I wanted to find something that would bring new energy to our new homeschool year, which typically begins after Ramadan.
However this season has been a little slow to get started. More than slow actually, Ramadan ended more than 2 months ago.
Perhaps we needed that time to help us make things different.
I've seen our homeschool efforts have been a little stale for some time, and I knew we needed to make quite a few changes to bring back a sense of excitement and zeal we've lost.
One of our changes, is the introduction of a "Morning Time Basket".
As I contemplated starting this, I wasn't sure if my children would be a little old. When I've seen other home-schooling families online who implement something like this, they seem to be younger, so I thought perhaps I'd missed the boat on this little home-school practice.
However, I decided to give it a try with my version of one, and I'm so glad that I did alhamdulillah.
On Sunday night, whilst the children were in bed, I prepared a Morning Time Basket surprise for the next day, laying everything out on the table waiting to be discovered after the sun rose.
It was filled with new gel pens, new washi tape, super cute little scrapbooks, and books we would use to study an ayah of the Qur'an each day.
Our use of the Morning Time Basket concept
I've taken it as an opportunity to spend some time together learning and reflecting upon the meaning of the Qur'an.
It has truly been joyous this week, and has served as a gentle transition from sleep and relaxation into the hustle of our homeschool day.
We're going through an ayah each day (since we're begining with the short Suwah from Juz Amma), reading, discussing and recording in our note-books.
Along with the notebooks, washi tape and gel pens, these are the books in the basket we're currently using.
The Word for Word Qur'an is an excellent resource, because it breaks down the ayat by word for word translated meaning.
Not only that, but each of the words are colour coded to indicate if it's a Name or Attribute of Allah, and different parts of speech (noun, verb, prepositions and compound words).
So if you're working on learning Arabic and grammar, this would be a useful addition to your bookshelf.
How to start a Morning Time routine
Typically when you look at a morning time routine or morning basket in most homeschools online, it tends to consist of read-alouds, memory games, recording the weather, maybe doing some number or alphabet drills etc.
Even if you're not a home educator, this is still a lovely activity to do as a family during the weekend or after school.
Depending on the age of your children, you might want to develop a fun routine which may include:
- Read-alouds
- An ayah a day, or a week
- Hadith of the week
- Recording the weather
- Fun learning games or puzzles
- Days of the week, Months of the year drills / rhymes
- Exercise
- A drawing activity
- Free-writing
- Journaling
- A family meeting
- A positive character trait or moral to practice
- Hand-lettering art / caligraphy
You could also give each day a different theme to base your read alouds, fun activities and games around, such as:
- Monday - Science
- Tuesday - Art
- Wednesday - Poetry
- Thursday - Fun Maths
- Friday - Journaling
A weekly theme could also be incorporated so that each day links together, such as:
- Space
- Animals
- A period of History
- The body
- A country
- A specific Geographical feature
- Inventions
- The life cycle
- The water cycle
- Recycling
- Community
Selaam 3alaikum wa rahmatuAllahi wa barakatu ukht, i would like to know were i can buy the book "The light of the Qoran". My Allaah Subhannahu wa ta'ala grant you and you're family the best fi dunya wal akirah. Ameen
ReplyDeleteWa alaikum asalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu,
DeleteYou should be able to get it in any Authentic Bookstore near you or online inshaAllah
Mash'Allah This is so cool! Insha'allah I will try this, i even have the word for word mines isnt color coded but it still brings benefit overall. Great post, May Allah increase you with good
ReplyDeleteYes absolutely even the non colour coded word for words are a hugely helpful tool alhamdulillah.
DeleteYour morning basket is beautiful masha Allah. I just wanted to ask where you got that tray with the washi tape and pens from? I want one too lol!
ReplyDeleteYour children’s work is so nice Masha Allah. My son is almost 6, but doesn’t like writing at all and can barely write words, let alone sentences. Any idea how to adapt this activity to his age?
The tray with the washi tape and pens is actually a bathroom tray I picked up in BM Stores (UK) for I think £1.99 - but when I got home realised I don't have anywhere suitable to put it in the bathroom (when I bought it, I had planned on putting on top of a cabinet I have - but its near the toilet...I didn't like the idea of invisible toilet spray near the toothbrushes!
DeleteSo anyway, decided it could be used for special pens that only come out during official "homeschool" time
I found this post beneficial. JazaakAllah khayr.
ReplyDeleteWa iyyak.
DeleteAlhamdulillah
MashaAllah sister you have an awesome morning routine BarakAllah. I request to you all sisters plz make duaa for me that Allah Almighty grant me knowledge that is beneficial for me. JazakAllah
ReplyDeleteAllahumma barik alayhi ya habibti, this is a very creative spin on the morning routine alhamdulillah. I will be adding this to my ideas bucket for implementation in shaa'Allah. I love the suggestions for read-aloud text using Tafsir and accompanying activity for writing out the Arabic. BarakAllahu Feekum. May your endeavours remain successful Allahumma Aameen
ReplyDeleteAllahoemma baarik laki very beautifull, may Allah reward you.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to ask you were do i get those scrapbooks and black stickers?
The scrapbooks I purchased from the Works (UK) but you can get them in most craft stores.
DeleteThe black labels are die-cuts from the Big Shot machine