Morning Baskets


What is a Morning Basket? 

Is it the same as Morning Time? 

Are there Plans for these?

↓Get the simple, broken-down answers here. ↓

Morning Baskets are Baskets! They are filled with books, games, hands-on items, and classical learning plans, yes plans (but that is optional), including music, art, & nature study! I ran across this idea somewhere on Facebook, found the primary source, then began my own planning!  You know when you find something really amazing that you just have to share it?? That's how I feel about morning baskets!

Morning Time is essentially the time each morning we spend doing the activities in our baskets. Some prefer to have multiple baskets, or none at all. It is really your personal preference. I think for most of us, we tend to group themes or units together in a basket to help us stay organized and make it cute (because why not?!). 

Morning Plans are a collection of the activities and books you plan your day/week/month by.  The primary source for pre-made plans is www.pambarnhill.com. She offers some free samples if you want to take a peek. Initially I started creating my own, but that was a lot more lesson planning to add to my plate. Now we have Pam's plans and just adapt them as we go. 


We don't use the typical recommended books because our kids are older.  So I adapt and add things I know each one of them will get something from.  I choose picture books with more words, novels with an audiobook, games for 8+, memory work, longer poems, and a few other things to change up our daily morning time.  We continue to follow the classical plan and try our best to be consistent. 

You can find our Morning Schedule here to see how we use Morning Baskets and peek at sample plan.  This is now my our favorite part of the day. 

Each month, I post our Morning Baskets with a list of resources so anyone can easily access those.  You can always follow me on Facebook or Instagram to see quick updates and recommendations too! (caution: we might be enablers!) 

Can I Create Our Own Basket? Yes!! 
Think of a basket as a Unit Study. Remember those fun, themed lessons at school, or home where you would focus on a topic for a week or two?? A Morning Basket can be that, or more. Some great topics are Seasons, Holidays, Plants, Environments, Animals, Historical Events, Economics, Government, Countries, etc.  

What to consider including: 

Books! Picture books and a novel or three. We read one or two picture books a day and a chapter or two of a novel. 

Poetry! Find four poems (one a week) that go with your theme!

Memory Work! This can be a line from a poem, prayer, verse, or play. Everyday!

Music Study! We recommend Squilt Music lessons! One lesson a week. 

Picture Study! This is how you incorporate art history into the week. You can break it down by era, theme, or follow a book. You'll need one a week. 

Art Lesson! One a week. This is open to any kind of art and level. 

Nature Journal! This part encourages us to get outside and explore and appreciate the nature around us. If you do a walk one evening, save your findings for the following morning to document in your nature journal (moms can have one too!)

Games! We just try to pick out a few for the month. This gives us a way to learn about the topic as well as ease into learning on a day where someone is really struggling. 

Hands-On Toys! This is totally optional but recommended if you have a fidgety child or young one with a short attention span. Give them something like safari toob toys, kinetic sand, marbles, or felt toys to play with while you read. (psst...I sell felt mats & peg dolls...look here!)

So that's it!! A simple breakdown of Morning Baskets! You can check out our past baskets below! 

February focused on Shakespeare & St. Valentine



Our January Basket is ALL ABOUT WINTER!





Our December Basket Focused on Christmas School and Faith Centered Learning!




Our November Morning Basket ~ Discussing the Landing of the Pilgrims, The First Thanksgiving, and Colonial Days 

For November, we decided to also focus on gratitude and doing a bible verse every day. I tried to collect a variety of books that focused on the season, the history, being thankful, and of course Turkey. :)



Our September Morning Basket ~ A Week of Remembrance combined with Fall & Forest Animals

The first week, we focused on learning about September 11th and the Twin Towers. We watched videos, discussed different stories, cried, and felt. This is our chance to really show our children how strong our nation is when it comes together and why freedom is fought for.  The next couple of weeks we will roll into fall themed books, animal games, and a new novel, The Green Ember! 








Our August Morning Basket ~ Tree Themed

We started with a Tree theme because we just miss trees. Desert living isn't our thing. You can see how we added in Famous Painting cards to pick one out for an Art Study, Science & Nature Brainbox, Safari Toob Tree figurines, and other goodies! 










Monthly Baskets are added as we pass each month. For a list of full supplies, please contact me! I'll be happy to share! 





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