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setonmom
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| Posted: July 31 2014 at 7:25pm | IP Logged
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I see a lot of mention on this site of something called morning basket time. What exactly is it? Is it work your kids do independently while you are getting the house in order for the day or is it something different?
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SallyT
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| Posted: Aug 01 2014 at 6:30am | IP Logged
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It's actually kind of the opposite! "Morning Basket" is the name Jen Mackintosh has given to what another family might call . . . I don't know . . . a morning meeting, circle time, family gathering time, read-aloud time, etc.
We've done this, too, though as my youngest children have gotten older, it's sadly kind of slid -- though I do use lunchtime for much the same purpose. Basically the "basket" refers to a basket (or, in my case, a plastic milk crate) of books and resources that you want to use with all children schooling at home. It can include picture books, a chapter book or two that you're reading with everyone, resources for picture study and poetry, memory work . . . Anything you want to make sure that *everyone* is touched by that day.
We have done our daily prayers in Morning Basket (though again, in recent days it's more likely to be "Lunch Basket!"), as well as all of the above. We've also sung together during this time -- it's when I've taught hymns and chants. Regarding read-alouds, I've generally chosen books to cover most areas of the curriculum: history read-alouds, fairy tales, myths and fables, math literature, science literature . . . it's when we've done our Shakespeare as well. I have a rotation, so it's not the same books every day.
So, when you have a fairly wide age range, Morning Basket is a way to know that you've touched everyone daily with some good resources. Very little children might play quietly while you're reading, absorb what they absorb, and then be done. At the end of Morning Basket, you might send older children to do independent work while you then work with a child who's learning to read and do math. Then that child is done, and you call the next older one to work with you, and so on. You've gathered and focused everyone via Morning Basket, and then your day is off to the races.
As I say, we did this for some years, though now that my youngest is 10, and my next youngest (who's the oldest at home on a regular basis) thinks being read to is "babyish," it has kind of slid as a habit. I do read to them over lunch and use that time in much the same way, though it's been a bit of a fight with my 12-year-old young man, sadly!
Actually, I tend to do my housework in little bits and bursts while the kids are working independently. It's my way of hovering to help without seeming to hover too much. Sometimes, if I'm busy putting laundry in and can't come help with the math right that second, the person figures out the problem by the time I get to them! So it's a useful strategy for pushing people to new levels of independence without just seeming like a meany who won't come help them.
But all of this is much, much easier without littles than it was when I did have littles . . . :)
Sally
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jawgee
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| Posted: Aug 01 2014 at 7:08am | IP Logged
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Check out Jen's blog for some Morning Basket inspiration!
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Aug 01 2014 at 7:11am | IP Logged
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Here is Jen's most recent post about Morning Time in which she links to past posts.
Cindy Rollins, a Protestant Charlotte MAson/Classical homeschooler has an almost identical method she calls Morning Time and has this post describing it with links to her other posts.
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setonmom
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| Posted: Aug 01 2014 at 11:47am | IP Logged
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Thanks! SOunds like something I might try!
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: morning basket time
