“Win the Morning, Win the Day!”

I see this quoted often in books, on blogs, Instagram feeds, and Facebook pages that are dedicated to productivity, entrepreneurship, personal growth, and habit development.

I’m not an entrepreneur, but I’m a bit of a productivity/habit/organization nerd, and over the last several months, I’ve been wondering how some of the excellent advice that is given in the business space might apply to homeschooling. One of the key concepts that I come across on a regular basis is the idea of setting yourself up to win your mornings. In the business world that often means being up at 5 am, getting in a good workout, answering emails, reviewing the day’s schedule of meetings, and planning out a list of tasks.

Winning the morning is a concept that can be applied to anyone’s life and I’ve got three topics that I’d like to share with you over the next several months that will help you win your homeschool mornings.

1. Morning Time
2. Building Habits
3. Bullet Journaling

Morning Time:

Mornings with my children have always been a treasured time. So much so that it was a challenging adjustment as my children grew and started to be out of the home most mornings with work and post-secondary classes. The memories of first morning smiles from my babies, first hugs of the day from my toddlers, and big kids who always seemed to be in the mood to snuggle first thing in the morning are some of my favourite mothering moments.

Our homeschool mornings have always been gentle and slow-moving, but productive. The nighttime nursing years rarely saw me out of bed before the little ones, but now, with my nursing years behind me, I’m able to get out of bed before my children and accomplish a few things before waking them up to get started with their day. I encourage you not to miss the opportunity we have to make special morning memories. It’s worth seeking out how to do them well.  And winning the morning sets you up for a great day.

I first heard about morning time at a homeschool conference (also called morning baskets, lunchtime learning, together time, morning meeting, family learning time, and circle time).  The concept is simply gathering your children together to learn something together and it is a great way to start the day.

We have tried implementing this concept at other times of the day, and you should do what works for you, but I think there are real benefits to sticking to mornings. Morning Time starts your day with order and routine, ensures that enrichment studies get done, and my favorite…if the rest of our day falls apart, we have still engaged in meaningful learning.

Getting Started with Morning Time

You don’t need heaps of time.  Start by setting aside 20-30 minutes and build up from there. I like to use several resources each morning, but you can start with one, and add on as you go.  If you are already doing a regular morning devotion, add one more component to your Morning Time to get you started.

Storage for Morning Time Resources

When I first heard about Morning Time, it was referred to as a Morning Basket and I opted to use an actual basket. We outgrew that basket quickly so I currently use a 3-tiered rolling cart, but you could use a bookshelf or box. Portable storage is ideal if you think you might want to do morning time curled up on your bed one day and at the kitchen table the next.

Scheduling your Homeschool Morning Time

Once you have built up a stack of resources you will want to consider scheduling.  My preference is a flexible loop schedule. I set things up so that I can move a resource that I’ve used one day to the back of the stack to wait for another day.  The only one I use daily is the bible resource.

You could opt for a set schedule too, where you have particular resources that are used on certain days.

I prefer to keep things flexible.  I make morning time a priority but there are times where I have to set it aside or we have to cut our time short so looping through the resources seems to work best for us.

Ages & Stages and Morning Time Resources

I’m currently spending my mornings with my four youngest (ages 7-15).  I have found that when we have used a resource that is geared towards younger children, the older ones have found the review helpful; when the resource is geared towards older ones, the younger ones still seem to be able to glean bits of information that build over time. I would encourage you not to fret over the age for which a particular resource is intended.  The bible resource we are currently reading is designed more for my 10-year-old but I know that it is a helpful review for my 12 & 15-year-old and my 7-year-old is making connections to the resource we used last year that was geared towards his age.

Key Components of Your Morning Time

Devotions. Reading a chapter-a-day from the bible works well or you can opt for a Bible storybook. At times we’ve added bible memory work. And when we attended a large church, we had a special prayer project where we rotated through praying for our missionaries (a practical geography lesson too). I would highly recommend any of these resources; we’ve used many of them.  The Ology and Wonderfull are next on our list after we are finished with The Children’s Illustrated Bible.

Other Bible Storybook Resources Include:

The Big Picture Story Bible

The Children’s Illustrated Bible

The Child’s Story Bible

The Story Bible

The Golden Children’s Bible

Jesus Storybook Bible

Story Bible for Older Children

The 100 Most Important Events in Christian History

When you’re ready, add a creative component: drawing, picture studies, poetry, a simple seasonal craft, and music study are a few ideas.  Keep in mind that the idea isn’t to do all of these every day. You want to loop through them throughout the week.

Bible Picture/Picture Study Portfolios

How to Draw…

A Child’s Book of Poems

Favorite Poems Old and New

The Gift of Music

Great Composers

A Child’s Introduction to the Orchestra

Read Alouds are my favourite resource.  I’m always finding books that I want to read to my children and have quite the stack. Read Alouds help you introduce your children to all kinds of topics; during a typical week, we might learn about owls, a far-off land, a historical figure, and how cities are built.  Read alouds are the best!

Katy No Pocket

Random House Book of Fairy Tales

King Arthur

My Side of the Mountain

Call It Courage

Wingfeather Saga

Buford the Little Bighorn

Blueberries for Sal

All of a Kind Family

The Green Ember Series

Listening for Lions

Review in the form of games, flashcards, and discussions.  This is a new component for us.  I’m trying to be more purposeful in our discussion topics and have recently purchased a few games to help us review math facts.

…Facts That Stick (Math Facts)

If you were a…(grammar picture books)

I haven’t tried long-term projects but I think this could work too.  Personally, I would avoid projects for morning time that will be too time-consuming with set up or clean up.

While everyone is gathered, I like to spend a few minutes on the administrative details of our day and week.  This is where I assign chores, give reminders about appointments, and review expectations about the grocery store trip that is planned for that day.

I love a well-written homeschool curriculum but the resources that I find that are easily pulled into our family morning time are my absolute favorite!

Check out our Morning Basket Whiteboard Video on our Youtube channel. It’s a great summary about how to get started with a Morning Basket/Morning Time.

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Do Mornings Well! Part 1 appeared first on Classical Education Books.

Summer had a certain “feel” growing up; it started with that walk home on the last day of school. Two months seemed endless and I welcomed, even as a kid, the change of pace. Bedtime was later, sleeping in was the norm, mornings were lazy, and we spent huge amounts of time outside. I still welcome the change of pace that summer brings, but I’m not a fan of taking two entire months off from routine and productivity. Instead, I like to use the summer to do all I can to make life easier through the upcoming school year, to get things done that I struggle to get to, and to enjoy a change of pace.

Today I’m sharing Seven Summer Suggestions for homeschoolers. I hope the warmer months bring a sweet balance of sleeping in, productivity, and a few extra lazy mornings.

Summer Suggestion #1 – Plan but not too much!

The days so easily slip into weeks, then months, and before you know it summer is over, and you’ve accomplished little. I like to create a summer wish list in June to give myself vision and structure for the coming weeks. My list contains all kinds of things: new recipes to try, places to visit, people to see, books to read, and tasks to complete. It’s important to be realistic, perhaps quite conservative regarding what you plan to accomplish. Remember, you want structure, not stress.

One of the items on my list is to organize weekly science experiments. My children enjoy science experiments but they are just one of those things that I struggle to find time for during the regular school year. Classical Education Books carries several science experiment resources; here is the one I have my eyes on for this summer.

Big Book of Science Experiments

If your school year is typically full of science experiments and activities then this resource probably isn’t for you. Maybe these easy reading resources would be a better match for some light summer learning.

Astronomy

The Periodic Table

Biology

Physics

Planet Earth

Engineering

Chemistry

Summer Suggestion #2 – Training

The summer months make great training months. Take the time to make a list of chores you hope to see your children doing as part of their daily routine when fall rolls around and take the summer to train them. You’ll be grateful once the busyness rolls around that your children know how to put dishes away, switch a load of laundry and make a simple meal.

Sometimes the focus needs to be on training character & behavior. The low-pressure season of summer provides a great opportunity for assessment and strategy. Teaching Character Through Literature is a great resource to use as you come alongside and train your children.

Summer Suggestion #3 – Win (most) Mornings

I like to indulge in the later evenings and mornings that summer affords but not for weeks on end. I prefer not to unravel our morning routine completely so this summer my plan is to treat every weekend as a long weekend and then set my family up to follow a routine during the rest of the week: regular bedtimes, waking times, and chores along with a morning learning time.

Our Morning Basket or Morning Learning Time always includes a selection of picture books…summer-themed of course.

The Little Island

One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab

Kermit the Hermit

Why Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears

Lucy’s Summer

Amos & Boris

My Shadow

The Storm Book

Roxaboxen

Blueberries for Sal

Summer Suggestion #4 – Learn Something New and Review

Sadly, all kinds of learning are pushed to the side during the regular school year. Summer is a great time to check off those extra-curricular boxes and this summer I’ve got my eye on “Art in a Box”.

Summer is also a great time to fill in gaps or master some learning that was a bit wobbly through the year like multiplication or penmanship. Take the time to discern what truly needs work; don’t take it all on. Remember, structure, not stress. This Summer Cursive workbook is a great way to get in a little extra practice before the year starts. It will make the school year better if this skill becomes effortless.

Summer Suggestion #5 – Get Organized

Although, I’ve had to adjust my standards over the years, starting the fall with everything in its place is important to me. I enjoy the process and admit that it comes naturally to me; I’m fortunate that way. We all have to outsource at times so maybe hiring an organizer is something you should consider.

Following is a list of organizational project ideas:

• Room by Room Organizing and Deep Cleaning
• Organize Recipes & Fall Meal Planning
• Digital Organizing (photos, files, email)
• Homeschool Supplies & Resources
• Closets & Clothing Inventory
• Christmas Planning
• Garage & Shed
• Deep Clean Vehicles
• Set up/Organize Emergency Supplies
• Plan, Organize and Shop for Birthdays

Summer Suggestion #6 – Build Habits with Habit Stacking

Habit Stacking is simple and summer is the time to introduce this concept. Pick a habit that you want to incorporate into your daily routine and attach it to an existing habit. That’s it! Do you forget to take your supplements each day but remember to brush your teeth? Put the supplement bottle in your toothbrush drawer. Do you have a child that has finally mastered making their bed every morning but forgets to put their pajamas away? Work on attaching the desired habit to the existing habit. It’s not enough to just discuss this idea unless you have a house full of self-starters. You’ll need to commit to inspecting what you expect.

Summer Suggestion #7 – Stock up on Summer Resources

Summer boredom inevitably creeps in at times. It’s a good idea to allow children to figure out solutions to their boredom but I do enjoy having a few things on hand to help things along. These boredom buster resources are great to have on hand. Pre-buying the supplies and having them tucked away is the way to go.

Lighthouses of the World

Let’s Explore Sea Animals

My First Book About the Oceans

Simply Classical Crafts – book 1

Simply Classical Crafts – book 2

Everyone here at Classical Education Books hopes you have a wonderful summer. We are around if you need anything.

by Adrianne Curwen

Adrianne is a wife to a public-school educator/administrator and a homeschooling Mama to seven children, ranging in age from 7 to 23. She believes that we have a unique opportunity as homeschoolers to design individualized education that suits giftings, interests, and passions. She and her husband have used a blend of registered homeschooling, enrolment with independent DL schools, and participation in public trade school programs to design individualized programs for their children.  She is passionate about using as many read-alouds, picture books, novels, and conversations to educate her children but also gets excited by the amazing homeschool-designed curriculum that’s out there.  Adrianne is thrilled by her new role as Communication Specialist for Classical Education Books and is grateful to have an opportunity to learn something new.  She is grateful, every day, for her saviour, Jesus Christ, and has no greater joy than when she sees her most important missions field walk with Him.

The post Summer Strategies for Homeschoolers appeared first on Classical Education Books.

It’s important that our children hear the bible read to them on a regular basis as hearing the words, wisdom, and instruction over the years builds a strong foundation. What at times seems to be information that is beyond young ones does build over time.

A solid bible storybook is another tool we can use to build a solid foundation. They help young ones access wisdom and truth early in their lives and they give a high-altitude view of the bible, using stories as a way to communicate. As well, cycling through these stories year after year becomes the basis for more advanced learning, making these great resources for the grammar stage of learning.

The Big Picture Story Bible

The Jesus Storybook Bible

The Story Bible

A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories

The Golden Children’s Bible

The Child’s Story Bible

The Children’s Illustrated Story Bible

Story Bible for Older Children – Old Testament

Story Bible for Older Children – New Testament

Journey Through the Bible

The post Bible Storybook Stack appeared first on Classical Education Books.