Blog

Morning Time With High Schoolers

Morning Time has been an important and valuable part of our homeschool for many years.

I need to confess something, though - a successful Morning Time hasn’t always been easy.

There were seasons when it was just hard to keep my children engaged in something TOGETHER for even 30 minutes at the start of the day. Or, there were seasons when I didn’t have the motivation to get up each morning and have an effective Morning Time.

Now, let’s add teen homeschoolers to the mix, and Morning Time was sometimes elusive.

As we are nearing the end of our home education journey, however, I can say with confidence that Morning Time has been the single most important component of our homeschool. It has helped keep the wonder alive.

Morning Time With Homeschoolers: an anchor for relationship, routine, and beauty in the #homeschool years

Let’s reframe Morning Time. It isn’t something “extra”. It is a consistent part of our homeschool - just as consistent as math, reading, and all the other things we require our children to know.

Morning Time is a set-aside time at the beginning of each day for us to focus our hearts on God, each other, and a shared learning experience. Sometimes that shared experience might be a read-aloud. Other times it might be listening to music or doing picture study.

That’s the beauty of it, really - you can designate a time each day to focus on things that are of importance to your family.

And, as our children enter high school, they need this time EVEN MORE! (If they tell you they don’t need it, gently exercise your role as the teacher to encourage their attendance.)

Why Is Morning Time Important For High Schoolers?

Despite their increasing independence and natural pulling away from the rest of the family, our teens still long to be connected with others.

Morning Time sets the tone for their day. It demonstrates to them that we still value their input and companionship. That time at the beginning of the day allows us to check in with our teen and feel the pulse of their life.

Schoolwork in the high school years can become more formal and serious, and I believe our teens still enjoy more child-like things (like a silly read-aloud, thumbprint art, or simple math games) that really have a place during Morning Time.

Morning Time for #Homeschool High Schoolers

How to Make Morning Time Successful With High Schoolers

No child (teen or otherwise) is perfectly compliant. Your high schooler may not be on board with a Morning Time (ask me how I know), so you might have to use some strategies to entice them to join you.

Even if you do have a child who is very willing and compliant, these tips are still helpful:

  • Designate the SAME TIME each morning. All ages of children crave routine and consistency.

  • Create an inviting environment - include favorite foods and comfy pillows and blankets.

  • Give your teens a sense of ownership - let them lead the devotion or decide on a specific activity for your Morning Time.

  • If you have younger children as well, allow your teen to participate in part of Morning Time, and then excuse them so they can begin their schoolwork.

  • If early morning doesn’t work well, find a time that does! Maybe you want to have lunch learning time instead. Just because the buzz words are “Morning Time” doesn’t mean it has to be in the morning!

Morning Time with High Schoolers: an anchor for relationship, routine and beauty in the high school years

What Our Morning Time With A High Schooler Looks Like

This year I am so fortunate to have my husband participating very actively in our homeschool. He joins us for Morning Time, and that has made it a very natural thing for my 16-year-old son. It’s actually an “extended breakfast time” in our house.

A typical Morning Time looks like this:

  • We gather around 8 a.m. with breakfast — my husband is a breakfast cooker, so many days we have a warm breakfast to enjoy during our Morning Time.

  • Devotions are read first - we’ve been using Portals of Prayer for years. I love that it aligns with our faith and has a theme each month.

  • Next, we watch World Watch News - this is new for us this year and we are all LOVING it. It is a 10-minute daily news program from a Christian worldview. The news stories, however, are told without political bias.

  • A read-aloud comes next. (I’ll give a list of books we have enjoyed in the resources section of this post)

  • As we are cleaning up I usually play the piece from the SQUILT listening calendar for the day - because when your mom is the curriculum author that is just what you do!

Morning Time has been something I look forward to each day. I find us joking about something from our read-aloud during the day, or referencing something from the devotion or news program.

The shared learning experiences are of tremendous value to my teen. They are of tremendous value to us as a family.

Ideas for Morning Time with High Schoolers

You don’t need fancy plans or a curriculum. I suggest just a few things (maximum of 3-4) you can share to start your day.

There have been times when I try to coordinate a bit with our curriculum (read alouds in particular), but sometimes what we are doing in Morning Time is completely separate from the curriculum.

Consistency is the key. Including things of beauty is necessary.

Lots of love is always required.

Be creative with your Morning Time. Does your teen have ideas for what to include?


20 Read Alouds for High Schoolers

We’ve read each of these books and I can recommend them without reservation.

Some are classics. Some are humorous. Some are poignant.

I believe it is good to have a variety of books in our read-aloud repertoire. We have wonderful memories of silly voices done in Huckleberry Finn and Pride and Prejudice (we did what it took reading that one with a teen boy!). We have shed a tear or two during books by Michael Morpurgo. And, we’ve had excellent family discussions after reading The Chosen.

Do you have a Morning Time with your High Schooler?

Tell me about it in the comments below.

Morning Time with High Schoolers: an anchor for relationship, routine, and beauty in the teen #homeschool years.

Creating a Fall Leaf Collection For All Ages

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." Albert Camus

The month of September always excites me for fall - even though I live in the south and it still feels like summer!

Leaf collections are a great way to celebrate fall and fit in some fun nature study. There are a variety of ways you can do leaf collections tailored for different ages and learning styles.

As you collect the leaves you can learn more about the trees they come from, different types of leaves, and other plant identification. You can go in-depth or keep it simple. 

(That’s the beauty of homeschooling, right?)

Let’s talk about creating a leaf collection - for all ages. I will give you resources for the identification, storage - and even artistic presentation - of leaves. And of course there will be some book suggestions (and maybe even a little music) thrown in!

Creating a Fall Leaf Collection for All Ages #homeschool #naturestudy

You can do a leaf collection in other seasons, but I love doing them in fall because of the beautiful fall colors. It doesn’t hurt that the temperatures are a bit cooler, making collecting them more pleasant.

Resources and Tips for Leaf Collection

We love using Peterson’s First Guide to Trees to help us with our leaf identifications. It is easy to use and not overwhelming. (If you have older children and want something more thorough you can get the full guide for your area.)

*Tip: Collect them after they turn color but before they begin drying out for the best results.*

Collecting the Leaves

The first step in any type of leaf collection is finding leaves. If you want to keep it simple and small for young children, you can simply take a walk outside of your home and see what leaves are available. For a more robust collection, find a few different trails or parks in your area and see how many different types of leaves you can find.

It can be a great learning opportunity for older students to see how the location of the park or trail affects the types of trees you locate.

Physical Leaf Collection

This is a great way to let your children’s creativity shine! How would THEY like to collect leaves? You can give them some examples you find online and then let them choose.

  • Collect leaves from various trees.

  • Decide how to store the leaves. (You can use a scrapbook for a more formal collection, or create a leaf collection book with card stock and a three-ring binder.)

  • Place each leaf in the book using glue or adhesive. (We have found that the adhesive used for scrapbooks works well.)

  • Use a tree identification guide to identify and label each leaf. For younger children, you may just want a basic identification such as maple or oak. For older children, you can get more specific, organize by classification, or possibly add other information about the tree to your book. (Age and size are often favorites)

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” Emily Bronte

Digital Leaf Collection

Some older students may feel that they are ‘too old’ for a leaf collection, but turning it into a digital project is a great way to make it interesting for them. Instead of collecting physical leaves, they can use photographs to make their collection.

  • Take a walk and use a phone or digital camera to capture images of different leaves and the trees that they come from.

  • Upload the photos into a presentation program. (I recommend either PowerPoint or Canva for the presentation program, but you can use any program that your student is comfortable using. Canva is a free online program that only charges for premium features that you will not need for this project. )

  • Create a slide/page for each leaf and upload the picture.

  • Add information about the leaf and the tree. Students can also put the location where the tree was found.

  • If you want to work on public speaking, you could have your student present their final project to the family.

Artistic Leaf Collection Variations

For an artistic student, it may be more enjoyable to do an art-based leaf collection.

You could start in the same way with collecting and identifying leaves, but instead of putting the actual leaf into the collection, they can do a painting or drawing of the leaf. Your highest achievers may want to create their own field guide entry like James Audubon.

Creating a Fall Leaf Collection for All Ages #homeschool #naturestudy
Creating a Fall Leaf Collection for All Ages #homeschool #naturestudy

Younger students could even do leaf prints by dipping the leaf into paint and then pressing them onto paper. This can be a great chance to explore textures and shapes.

Creating a Fall Leaf Collection for All Ages #homeschool #naturestudy

Overall, leaf collections can be a fun way to learn more about nature, get active outside, and work on art or photography skills. You can tailor the project to your specific child’s age, ability, and interest. You can even work on it together as a family.

Some of our fondest family memories happen as we talk walks outside or go for hikes on local trails.

As you create your leaf collections, remember that the process and experience are more important than the final project! 


Add Music for The Fall

As your children are organizing their leaves and being artistic with their leaf collections, why not play some music to add to your study?

Mary has a great playlist over at SQUILT Music - A Classical Playlist for Fall.

Books About Leaves

Finally, here are some books to assist in your fall leaf collecting and storytelling - because everything is always better with books!


 What style of leaf collection do you think your students would most enjoy?

Have you ever done a leaf collection? 


dawn.jpeg

Dawn is a passionate follower of Jesus, wife to Chris, and homeschool mom of four. In her spare time she loves to read, hike, and write on her blog Schoolin’ Swag. She enjoys reviewing curriculum and helping moms find the right fit for their family. Some of her favorite parts of homeschooling are hymn studies, living history, and read alouds. She and her children also enjoy incorporating food into their studies as often as possible.



You might also like:

Favorite Fall Activities for Kids

Favorite Picture Books for Fall