morning Time should be a time of rest. When I sit down with my kids and we read and memorize and talk together, it is restful for my soul. I know that as they get older this rest will only increase. I hope that my kids will enjoy the rest of this time as much as I did as a student. I can say without hesitation that our morning Bible Time was my favorite time of the day and I look back with such fondness on that time. It didn’t always go as planned – once my brother told a joke just as I took a drink of tea and I sprayed the whole table with tea as I burst into laughter. My poor mom! I know it wasn’t always easy but I also know that there was some intrinsic rest that filled us up as we savored each other and good literature together.
Other ideas that could fill your morning basket… Famous art, liturgical calendar activities/readings, hymn study, composer study, language study, nature books, read alouds, memory work, coloring books, audio books, math games, living history books, a newspaper etc. The list could go on and on. Think about what is important to you and your family. What do you want your kids to learn?
Since my children are little, morning time takes a little more effort on my part. If this idea is new to your students (young or old) it may take some extra planning on your part too but know it is absolutely worth it!
Some tips on getting started…
- Simple is best. As your children get used to the idea you can add more books and take more time but at the beginning, I suggest just 3 things max. For me it is Bible, Hymns for a Kid’s Heart (which tells a story about the hymn or hymn writer and allows us some singing time), and memorization. We do our read aloud time later in our day at this point but eventually I plan to add the coloring element like we had in my family growing up.
- Give them an occupation. This is key to keeping busy little hands busy! I always do morning time while the kids are eating breakfast because it gives them something constructive to do. It also works well to have my toddler in her high chair and occupied as I read. When do I eat? Either before or after morning time, in a pinch I have eaten as we went, sneaking little bites between readings. After eating, I think coloring is the next best idea but I have also heard of families building legos, playing small math games or other small occupations that won’t be a distraction. If your kids are old enough, let them take turns reading!
- Mix it up. You don’t have to do the exact same thing every morning time. You can use a loop schedule to add variety and cover more of what you love. If something isn’t working, set it aside and try it again later.
- Keep at it! Even if the whole thing feels like a major flop, persevere! You and your children will get used to this rhythm in your life and will come to look forward to it. You will not regret pushing through the hard times to get to the good ones.
If you still feel completely overwhelmed at the idea of a morning basket, don’t worry. There are LOTS of resources out there to help. I am coming up with some myself! Here are a few of my faves.
Ready Made Plans from Pam Barnhill
I have created my own Thanksgiving Morning Basket Printable and would love to share it with you! It is simple and can easily be adapted to your family. All resources are available online. You can choose to print them or just pull them up on your device.
If you questions, feel free to comment below and I will get back to you.
Thanksgiving-MB-Ideas.pdfAs always, feel free to purchase using my affiliate links at no extra charge.
