Morning Time. Setting the Tone for the Day.
This year has been a year of change and growth for our homeschool. We are settled into our house and our homeschool room, finally.
The boys are strong enough in math and reading to do more independent work. This means that we get to spend more time in the meatier subjects like history and science. We are also instituting a Morning Time.
My desire to begin a Morning Time in our homeschool began after reading Crystal Paine’s book Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life. She really talks a lot about goal setting and accomplishing tasks in the margin of your day.
I have found since applying some of these principles into my days, I feel more productive and have found time for passion projects (like this blog). I wanted to establish that kind of routine with the kids.
If you follow many homeschool bloggers or pin on Pinterest, you know about Morning Time. Basically, we are just setting aside a time for all of us to focus on a few things together as a family, before we start the school day.
I am doing a very watered down version and focusing on a couple of areas that are always being pushed to the wayside: character education and our read aloud. This also gives our tween in the house a gentle way to slowly get his brain going in the morning.
Our Morning Time Routine
We started Morning Time on our first day of the new school year (August 15). So far, the kids really love it. They can work on a puzzle or play with sensory toys (silly putty or fidgets), while I read aloud. Our current read aloud is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The kids are usually asking for more when our time is up.
As the kids have gotten older, getting our read-aloud time has been really difficult. In the evening, hectic schedules keep us from enjoying a simple routine. At bedtime, I love them, but I am done. So this lets us spend that time together while mommy is still fresh and caffeinated.
Then we read from our devotional or other character education and discuss very briefly. We are using the Double Dog Dare Devotional, but it isn’t what I really had in mind. We are also using a card deck that introduces character concepts. I am still looking for the perfect fit in that area, but the kids have no complaints.
The whole thing takes about 20 minutes. The toddler has usually had enough by then and is ready for some brother time. The kids are more focused and ready to do their school work (in comparison to me yelling calling them to come and do some work).
We typically move into Language Arts and Math following morning time, which I do individually and the kids help entertain the little diva in our house.
Are you implementing any new strategies into your day?
