Your Morning Basket

"To be or not to be." "The course of true love never did run smooth." "All the world's a stage." The language, characters, and stories of William Shakespeare have far-reaching influence for us today in our books, our pop culture, and even our everyday conversations. But despite all this Shakespeare all around us, many of us are still left scratching our heads and wondering how in the world to begin studying the Bard with our students. We are joined today on the podcast by homeschool grad, homeschool mom, and avid Shakespeare lover, Mystie Winkler of Simply Convivial. Mystie describes how, in just a few minutes a couple of times a week, we can share Shakespeare with our children and create in them not only a familiarity with his work, but also a taste for the beauty of his poetry. When we focus on experiencing, enjoying, and embodying Shakespeare by memorizing passages, watching plays, and maybe even acting out a few scenes ourselves, we can foster a lifelong affection for this beloved figure in English litera

Celeste Cruz is a homeschooling mother of eight who started to implement Morning Time in her home with a stack of picture books at the breakfast table back when her oldest two children were just 5 years old. Now with several years of Morning Time under her belt, Celeste is practiced in art of juggling fussy babies, noisy toddlers, and preschoolers with fluctuating attention spans. She joins us on this episode of the podcast to discuss what Morning Time looks like when all the children in the family are preschool age and younger. Celeste shares some great tips for how to create a Morning Time routine packed with thoughtful, high-quality elements while remaining flexible and accommodating of the littlest learners. She encourages us to find natural lulls in our daily routine during which we can nourish both our children and ourselves with beautiful poems, stories, and music. Celeste's wisdom is inspiring but at the same time highly practical, making this an interview not to be missed. Enjoy!

Julie Bogart is a veteran homeschool mom, professional writer, and the creator of the writing and language arts program Brave Writer.   She joins us on this episode of the podcast to discuss freewriting, a method for getting the thoughts that are running through one's head down onto paper.  As part of her desire to equip families for the writing process, Julie explores the idea of implementing this practice in the context of Morning Time. Julie describes a writing environment where children's ideas are respected, the parent-child relationship is valued, and there is only one rule: keep your pencil moving until the timer beeps. Her step-by-step instructions in how to begin a freewriting habit, including ideas for accommodating non-writers and reluctant writers, are both helpful and reassuring. So grab a pencil and some paper and get ready to enjoy a great interview!  

Anne White is a mother of three, a long-time member of the Ambleside Online Advisory Board, and the author of numerous resources on the Greek-born Roman historian Plutarch. She joins us on this episode of the podcast to help us figure out how we might approach reading Plutarch with our kids during Morning Time. Who was Plutarch? What did he write about? Why did Charlotte Mason consider him worthy of inclusion in her course of study? What can modern-day students hope to glean from learning about people and events from so long ago? Anne answers these questions and so many more. She explains that the purpose of reading Plutarch is not to get bogged down in names and dates from ancient history, but rather to share stories with our children and, in doing so, to help them grow in virtue and character. Anne shares how she herself did not understand Plutarch on her first reading, but began to enjoy him after additional reading and study. In sharing her story, Anne reminded me that I can be a fellow learner alongside

Sarah Mackenzie is a mother of six, the author of Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace, and the host of the Read-Aloud Revival. She joins us on the podcast to discuss Morning Time as a key tool that can help us order our children's affections, turn our attention to things of utmost importance, and ground ourselves in state of rest, avoiding that place of frenzy and worry that we are not doing "enough." But Sarah doesn't stop there. She also throws in some of her best practical tips, like ideas for how to wrangle a houseful of toddlers and simplify Morning Time as needed during key seasons of family life. There is something for everyone in this interview, so sit back and enjoy!

Cindy West is a homeschooling mother of three and the author of the NaturExplorer series. She joins us on this episode of the podcast to share her contagious enthusiasm for nature study. She discusses the importance of this sometimes-neglected subject--how nature study helps us develop keen observation skills, teaches us important truths about our Creator, and gives us opportunities to make connections to  subjects like science, geography, and math. Cindy has an impressive list of simple, meaningful ways to spend just a few minutes of Morning Time on nature study. So, whether you are a seasoned nature enthusiast or someone who prefers to enjoy the great outdoors from the comfort of your air-conditioned living room, you will be sure to find some great ideas in this episode.

In this interview, Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason demystifies the practice of narration, or reading living books and then having children "tell back" in their own words what they remember. She shows how narration is not so much a method of quizzing our children, but rather a powerful tool for promoting attention, comprehension, and retention as the children make the books their own. This conversation is full of step-by-step instructions for how to get started, ideas for moving beyond the basics with older kids, and plenty of trouble-shooting advice.

Pam and her good friend Mystie Winckler of Simply Convivial wrap up this season of the podcast with an entire episode devoted to answering listener questions. They share inspiration, practical tips, how-to’s, and amusing anecdotes from their combined 12 years of practicing the discipline of Morning Time in their homes. Whether you’re a seasoned Morning Time veteran or a newbie wondering how to get started, there is something in this episode for you. Enjoy!

Nicholas Ireland, a father of two, teaches Humanities to middle schoolers at our local classical school. On this episode of the podcast, he tackles the subject of poetry. Why is poetry important? What poems should I start with? What makes good poetry good? What if I don't understand poetry? What questions should I ask my kids when we talk about the poems we read? Nicholas answers all these questions and more, plus gives us enough recommendations to keep us busy reading excellent poems for a long, long time. Enjoy!

Mary Prather is a music educator turned homeschool mom and the creator of the music appreciation curriculum SQUILT.  On this episode of the podcast, she shares simple and effective ideas for adding beauty to Morning Time through music. Mary has fantastic recommendations for composers and pieces, and she speaks from experience about no-fuss, practical ways to teach music appreciation and enjoy great music with our children. Treat yourself to a little dose of beauty today.

Jennifer Mackintosh has been practicing Morning Time in her home since her oldest, now a homeschool graduate, was a 4th grader. At her blog Wildflowers & Marbles, she has written extensively about how she creates her Morning Time plan and about how she develops thoughtful book lists for read alouds. She joins us on this episode of the podcast to tell us a little more about choosing those great books, but she doesn't stop there. She also divulges some of her best time-tested tricks for wrangling energetic toddlers while reading aloud, as well as some helpful advice for continuing to draw teens into the Morning Time conversation. Jen shares about how Morning Time has been a place for her children to develop and practice important habits like attentiveness, and describes the fruit she has seen as those habits have been shared and passed down from older children to younger children in a natural, organic way. Perhaps most importantly, Jen urges us moms to be attentive ourselves during Morning Time and to learn

Angela Boord has eight (soon to be nine!) children, so she knows all about making life work in a large family. She joins us today on the podcast to talk about creating and sustaining a Morning Time routine that is meaningful and worthwhile for everyone, from teens to toddlers. Angela shares some great advice for keeping little hands busy, accommodating teens and their packed schedules, and tackling important subjects in a way that meets the needs of big kids and little kids alike. She also shares how Morning Time has helped build a shared culture and sense of belonging in her family. Angela's wisdom is both practical and inspiring, making this an interview not to be missed.

If you've been following along with the last couple of interviews here at Your Morning Basket, you know that Pam has been walking us through the "3Rs" that make up a rich Morning Time: recitation, reading aloud, and ritual. Now it's time to tackle the third R, ritual. So often I find myself wanting to slow down and give my children time in our day to think, explore, and reflect. I want our Morning Time to be about more than checking off items from our list of things to do, but I'm not sure how to develop a meaningful liturgy that will help us begin our day. And then I find myself wondering if any ritual can really be restful and refreshing when energetic, chatty young children are involved. Today's episode addresses these issues and so much more. Pam talks with Dr. Christopher Perrin of Classical Academic Press, who introduces us to the concept of scholé, or restful learning. Dr. Perrin encourages us to develop liturgical practices for Morning Time that can set the stage for scholé in our homes, and he provid

Welcome to another episode of Your Morning Basket. You may remember that, early in episode 2, Pam introduced us to the "4 Rs" that make up a rich Morning Time: recitation, reading aloud, ritual, and relationship. (And if you happened to miss that one, be sure to check it out!) In today's interview, Pam talks with Brandy Vencel of Afterthoughts about the second of those Rs, reading aloud. They discuss the subtle ways that reading aloud during Morning Time can differ from the reading we may do with our children at other times during the day. This interview is packed with great book recommendations and insightful conversation about how reading aloud can help shape our children's imaginations, give them opportunities to grapple with big ideas, and enrich their learning by pairing content with captivating stories. So sit back and enjoy!

Andrew Pudewa is the director for the Institute for Excellence in Writing and proponent of memorization in education. In this episode of Your Morning Basket we talk about the effects of memorization on the brain, what to memorize, how to memorize, and how memorization furnishes the mind.

Welcome to the very first episode of Your Morning Basket: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty for Your Homeschool Day! Have you heard about the practice of Homeschool Morning Time but just had a problem wrapping your brain around what the practice is? Do you DO Morning Time but wonder where the idea got started? Or are you a person like I am who could just listen to Cindy Rollins share her wisdom all day long? If you are any of those people then you are going to love the first episode of Your Morning Basket. Cindy and I chat about how she started the practice of Morning Time in her home twenty-seven years ago, what the practice looked like on a day-to-day basis, and how it bore fruit in her children. I hope you enjoy! For resources, links, and the Basket Bonus for this episode visit edsnapshots.com/ymb1