Our 2026-2027 Homeschool Morning Basket

Every year one of my favorite parts of homeschool planning is putting together our morning basket. It’s my favorite way to begin our mornings together before we move onto independent work, math lessons, country studies, and everything else.

This coming school year we’re trying a few brand new resources alongside several favorites that have become part of our homeschool rhythm over the years. Here’s a look at what we’ll be using in our 2026–2027 homeschool morning basket this fall.

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Poetry

We usually begin our morning basket time with poetry. Over the past few years, we’ve especially loved using Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year and A Journey Through Time in Verse and Rhyme as part of our homeschool mornings.

This year, though, we’re adding two new selections to our basket.

Throughout the week, we’ll be reading from Favorite Poems of Childhood from Dover Children’s Thrift Classics, along with The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies on Fridays to tie in with our nature study theme for the year.

I’ve found that poetry works best for us when it’s short, consistent, and enjoyable rather than overly academic. Sometimes we discuss the poems, sometimes we use them for copywork, and sometimes we simply enjoy reading them together. I’ve also found poems to be a great way to practice spelling, and both my girls actually look forward to the “spelling quiz” I throw at them after reading the poem.

Virtue

We’ll continue using The Virtues Project Educator Cards alongside our Global Explorers country studies.

We’ve had a lot of success pairing our virtue discussions with the folk tales, biographies, and cultural stories we’re already reading together throughout the week. It helps our conversations feel natural rather than forced, and it gives us opportunities to talk about the different character virtues in ways that are relatable.

Vocabulary

We’ve actually never included vocabulary in our morning basket before, so this will be something brand new for us this year.

I recently came across Word Teasers, and it looks like a simple, yet fun way to learn new words together. One thing I especially appreciate is that there are multiple levels available, which makes it easy to choose an option that fits your family and the ages of your children.

Journaling

We haven’t always been as consistent with journaling as I’d like to be, but here lately we’ve gotten into a pretty good rhythm. My kids are currently using Big Life Journal. When they finish with their current version, I plan on purchasing them both the Big Life Journal – Growth Mindset & Gratitude Journal for Teens and Tweens.

Number Talk

We’re continuing with number talks as part of our morning basket this year, too. We’ll be using Adsumudi: Wild Ones for our daily math discussions and challenges.

Sometimes we work through the problems separately and then share our solutions afterward, while other times we turn it into a friendly competition to see who can use the most numbers to reach the target or who can come up with the most creative strategy.

If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you probably already know how much I love number talks. They’ve been one of my favorite ways to help my kids become more confident and creative with numbers.

STEM Scavenger Hunt

We’ll also continue using the Chalk and Chuckles STEM Scavenger Hunt activity since it was such a success for us last year. It’s been a really fun way to help my kids become more familiar with different science terms and vocabulary.

One of my children flicks the spinner on the top of the container, and once it lands on a color, another child randomly chooses a matching stick. Together, they work on solving the scavenger hunt puzzle.

I love that each stick also includes a hidden clue that can be revealed through friction by rubbing your finger across it quickly. The back of the stick contains the answer along with a short explanation. It’s honestly such a neat activity for reviewing scientific knowledge!

Music Appreciation

I’m planning on using Music Appreciation for the Middle Grades from Zeezok Publishing alongside the Opal Wheeler composer biographies my children have already loved over the years.

Since we’ll be focusing heavily on Europe this coming school year, it felt like the perfect time to spend more intentional time studying composers and classical music together.

This will definitely be a splurge item for us, and I’m still not 100% certain yet, but right now I think it’s something my kids will really enjoy over the coming school year.

In addition to our daily morning basket items, we also rotate through a simple themed loop schedule throughout the week.

Map It Monday: U.S. Geography

Although our main geography focus this year will be Europe, I still wanted to intentionally include a little U.S. geography and nature study throughout our homeschool week.

Since my youngest will be a fourth grader this year and eligible to receive a free National Parks pass through the Every Kid Outdoors program, I thought it would be fun to read through 50 True Tales From Our Great National Parks.

Hopefully we’ll be able to take advantage of the pass for a few family adventures this year, too!

Thinking Tuesday: Logic

For logic and critical thinking, we’ll be reading The Codebreakers Club and playing Cat Crimes. We all love games and puzzles, so our Thinking Tuesday theme should be fun!

Writing Wednesday: Creative Writing

Creative writing this year will look a little different for each child. For middle school, we’ll be using The Usborne Creative Writing Book, while my younger child will work through DK’s Write Your Own Book.

Thoughtful Thursday: Philosophy

One of the additions I’m most excited about this year is philosophy! I know not everyone feels quite as enthusiastic as I do about the idea of philosophy, but since we’ll be spending so much time studying Europe this year and learning about some of the world’s famous philosophers, it felt like the perfect opportunity to explore some of these bigger ideas together.

I selected Big Ideas for Curious Minds: An Introduction to Philosophy, and so far I’ve been really impressed with it. I honestly can’t wait to explore this book alongside my children. The publisher also has a set of cards I’m eyeing, but I think we’ll start with the book and see how it goes.

Floral Friday: Nature Study

We’ve taken a bit of a break from nature study over the past couple of years, so I’m really excited to return to it this year. My girls chose flowers as our nature study theme.

We’ll be pairing The Burgess Book of Flowers with Dover’s Favorite Wildflowers Coloring Book and The Complete Book of Flower Fairies throughout the year.

And, of course, for a little more hands-on fun and outdoor exploration, we’ll also be using Make Every Week Wild: 52 Creative Activities for Outdoor Adventures for nature study ideas and seasonal outdoor activities to help encourage us to get outside regularly and pay closer attention to the world around us.

Do you also use a homeschool morning basket? I’d love to hear what subjects, books, and resources have been especially successful for your family over the years!