I wish I could think of a title that doesn't make it seem like I'm bashing Morning Time

[KeriJ]

:)  Because I'm not.  I'm really not!

 

Don't be mad at me all you CiRCE, Schole' people.  I'm right there with you in spirit.  I have truly been inspired by so many CiRCE and similar writers and speakers this year.

 

But I don't get Morning Time.  Don't get me wrong: I DO get it...in that I completely understand what it is, I've read numerous blog posts and all of Cindy Rollins' series.  

 

But isn't it nothing more than doing CM type subjects together as a family?  and if you've ever used MFW or SCM or any similar curriculum, aren't you already sitting down and reading together with all ages.  I'm trying to understand what makes it so magical and why it has to have a name and a basket. 

 

We've been reading chapter books together from the get go.  We listen to classical music together and sing hymns together in the car.  We read the Bible together before bedtime.  We have poetry time scheduled into our week as well as picture study and nature study.  etc. etc.  But it's not all at one time and it doesn't have a basket.  For us, it's just......school.  and just the way we operate as a family.

 

I don't mean to be mean about this, but I'm not getting it.

[Piper]

I haven't begun using it yet, though I am definitely planning on incorporating it into our next school year.  I hear what you say about "we already do all this" - me too!  But for me, what I'm looking for is a more focused way to do all those "truth, goodness and beauty" items in a focused way that doesn't get dropped off the list when life happens.  Personally, it is far too easy to just skip the art and music and poetry and other such elements when I'm tired or stressed or whatever.  I'm hoping Morning Time will offer a structure that encourages us to continue with those elements even on the bad days, and will also encourage us to delve into them a little more.  I want the time to be more open and free-flowing, and to involve cuddling on the couch - which is not how I would generally describe how our "3 Rs" are conducted! :)  

 

Of course, as I mentioned, we haven't actually used it yet (!) so maybe it won't be as rosy as I picture...and hopefully someone with some more experience under their belt will chime in here! :)

[mama25angels]

Well, I think what makes it magical is that it actually gets done, lol.

[My3girls]

We don't do that much in our morning time, but I use it to kind of get started on our day. It's a planned out time covering specific items, but at a gentle pace. After morning time, things get more schooly, difficult, and individualized. If your whole day is like what I consider morning time, then I wouldn't call it that either.

[KeriJ]

For us, our day alternates between schooly and more relaxed.  Part of our day is together, part is individual.  We'll do math workbooks, then we'll do a picture study.  We'll do a spelling workbook, then we'll cuddle on the couch and do grammar orally.  We read from a literature book before "naptime"...ages 11 down to 4.  Because I have these things scheduled, they don't get dropped on a regular day.  If life happens, even the dishes get dropped.....not just enrichment subjects.  I can't see why having it scheduled all at one time makes it more "magical".  

[My3girls]

For us, our day alternates between schooly and more relaxed. Part of our day is together, part is individual. We'll do math workbooks, then we'll do a picture study. We'll do a spelling workbook, then we'll cuddle on the couch and do grammar orally. We read from a literature book before "naptime"...ages 11 down to 4. Because I have these things scheduled, they don't get dropped on a regular day. If life happens, even the dishes get dropped.....not just enrichment subjects. I can't see why having it scheduled all at one time makes it more "magical".

If I did it like this, we'd never get it all done, so I guess that's the magic for me. :) Plus we all like to start out slow and ramp up. If we did hard, easy, hard, easy, hard,... all day there would be a whole lot of complaining around here.

[Desert Strawberry]

I didn't change anything. We just evolved this way. When we did book work first, and then the enrichment, we often dropped the enrichment. As others have said, doing it first means it gets done. I have added more in after reading the discussions. There are many things I didn't think to do together as a group in the morning. But it's fun and effective.

Not  magical. If what you are doing is working, keep at it. But if you are finding that you aren't making it to the good stuff, maybe a change would be welcome.

[Piper]

Like the PP, if I did easy, hard, easy, hard...I think it would get pretty ugly after a while! :)  It sounds like you're already doing your own "Morning Time", it's just broken up (and I think Cindy Rollins - or was it Chelli? - talks about breaking it up into smaller chunks throughout the day if it works that way for you).  For me, I see it as a tool to not only get those elements done more consistently, but also as a way of slowing us down and allowing us to delve deeper into the beauty.  If you're already achieving that throughout your day, you're a few steps ahead of me!! :)

[Guest]

  For us, it's just......school.  and just the way we operate as a family.

 

 

You aren't being mean at all and I totally understand a lot of the questions I've seen: how is it any different than doing MFW or Sonlight or (insert curricula, method, etc.). For me, it is so magical because this way of schooling is NOT how we have been schooling the last 4 years. Even when we did Sonlight and tried MFW, this wasn't how schooling was. Even though we were reading a ton using those curricula, I still had a very heavy emphasis on compartmentalizing every single subject of our school day. The biggest difference for me is that our Morning Time is the heart of our homeschool. If we get nothing else done in a day, we will get Morning Time done. So, I will say that in our home, it has been an attitude adjustment. A shift in my focus of schooling. When I did xyz curriculum, it was just a part of our day. Now, I could see plugging in some of those other curriculum ideas into Morning TIme with the same philosophy, but before my mindset was too different. I will admit that I have taken the LCC/CM angle to probably the more extreme end of the spectrum, but that's how I operate, so...yeah. Granted, we are still in the grammar/elementary stage and I don't know how this will look as the kids get older. But, for our family, that is why I am so taken with the idea of Morning Time.  It is still so very new to me, and I hope with all my heart that it works out. It's the kind of thing that it helps to talk about "it", so that's why I've been piping up in threads, even though I'm a newbie to this whole world. Hopefully that gives you insight as to why Morning Time is so magical to me. :)

[Heatherwith4]

Our morning time is sort of like homeroom, I guess, which definitely does not sound magical. :lol: We do Bible/devotional, pray, mark our calendar, and talk about what the day holds. Last year, we did a read-aloud at that time. I'm still planning our year, so I'm not sure it's going to be the same this year.

 

For us, it's just a way to come together and start our day.

[Desert Strawberry]

Our morning time is sort of like homeroom, I guess, which definitely does not sound magical. :lol: We do Bible/devotional, pray, mark our calendar, and talk about what the day holds. Last year, we did a read-aloud at that time. I'm still planning our year, so I'm not sure it's going to be the same this year.

 

For us, it's just a way to come together and start our day.

This is how ours started. Then I thought, hey. We are all sitting here together. Let's take this opportunity to do something together. And something else. And another thing. And oh, that would be good to do here, too. And, voila, morning time!

[KeriJ]

As far as the point about things getting dropped, I think it's all about what's important to you.  When life gets rough, you're going to keep what you feel is important and drop what you feel is not.  So to me, it's about those subjects being important.  If they're not subjects that are important to you, I can't see how grouping them together in a basket is going to make them more important.  Since they are subjects that are important to me, they don't get dropped.  It seems like the problem is more of a perspective change, rather than a schedule change.

 

If anything, I was the type of mom who would put off math and grammar on a rough day and keep the read-aloud.  I had to get more disciplined about our 3 R's recently.

[KeriJ]

Our morning time is sort of like homeroom, I guess, which definitely does not sound magical. :lol: We do Bible/devotional, pray, mark our calendar, and talk about what the day holds. Last year, we did a read-aloud at that time. I'm still planning our year, so I'm not sure it's going to be the same this year.

 

For us, it's just a way to come together and start our day.

 

And we do this too.  It's just not some magical cozy time.  Although, it has turned into a prayer and praise time, and I'm really glad we've stuck with it.

[73349]

I wonder how much a room or house's layout bears on this. For us, table time and couch time are physically separate.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

 

 

  I'm trying to understand what makes it so magical and why it has to have a name and a basket. 

 

 

 

:lol:

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who wonders things like that.... ;)

[Mrs. A]

For us it evolved naturally because I started reading the Bible and lives of the saints at breakfast time when my eldest was about 4. After that I read Jen's famous Morning Basket post at Wildflowers and Marbles and I realized that I could make it into something organized and purposeful in order to fit in other things that I wanted to do together. It's not a cozy, cuddle on the couch time for us - it's a sitting at the table time, but it is very convenient for me personally to have things together in one place and to have a plan for how in going to go about it. 

 

The way of life aspect that you mentioned has grown out of this purposeful coming together and the things that we read and discuss from the plan recurr again and again during the rest of the day and what lines there are between "school" and life become extremely blurry and many times disappear altogether. 

 

The blurring of lines makes it hard to talk about when discussing with others though, so having a name for what we're doing, whether you want to call it Morning Time/ Morning Basket/Afternoon Basket/Circle Time/Morning Meeting, whatever, this naming

gives an easy way to help explain and clarify what's happening and helps to be able to give and receive suggestions to anyone who may not be familiar with a concept like this. 

[Critterfixer]

Mine doesn't have a basket. If it did, there would be one or more cats in it.

It's time and it is in the morning. Morning time seems a logical name to give it. If we were meeting, I'd probably call it morning meeting.

 

What is making it special is that I'm finding all sorts of ways to discuss things as they come up and not because we are scheduled to talk about them. We watched Little Dorrit, and I remarked for the fifth or sixth time how Mr. Dorrit reminds me of King Lear. Well, we read a synopsis of King Lear the other day.

I wanted to bring up genre of literature--we read about dragons and discussed fantasy, then low and behold the movie for movie night was science fiction. So next up, science fiction and we will compare and contrast. 

I always felt like we should get to some Civics. We can do a civics question in a day now. And I've got to read the Declaration of Independence because it came up. 

For me the magic of Morning time is how it seems to spawn new ideas every time we have it.

[ajfries]

I guess for me it's more about inspiration. I intend to have a basket full of things that I, as a teacher/mother/woman find inspiring. Things that I wish would have been included in my education. Things that I would NEVER do instead of math, but that do indeed have a rightful place in my children's (and my) education.

 

It's about setting aside time to put the "big rocks" in our jar first. It's not going to be magical. But my hope is that it will set the tone to our homeschool and remind me that there is more to our school that reading, writing & arithmetic.

[Zoo Keeper]

I don't call it Morning Time, Circle Time, Morning Meeting, or Bob's Your Uncle.  I don't have a basket, either.  We just enjoy doing some things together as a family, before we split into the more individualized slots of our school day.  It has become a common ground where I choose things to do at *my*  pace that I want to be sure the kids are exposed to, come hell or highwater.   No magic dust or cuddly couches required.  ;)

[Chelli]

As far as the point about things getting dropped, I think it's all about what's important to you.  When life gets rough, you're going to keep what you feel is important and drop what you feel is not.  So to me, it's about those subjects being important.  If they're not subjects that are important to you, I can't see how grouping them together in a basket is going to make them more important.  Since they are subjects that are important to me, they don't get dropped.  It seems like the problem is more of a perspective change, rather than a schedule change.

 

If anything, I was the type of mom who would put off math and grammar on a rough day and keep the read-aloud.  I had to get more disciplined about our 3 R's recently.

 

When I had all of those subjects spread throughout the day it was very easy for me to say, "We've still got XYZ to do and time is short so we'll move on to XYZ and do art appreciation later." Well, later never came. By grouping everything into a Morning Meeting two things have happened: 1) All of those little things get done on a pretty regular basis because they are first. 2) I've realized how important those little things are because of the growth in both my children and myself. 

 

Our daily routine is Morning Meeting, skill subjects, and Table Time (content subjects). What I've discovered is that if something happens and we only get to Morning Meeting and skill subjects during the day, I feel that we've had a full productive school day because during Morning Meeting we touch on so many content subjects but in a more organic way so if we miss our structured study of science that day, I don't sweat it because we read from our nature book earlier that day. So those "little things" don't get dropped any more because every day they are becoming more and more of a big thing. 

 

Could I go back to splitting them up throughout the course of the day? Probably not because it's so much easier to do it all together first thing before we begin to split off to work on other things throughout the day. It has become our time to focus and ground ourselves and I know that I'll get it done if I do it first. 

 

It sounds like you have figured out a way to do "morning time" throughout the day without giving it an official name or time slot. Nothing wrong with that!

[Chelli]

I guess for me it's more about inspiration. I intend to have a basket full of things that I, as a teacher/mother/woman find inspiring. Things that I wish would have been included in my education. Things that I would NEVER do instead of math, but that do indeed have a rightful place in my children's (and my) education.

 

It's about setting aside time to put the "big rocks" in our jar first. It's not going to be magical. But my hope is that it will set the tone to our homeschool and remind me that there is more to our school that reading, writing & arithmetic.

 

This is perfect. Exactly how I feel.

[Clear Creek]

I tried to do it for a while, the kids really enjoyed doing it, but it just made our days l-o-n-g. Not starting the three R's until 10:00 meant that there was no way we could finish before 3:00 when we all really wanted to be done (and free to go to piano lessons, choir, etc.), but most importantly, if math is not started before 8:30, brains leak out of heads and it is incomprehensible until the next day.

 

So we sing hymns at church and spontaneously as we go about our day (and as new hymns are learned at piano lessons), art is appreciated at museums and in books, nature is studied during the hours the kids spend outdoors every single day, music is appreciated on everyone's mp3 players, my husband and I read aloud on occasion to the kids (and they often read aloud to each other, even chapter books), Friday tea time is a staple (everyone reads something they wrote that week, narrates an interesting tidbit they learned in history/science/lit, and we take turns reading poetry), Bible verses are memorized at Sunday School (and VBS, and summer camp)...it is all just a part of life, and would be even if we didn't homeschool.

[NancyNellen]

Well, we have been doing something that I guess would pass as Morning Time for years, although we don't call it that and I don't have a basket. I wouldn't call it magical. Nor is it always cozy, comfy, or even peaceful. But it IS a logical way for us to lay out our day, and it IS a part of our family culture, and I am thankful that we have stuck with it for all these years.

 

I think Morning Time begins to really make sense when you have a range of ages and stages in the house. Mine range from 7-17 and once our morning time ends, people scurry in several different directions, typically not coming together again until dinner or even bedtime. With outside classes, online classes, part time jobs, volunteer positions, piano lessons, horseback riding, church events, sports practice, etc...we are off and running once our together time comes to a close. Morning time gives us that family anchor time that is crucial, and pleasant, for our family.

 

Since we have a number of things we work on together as a family...memory work, devotionals, hymn singing, read alouds, picture study, etc., doing them all at once first thing in the morning is the only way we can be certain that everyone can participate. Magical? No. A usually pleasant family time where we can get to the things that are most important to us? Yes.

 

Over the years I have learned that the things that are most important to me should be scheduled first thing...First thing = important as far as I'm concerned...that way when life interrupts our homeschooling day (a recent broken wrist - and subsequent x-rays and cast application is a good example of this), I know that we have still gotten to the things that matter most. First thing in the morning, when my kids are fresh and well-rested, and my house is neat and clean, and I have a big 'ol cup of joe in hand, is a delightful time to set about working together as a family. It makes complete sense for us...

 

Now, if something different works for you, well then, steady on! That is the wonderful thing about homeschooling. If Morning Time doesn't make sense in your current situation, by all means, do what DOES make sense. But I think the recent positive response to Morning Time is because many people realize, for them, in their current situation, it is a brilliant way to accomplish what needs to be accomplished, and what is important to them, in the most pleasant way possible - all together as a family. That's all. I don't think anyone considers it magical - just something they had not thought of before.

 

And therein lies the beauty of such a space as this. A place where you can read and share and learn and always ask yourself the questions, "Is there a better way for me to reach my goals? Is there a better way to help these small humans become amazing big humans?" Take what works. Leave the rest. And carry on.

[MommytoFour]

I don't think everyone uses a basket. (I don't.) And I don't think it matters what you call it, or even what time of day you do it.  I just think it's a way for some families to focus on getting enriching things done that are important to them -- and start their day off right.

[Desert Strawberry]

As far as the point about things getting dropped, I think it's all about what's important to you.  When life gets rough, you're going to keep what you feel is important and drop what you feel is not.  So to me, it's about those subjects being important.  If they're not subjects that are important to you, I can't see how grouping them together in a basket is going to make them more important.  Since they are subjects that are important to me, they don't get dropped.  It seems like the problem is more of a perspective change, rather than a schedule change.

 

If anything, I was the type of mom who would put off math and grammar on a rough day and keep the read-aloud.  I had to get more disciplined about our 3 R's recently.

Our 3Rs are largely independent, as are some of their other subjects. Or I might break them up into groups or work with just one. Morin g time is for all of us together. It's the time that I sit down and read to all of them, or we all practice skip counting or we all do picture study together. 

Then I release each one to his own private pursuit, and I pull aside one or two, or I start my own work. Doing it in the morning prevents me from getting absorbed in a task while they do independent work or have to try to wrangle hot, sweaty, dirty, tired kids back together for a group lesson after they have already moved into wild thing territory.

It isn't necessary for everyone to do it this way. It's just a nice, useful tools for those of us who could use a little lion taming in our homes.

 

I don't have a basket and we sit at the table. Sometimes we drink tea.

[Zoo Keeper]

I think Morning Time begins to really make sense when you have a range of ages and stages in the house. Mine range from 7-17 and once our morning time ends, people scurry in several different directions, typically not coming together again until dinner or even bedtime. With outside classes, online classes, part time jobs, volunteer positions, piano lessons, horseback riding, church events, sports practice, etc...we are off and running once our together time comes to a close. Morning time gives us that family anchor time that is crucial, and pleasant, for our family.

 

Since we have a number of things we work on together as a family...memory work, devotionals, hymn singing, read alouds, picture study, etc., doing them all at once first thing in the morning is the only way we can be certain that everyone can participate. Magical? No. A usually pleasant family time where we can get to the things that are most important to us? Yes.

 

Over the years I have learned that the things that are most important to me should be scheduled first thing...First thing = important as far as I'm concerned...that way when life interrupts our homeschooling day (a recent broken wrist - and subsequent x-rays and cast application is a good example of this), I know that we have still gotten to the things that matter most. First thing in the morning, when my kids are fresh and well-rested, and my house is neat and clean, and I have a big 'ol cup of joe in hand, is a delightful time to set about working together as a family. It makes complete sense for us...

 

 

 

^ Yes!  You nailed it!  Right down to the coffee...

 

[KeriJ]

I tried to do it for a while, the kids really enjoyed doing it, but it just made our days l-o-n-g. Not starting the three R's until 10:00 meant that there was no way we could finish before 3:00 when we all really wanted to be done (and free to go to piano lessons, choir, etc.), but most importantly, if math is not started before 8:30, brains leak out of heads and it is incomprehensible until the next day.

 

So we sing hymns at church and spontaneously as we go about our day (and as new hymns are learned at piano lessons), art is appreciated at museums and in books, nature is studied during the hours the kids spend outdoors every single day, music is appreciated on everyone's mp3 players, my husband and I read aloud on occasion to the kids (and they often read aloud to each other, even chapter books), Friday tea time is a staple (everyone reads something they wrote that week, narrates an interesting tidbit they learned in history/science/lit, and we take turns reading poetry), Bible verses are memorized at Sunday School (and VBS, and summer camp)...it is all just a part of life, and would be even if we didn't homeschool.

 

this, this, this.

[KeriJ]

If you've spent much time with SCM, she describes "individual subjects" and "family subjects".  For me, that's all the morning time seems to be: just the family subjects.  We've divided our school subjects up that way for a long time; the kids understand which subjects are individual and which are together.  So it's not a big deal for everyone to finish up math and then meet in the living room for a family subject.  

 

To me, morning time just seems like taking all of the family subjects and putting them together at the beginning of the school day.  I guess that's why it's hard for me to understand the uniqueness of it.

 

eta:  I wonder too how much each family dynamic factors in.  My group seems to run around in a pack all day.  The last thing we need in our family is more together time.  We are together for every meal, every outing, and all throughout the day and night.  Our life saver for homeschool has been implementing "alone time" in the afternoon.  My kids needed to learn to spend more time alone.  

 

It seems to me that this originally gained popularity among those who had followed AO pretty closely-- where each child worked at his/her own level.  Others of us were combining for many subjects early on, so it just doesn't seem like anything new to me.  SCM has always suggested that anything but math and language arts can be done together as a family.  That's been our pattern up until recently when I realized that my kids need more independence in their schoolwork.

[Critterfixer]

I don't follow AO, I'm not a CM person. I have twin boys working at the same level in pretty much everything, so one could say all our subjects are family subjects. I actually do a good bit of lecturing from the board, including stuff during morning time. We are never on a couch for anything related to morning time. 

I'd hate to think I'd miss out on morning time because I don't have kids of different ages. But I don't think I will, I think it will just be different.

 

None of my morning time stuff seems to be a subject. That's hard to explain, but so far I've been reading short stories while the boys draw, and sometimes we discuss an unfamiliar word, or to discuss something similar that they have found in their independent reading. Our discussion on King Lear was interesting--they got a lot more out of it than I thought they would, and we talked about how to develop a character, and how other characters in the movie we had been watching seemed like this or that character in King Lear. That led to a quick discussion from Master Plots-the Ascent and Descent Plot and how the movie and the play were built on that idea. Then we moved on to our little Civic's question, which led into a discussion on democracy vs monarchy, and the Roman idea of a republic, so I guess I've got another Shakespeare play to get a synopsis on, don't I?

NONE of that was really planned, and none of it relates to a subject we are really studying in depth at this time. It just sort of evolves from things that come up.

It's just sort of neat to see that happening, which is why I think Morning Time will be special for us in a way that just having family subjects spread throughout the day wouldn't be. Ours is short yet-about thirty minutes to an hour, but so far I think it has made the rest of our day shorter rather than longer. The boys seem to think better after a morning time where we have been thinking, talking and letting our thoughts roll through several different things at one. It's sort of a full brain stretch if you will, before the strenuous exercises of math, Latin and composition. 

Just my thoughts, and I'm pretty new to the idea.

[Guest momto11]

Builder Bee: I'd say you've nothing to concern yourself with! You've got a great system that's working for your family. You're getting the things done that are important to you. Don't fix what's not broke  :thumbup:   I'd been doing what we called "Hymns and Prayers" for years to start our homeschool day together. Usually followed by announcements to let everyone know the "plan of the day" (who's going to the dentist, etc.). Then, often, followed by read aloud. So when I read about Morning Time, I felt we were already doing much of it. But the organizing and basket (for me it's a large plastic container...not nearly so pretty) have helped me not be so frustrated at getting my hands on what I wanted when I wanted it, and we've been more consistent with the memory work that I've been meaning to work on (esp. review).  Blessings to you!

[SereneHome]

OK, I didn't even read the thread - can someone please point me to the thread or tell me what all those terms mean - CiRCE, Schole, etc

 

Thank you!!

[Hunter]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this new secular/CM morning thing.

 

Back in the 1990s there were those of us who did Morning WORSHIP. For ME that meant threatening a 200+ pound young man into a chair and quoting scripture of why is was not optional for ME to let any of MY children skip the daily ritual.

 

Morning WORSHIP was worship. All sorts of history and geography and science and music and reading comprehension and every subject imaginable ended out being covered over the years, but the POINT was worship.

 

My now grown older son that fought me so hard, and to this day remains an atheist, claims that Morning Worship was the single more important part of his education, and he thanks me now for it.

 

This new thing thing, though, I'm still trying to wrap my head around. :confused1:

[Coco_Clark]

I'm only a year and a half into this whole "morning time" gig so I do not speak authoritatively. But for ME and for perhaps a few other families, the difference between doing CM style things throughout the day and doing CM style things all in a chunk in the morning and calling it Morning Time is that we are attempting to create a Liturgy.

 

At least that is a phrase I have heard bandied around and it does truly resonate with me and reflect the reasons I've decided to have Morning Time even though, yes, it is hard and yes, it sometimes makes the day long, and yes, it often means I must prioritize it over other desirable things.

 

Of course what I mean by "creating a Liturgy" is difficult to explain, particularly to those who are not coming from Liturgical backgrounds. In its simplest I suppose we are just attempting to put the first things first. But it is more, and I wish I could tag because I think there are others that could explain it better.

 

I also know that for some large families, with older independent students, it is not reasonable to do all these little bits together throughout the day. Everyone is busy! So a Morning Time may be the only chance the whole family is together. Not my experience yet :). But I think it affects some and I know Cindy Rollins speaks from this perspective.

[ElizaG]

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this new secular/CM morning thing.

 

Back in the 1990s there were those of us who did Morning WORSHIP. For ME that meant threatening a 200+ pound young man into a chair and quoting scripture of why is was not optional for ME to let any of MY children skip the daily ritual.

 

Morning WORSHIP was worship. All sorts of history and geography and science and music and reading comprehension and every subject imaginable ended out being covered over the years, but the POINT was worship.

 

My now grown older son that fought me so hard, and to this day remains an atheist, claims that Morning Worship was the single more important part of his education, and he thanks me now for it.

 

This new thing thing, though, I'm still trying to wrap my head around. :confused1:

It's interesting that you mention the secular aspect, because I've been noticing the new use of the word "liturgy."   In Christian churches, it's always meant "public worship," and it's had that meaning going back to the ancient Greeks.   Now some CiRCE/CM type homeschoolers are using it to mean just about any sort of routine, including "morning time."   Selecting a book from the basket, reading the book aloud, drinking coffee, etc.   As a lifelong Catholic, I'd no more think of this as a "liturgy" than I'd think of my grocery list as a prayer, or my cat as a minister.  (I have a feeling that Charlotte Mason -- as an Anglican, and not someone given to flowery language -- would have been just as :001_huh: by the usage.)

 

In the 1990s, when Protestant homeschoolers were having Morning Worship, Catholic homeschoolers used to make an effort to go to daily Mass.   That really was a liturgical morning time, and the family would have been encountering memory work (prayers), literature (Scripture), music (psalms and hymns), maybe history (the saint of the day), and Truth, Goodness and Beauty galore.  Now it seems as if people are trying to create an experience along similar lines, not just without the Catholic part or the public part, but often even without the worship part.  And the strangest part is, these are mostly Christians getting into this idea.  

 

Somehow, this whole subject is reminding me of this scene from Whit Stillman's "Barcelona".  Now, there's a home-based ritual I could support.  But I guess it's more for Evening Time.   :p

[KeriJ]

Well, many of your answers helped me understand where you are coming from.  I guess it's just a matter of fulfilling different needs for different families, because some of you had different reasons.  That makes sense.  Like I said, our family needed more alone time and more independence, so that's what makes sense for us.

 

I guess what frustrated me a little is one blogger (from way back....) calling her version of it "the best part of your day".  and it gave that impression that if you're not doing something official in that area, your day is not worth mentioning.  Of course, that's the typical homeschool comparison issue...... I do feel past that comparison trap now after homeschooling for 6 years, but I was thinking of new homeschoolers who feel the pressure that if they don't have Morning Time, they're not a true CiRCE/Teaching from Rest homeschooler.  You can still "teach from rest" without having Morning Time. :)

 

Everything Clear Creek said is how I felt as well when we tried it for awhile.  It just felt like we were adding in something unnecessary to our day when it was already being covered in many ways.  Now we start the day with praises and prayer requests.  We pray together and talk about what's coming up in our day.  Later in the day, we really enjoy our long read-aloud time.  Those 2, combined with making education "an atmosphere and a life" throughout the rest of the day are enough for us to keep our days "magical".  

[Heidi]

As far as the point about things getting dropped, I think it's all about what's important to you. When life gets rough, you're going to keep what you feel is important and drop what you feel is not. So to me, it's about those subjects being important. If they're not subjects that are important to you.

That's not how it works for me. The most important things (for me, scriptures and family prayer) get dropped if I don't purposely schedule it in first thing. Sometimes I will think, oh we will get to it when everyone is done doing this or that, or the little kids are playing nice and I don't want to disturb them, so I think we'll do it later. But later never, ever comes. So you give it a name and a basket and declare to all the children in the land (in my house) that Morning Time has begun! It's a way to prioritize priorities.

[KeriJ]

That's not how it works for me. The most important things (for me, scriptures and family prayer) get dropped if I don't purposely schedule it in first thing. Sometimes I will think, oh we will get to it when everyone is done doing this or that, or the little kids are playing nice and I don't want to disturb them, so I think we'll do it later. But later never, ever comes. So you give it a name and a basket and declare to all the children in the land (in my house) that Morning Time has begun! It's a way to prioritize priorities.

 

Good point.  And that makes more sense to me if we're talking about scripture and prayer.  But what I see most people talking about is poetry, Shakespeare, Plutarch, nature study, geography, literature and history read-alouds.  To me, those are just regular school subjects.  I didn't understand how they became more special.

[Ewe Mama]

We have two different types of work, independent level work or all together work.

 

All together work:

Scripture memory SCM style

Bible Story

Prayer

History and narration

Literature (each child is assigned one day of the week to be in charge of selecting a work of literature we read aloud one chapter each week. Joy has us reading Twice Freed on Mondays, Simon select excited the Wouldbegoods for Tuesdays, etc)

Science

Picture study, poetry, Latin, whatever else is assigned for that day of the week on a rotating schedule.

 

Individual level work:

Math

Spelling

Language arts ( the boys are easily combined in these, so the schedule isn't as complicated as it could be)

 

 

Some days we start our individual work first, other days we do the all together subjects at the start of the day. I prefer to do the all together things first because, when the younger ones are done with their individual subjects afterwards, they are done for the day and I don't have to root them away from whatever they found to occupy themselves in order to drag them back for the all together work.

 

Some days I just need more time to get organized, so they do their independent work first. If I have to be out in the barn checking on a ewe about to lamb, I don't want them waiting around for me to get back in the house. If we don't start the all together work first thing every morning, it still gets done. That work is just as important and meaningful, whether it gets done first thing or later in the day. At most, the all together work takes an hour and fifteen minutes, and consists of the bulk of our subjects. Independent work takes longer, but all together work covers more, and varied topics.

 

All of our subjects are organized in baskets, so when we need science, I grab the science basket. It gets put away when it is time for our literature selection of the day. History requires two baskets, one for books and the other for our now very thick notebooks.

 

Art lessons take place in the afternoon because I consider that an activity more than a subject or class.

[Critterfixer]

I don't suppose poetry, Shakespeare, Plutarch, and read aloud books (of any type) or nature study are more or less special because they occur at any one time of the day. They wouldn't be special coming in a subject format marked Morning Time on the schedule either. 

But in themselves, they are special. Bible is special. They are unique things that specifically work on the heart and the mind together---at least that's how I think it should be.

 

I also think the idea of the liturgy is important, and I'm not from a liturgical background either. But I do understand the idea of meditating and letting your thoughts follow it. I've been known to crack open a book of poetry, read it and then to mull it over for a while as I do something else. Often that leads to me pulling my hands out of soapy water, going over to my kitchen desk, cracking open a notebook and sitting down and writing, because something else surfaced in the waters of my mind when I churned them up with some poetry. 

At least for now, that's how I'm seeing morning time: as a way to stir up still water and see what floats up. It seems to be working that way with me--which is funny, because ostensibly morning time was for the kids...

[jaderbee]

:) Because I'm not. I'm really not!

 

Don't be mad at me all you CiRCE, Schole' people. I'm right there with you in spirit. I have truly been inspired by so many CiRCE and similar writers and speakers this year.

 

But I don't get Morning Time. Don't get me wrong: I DO get it...in that I completely understand what it is, I've read numerous blog posts and all of Cindy Rollins' series.

 

But isn't it nothing more than doing CM type subjects together as a family? and if you've ever used MFW or SCM or any similar curriculum, aren't you already sitting down and reading together with all ages. I'm trying to understand what makes it so magical and why it has to have a name and a basket.

 

We've been reading chapter books together from the get go. We listen to classical music together and sing hymns together in the car. We read the Bible together before bedtime. We have poetry time scheduled into our week as well as picture study and nature study. etc. etc. But it's not all at one time and it doesn't have a basket. For us, it's just......school. and just the way we operate as a family.

 

I don't mean to be mean about this, but I'm not getting it.

I really like Cindy Rollin's talk on CiRCE and her blog. I read through it at least three times. Her words of encouragement and advice as a salty homeschool mom with graduates and some still in the trenches are gold. When I read through Cindy's series on Morning Time for the third time that's when I realized that actual Morning Time was not as important as other ideas she discusses (I'm slow). She repeatedly mentions the point that the little moments add up. So being consistent and persevering (and not being swayed by every new activity, curriculum fad, distraction, or giving up) that was the first point.

 

The next point (for me because I have 2) was toddlers are just crazy so enjoy them and refer to point one. :) Now that I'm typing this out I think the third point was tackle "tough" content don't skip it. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. :)

 

Then the schedule of a morning time comes into play. Though, like Ambleside Online, unless you understand the why's and how's it's just another booklist or schedule. Additionally, if you understand the why's and how's you don't need to implement it that way. Like you said, it can be sprinkled throughout the day with your hand picked materials.

[LivingHope]

Well, we have been doing something that I guess would pass as Morning Time for years, although we don't call it that and I don't have a basket. I wouldn't call it magical. Nor is it always cozy, comfy, or even peaceful. But it IS a logical way for us to lay out our day, and it IS a part of our family culture, and I am thankful that we have stuck with it for all these years.

 

I think Morning Time begins to really make sense when you have a range of ages and stages in the house. Mine range from 7-17 and once our morning time ends, people scurry in several different directions, typically not coming together again until dinner or even bedtime. With outside classes, online classes, part time jobs, volunteer positions, piano lessons, horseback riding, church events, sports practice, etc...we are off and running once our together time comes to a close. Morning time gives us that family anchor time that is crucial, and pleasant, for our family.

 

Since we have a number of things we work on together as a family...memory work, devotionals, hymn singing, read alouds, picture study, etc., doing them all at once first thing in the morning is the only way we can be certain that everyone can participate. Magical? No. A usually pleasant family time where we can get to the things that are most important to us? Yes.

 

Over the years I have learned that the things that are most important to me should be scheduled first thing...First thing = important as far as I'm concerned...that way when life interrupts our homeschooling day (a recent broken wrist - and subsequent x-rays and cast application is a good example of this), I know that we have still gotten to the things that matter most. First thing in the morning, when my kids are fresh and well-rested, and my house is neat and clean, and I have a big 'ol cup of joe in hand, is a delightful time to set about working together as a family. It makes complete sense for us...

 

Now, if something different works for you, well then, steady on! That is the wonderful thing about homeschooling. If Morning Time doesn't make sense in your current situation, by all means, do what DOES make sense. But I think the recent positive response to Morning Time is because many people realize, for them, in their current situation, it is a brilliant way to accomplish what needs to be accomplished, and what is important to them, in the most pleasant way possible - all together as a family. That's all. I don't think anyone considers it magical - just something they had not thought of before.

 

And therein lies the beauty of such a space as this. A place where you can read and share and learn and always ask yourself the questions, "Is there a better way for me to reach my goals? Is there a better way to help these small humans become amazing big humans?" Take what works. Leave the rest. And carry on.

I agree with Nancy here.

 

Morning Time became more significant to me as my children's ages spread out. I have eight children ranging from 1-16. Morning Time would easily be dropped from the older children's day if I didn't think it was important. After listening to Cindy Rollin's A Long Haul audio at the Circe Institute, I felt justified for keeping us all together (even the high schoolers) in the morning. My high schoolers get more out of it than the little ones, yet they tend to be the ones who want to get on to their own school work. Hence, the name and time set for "Morning Time". BTW, we also have an "Evening Time" for family time with Daddy, and it, too, has its own special name, time, and flavor.

[Mrs. A]

Of course what I mean by "creating a Liturgy" is difficult to explain, particularly to those who are not coming from Liturgical backgrounds. In its simplest I suppose we are just attempting to put the first things first. But it is more, and I wish I could tag because I think there are others that could explain it better.

 

 

 

I don't particularly like the use of the word "liturgy", but it does seem to be a buzzword lately that tries to capture the essence of routine, communal actions that orient one toward the good, true and beautiful. No matter what you call it though, the point being made by the use of the word is that our actions matter and can help point us in the right direction. Emphasis on MT is a way of consciously choosing an action that many families find to be helpful in pointing in the TG&B direction.  Not every family has to do it the same way though. If you're already focused on what is important to you then perhaps MT is redundant. 

[Mrs. A]

I don't suppose poetry, Shakespeare, Plutarch, and read aloud books (of any type) or nature study are more or less special because they occur at any one time of the day. They wouldn't be special coming in a subject format marked Morning Time on the schedule either. 

But in themselves, they are special. Bible is special. They are unique things that specifically work on the heart and the mind together---at least that's how I think it should be.

 

 

 

:iagree:

[Hunter]

Good point.  And that makes more sense to me if we're talking about scripture and prayer.  But what I see most people talking about is poetry, Shakespeare, Plutarch, nature study, geography, literature and history read-alouds.  To me, those are just regular school subjects.  I didn't understand how they became more special.

 

Because some people have started quoting CM's books like they quote scripture. I guess it's CM and the Bible in the morning, and the Bible is optional, unless it's the KJV read for it's literary excellence..

 

I am totally confused.

[LostintheCosmos]

It's interesting that you mention the secular aspect, because I've been noticing the new use of the word "liturgy."   In Christian churches, it's always meant "public worship," and it's had that meaning going back to the ancient Greeks.   Now some CiRCE/CM type homeschoolers are using it to mean just about any sort of routine, including "morning time."   Selecting a book from the basket, reading the book aloud, drinking coffee, etc.   As a lifelong Catholic, I'd no more think of this as a "liturgy" than I'd think of my grocery list as a prayer, or my cat as a minister.  (I have a feeling that Charlotte Mason -- as an Anglican, and not someone given to flowery language -- would have been just as :001_huh: by the usage.)

 

In the 1990s, when Protestant homeschoolers were having Morning Worship, Catholic homeschoolers used to make an effort to go to daily Mass.   That really was a liturgical morning time, and the family would have been encountering memory work (prayers), literature (Scripture), music (psalms and hymns), maybe history (the saint of the day), and Truth, Goodness and Beauty galore.  Now it seems as if people are trying to create an experience along similar lines, not just without the Catholic part or the public part, but often even without the worship part.  And the strangest part is, these are mostly Christians getting into this idea.  

 

Somehow, this whole subject is reminding me of 

.  Now, there's a home-based ritual I could support.  But I guess it's more for Evening Time.   :p

 

My understanding is that this lingo is coming from James K.A. Smith's book, Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview and Cultural Formation, which takes major aim at Christian educational institutions. I have NOT read the book, and I am only passingly familiar with some of these discourses, but my sense is that he employs the rhetoric of "liturgy" for what I'd call "the practice of everyday life" in order to suggest to a certain group of self-professed Christians that they are actually worshiping something other than Christ. It seems like in his book, Smith is somewhat clear that the liturgies Christian life should be based around are the actual liturgies of the church, but that seems to be getting a bit lost as Christian classical educators (children of Francis Schaeffer devotees?) have seized on the book and tried to apply it to their classrooms, which may be filled with children from different congregations and Christian traditions. But this is not a conversation I'm really in on, so I'm probably missing some nuances.

 

I do think this goes back to this problematic issue of schools trying to take on the whole job of Christian formation that should actually be happening throughout a healthy culture or, in the absence of one as we find today, primarily within the family and local parish. And then that discussion filters down to homeschoolers who actually are in the position (and have the responsibility!) to do something more directly about the issue but are taking their cues from classroom educators and no wonder it's all confused. I'm confused often enough, at least.

 

Not to mention I really feel like I should be able to work in a

joke here but just can't quite seem to pull it off...

[rimk3]

 

 

 I'm trying to understand what makes it so magical and why it has to have a name and a basket. 

 

 

That is too funny!  Well, I don't think morning time is magical, but we do use a basket.  Purely for practical reasons, nothing magical about the basket, I promise.  The same reason we use a basket for our library books, a basket for our poetry tea books, and the kids have a basket for their individual binders and notebooks, etc.... to corral all those items in one spot so we can get them quickly when we need them.   :001_smile:   We don't have a school room and my kids don't have desks, so this method works for us.  We do school all over the house or backyard and the baskets make that happen.  If we want to do poetry tea in the back yard, I just have one basket to grab.  Well, and the tea and treats. 

 

For us, "morning time" is a warm-up.  We get our minds engaged and moving, then we move on to the more strenuous workout of math and LA.  I have one child that does exceptionally well easing into the day this way.  Also, it has been a good place to add a few things that may slip from our week, like reviewing our phone number, safety drills, etc.  I know I can do that while driving in the car or while making dinner, but this way I know I will get to it and not have to remember to do it.  So, I think, "I will add that to our morning time 'We Need to Know This Stuff' notebook."  Morning Time started out as devotions and a read aloud.  It has evolved for us, just it has for many others.  

 

We also do family subjects in the afternoon, like Poetry Tea or Art/Art study.  So, I guess we do breakfast basket (morning time) and afternoon basket (afternoon time).  So, maybe I'm not doing morning time right.  lol.   ;)  We also play math and spelling games together, but I wouldn't call those family subjects or morning time.  I do keep some of those games in a basket, though!   :001_smile:  

[birchbark]

Keri, many of us who've instituted Circle Time envy you for already having these important practices woven into your day! I didn't. I still remember the jolt I got from reading the original Circe thread as I realized what our homeschool had become: shoving books and assignments toward my student so we could rush through a checklist. We weren't enjoying poetry, or classics, or even having discussions about what DS was learning. I think it's become a part of our school that's truly enjoyable and relaxing. I personally don't try to do a whole bunch of school subjects. For us, it's about adding culture and discussion. Many CM-at-heart folks are already doing that. I had to be deliberate about adding it back in.

 

There certainly isn't one way to implement it! This next year I'm thinking of moving our Circle Time from our not-so-great couch to our (hopefully new, Amish-made) dining table. This will allow us to have drinks and a candle.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

.... and a candle.

 

Which reminds me of Waldorf. ;)

 

Many of these ideas are found in various educational theories. It seems we each see them through the lens of whichever philosophical mix most fully meets our needs.

 

I don't think anything here is necessarily new, but it could most certainly be fresh and new to individuals hearing them for the first time or finally being open to them after hearing about them lots of times. ;)

 

[Critterfixer]

I still think it's magic.

 

[Mystie]

My own Circle/Morning Time is slightly different from what most others talk about, but was directly a result of Kendra ("best part of your day" blogger) and Cindy 7 years ago when we first started, and I always felt encouraged by them to make it fit our family. 

 

I think the reason it gets brought up in the scholé/rest/circe conversations is that most people do *not* naturally have poetry or long-form memory work (not ditties and chants) or singing woven into their life. Morning/Cirlce Time is a way to put those things first and incorporate them if you've slipped into "check the box" mode.

For us, starting the school day by praying together, singing together, and reciting Scripture and poetry together starts our day off focused and cohesive. That's the magic, and that's what using the word "liturgy" (which I think isn't the right word) is trying to get at: it's a formative, identity-shaping habit. If singing and poetry and Scripture is already a part of your habitus (my word of choice instead of liturgy), then you don't need to have a basket or a block in your day.

 

Cindy talks about MT starting in her house by her grouping together and putting first the things she said she wanted but never happened. That's the essence. 

 

Here's a few things I've written about Circle Time for us over the years:

 

Our Homeschool Year: Circle Time (aka Morning Time)

 

How to Start Circle Time

 

Circle Time: Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real, Exhausting