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What Works for Us: Morning Exercises

Every morning, at the start of our homeschool (9:00 am?), all school-aged children gather for morning exercises, possibly one of the most valuable parts of our routine.  It serves many functions and in a very short amount of time.  

During morning exercises, we:
   * gather together and set the tone for our day's work
   * listen to, recite, and sing poetry
   * play games to review math concepts
   * move our bodies!

This is how the routine goes.  I used to start by ringing a bell but ... our bell broke.  So, now I sing a song to gather the children to the rug.  One child will light our homeschool candle and say a prayer to open the day.  Then, each child stands up and recites a verse (the same one every day for at least a month), after which I read from A Child's Garden of Verses (a different poem every day).  On Friday, the kids pick their favorite poem from the week to hear again.  

The middle part of morning exercises is more free-form.  We will do any number of the following three things: 1) yoga or a short exercise video, 2) rhythm and counting activities with bean bags, and 3) short math games.  I want to warm up their minds and their bodies every day; sometimes only one activity will accomplish both.  Like playing grasshopper, a game in which the kids jump up or down the number line, represented by scattered cards.

After our games, we sing a hymn together and then split to our separate responsibilities: Soren goes to practice piano, Carl helps me set up for Kindergarten, and Ethan goes to play with his brother, Isaac.

Why do I like morning exercises so much?  I'm not sure.  It just seems to cram so much good work in a short space of time.  And the boys love it!  I'm surprised by how much they enjoy the poetry, gratified by how much Soren's hand-eye coordination has improved as a result of some of the exercises, and glad to have found such a pleasant way to review math concepts.

What does Sven do during this time?  Well, before morning exercises, I do a Circle Time alone with him and get him settled into Room Time.  This helps me remember to spend one-on-one time with him and keeps him happily occupied for the first hour of our homeschool day.
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