2023 Morning Basket

This post is all about our updated 2023 morning basket.

Morning basket is a collection of beauty subjects in our homeschool that do not fall in the core subject category. We adopt some of Charlotte Mason’s suggestions for study such as nature study, hymn study, and Bible study.

A morning basket can include anything from a read aloud to an artist study. The main pursuit is beauty and family bonding. Taking time to linger in God’s word, for habit training, and to allow our senses to experience the feast that artists have offered to us. It is something I hope to do with my children altogether until they are no longer homeschooling.

In the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, I shared everything we were using in our morning basket. Since then, we’ve completed some things, we’ve removed some things, and have added some things. Here is a current description of how we are using morning time lately.

[RELATED POST: How We Started 2022-2023 Morning Time]

What We Finished

The Kind Kingdom

After finishing The Precious People from The Peaceful Press last school year for ancient history, I decided to jump right into The Kind Kingdom in the spring of last year. It was a great fit for us, and I ended up incorporating it in our morning basket through the summer and fall. You can read the curriculum review here. The Narnia series was an enjoyable journey to go through together, and the curriculum only enhanced the experience.

Missionary Biography: Gladys Aylward

The Christian Heroes series from YWAM Publishing has been a hit. We’ve read through several biographies, and have not yet once been disappointed. The storytelling is well done. Also, studying the lives of men and women who dedicated their lives to being the hands and feet of the Lord has been an inspiration.

Gladys Aylward’s story mostly takes place in China. The sacrifices and risks she takes clearly show her love of children and God. I love reading a chapter during morning time. Often, bad attitudes or selfish behavior has a tendency to melt away as we learn about the choices made by these individuals. We are already on our next one!

Morning Basket: Continuing On

The Word Studies

This is something I highly recommend to you. I don’t want to hype it up to where you’re disappointed, but I really didn’t know it would be such a gem in our homeschool. The Word Studies from Idlewild & Co. is a family Bible study that ties really well with their Organic Studies nature curriculum.

If you have elementary aged children, I would recommend doing both the Organic and Word Studies in tandem. The way they tie the nature and Bible lessons together is so well done. The design is simple black and white, you supplement with beautiful picture books, and your Bible. The way I keep describing it to friends who ask is SIMPLE, yet RICH.

Use the code: JUICEBOXHOMESCHOOL for 10% off your entire order.

To Every Nation

After I realized how much we loved the YWAM biographies, I thought it would be wise to pick up To Every Nation. This study is a supplement to these books, and helps you remember each missionary’s purpose, country of mission work, trials, and more. It is a workbook style curriculum, and features 12 missionaries, and focuses on their stand out character trait that made them exceptional and memorable. I like that it is a structured way to keep track of each book.

Current Events

I started a subscription to World Watch News this past summer, and really love it! I am not consistent about keeping up with current events, so this subscription has been very helpful for myself and my kids.

World Watch News creates 10-minute videos daily of some of the popular current events along with some fun news pieces. It is produced by a Christian company, but they aim to deliver the news in a non-political and unbiased way. There are ads for Christian businesses, and they always end each report with, “Whatever the news, the purpose of the Lord will stand.” My kids and I really enjoy this daily, and it’s a refreshingf break in between read alouds.

What We Won’t Finish

Nutrition

I picked up a nutrition series online by a publisher I wasn’t familiar with. It was a subject I wanted to cover, but did not have time to do a whole lot of research. The material and style of the curriculum wasn’t the best fit for family style. If you have any recommendations for a great nutrition curriculum that is great to use family style, please let me know!

What is New in our 2023 Morning Basket

Morning Moments

I shared these pretty cards designed by Whitney from Brighter Day Press on Instagram. This is another great family style resource that takes you through the book of James. I had fell off the wagon with scripture memory and hymns, and this covers just those things!

Each card contains something to read, something to sing, a memory verse, and a prayer prompt. There is also a handy wooden card holder so you can keep the active card on display. They are so well designed and thoughtful in its purpose just like everything else in her shop (you’ll want to grab a tote bag, mug, and unit study while you’re there!).

Prayer Diary

Using the 2023 Prayer Journal from YWAM Publishing, we are given prompts to pray for different needs (spiritual and physical) for the countries that need it. I love that it gives us a better idea of the state of areas of the world we may not think of otherwise. The diary opens our eyes and hearts daily to the suffering in other lands. It has been a goal of mine to be intentional about praying for others with my children, and this has really helped to keep us accountable.

Family Bible Studies

After completing a Christmas study from Not Consumed Ministries, I wanted to try one of their other family studies. During one of their sales (they have many, so wait for it!), I picked up a couple more of these family style Bible studies. The cool thing is they have the same study in different levels, which works out perfectly for our family:

• a parent guide
• youth (ages 13+)
• junior (ages 8-12)
• primary (ages 4-7)

The first study we’re working through is My Brother’s Keeper, which is all about learning to love your siblings God’s way. I also picked up Keep Thy Heart and Fruit of the Tongue. We first complete a lesson separately since all of my children can read and write independently. Then, we come together to discuss the lesson together. It has been a really special time to connect and grow in the same area!

A Sample Morning Time Schedule

I often get asked for how we piece these things together in our morning basket. We do not do everything daily, but for those interested, here is our current breakdown.

• Daily: Morning Moments, World Watch News, Prayer Diary
• 2 days/week: Family Bible Study, hymn study
• 3 days/week: Missionary Biography read aloud

This post was all about what is new in our 2023 morning basket rhythm.

Other Posts You May Like:

• 2022-2023 Family Style Curriculum
• Curriculum Review: The Kind Kingdom from The Peaceful Press
• 5 Ideas to Include in a Morning Menu