MORNING COLLECTIVEBY JODI MOCKABEE

We experience two parts to our day that sum up the heart and vision of our homeschool. In the morning, we gather together as a group to take part in what the children have labeled our “Morning Collective.” In the afternoon, the older children come together at the table to participate in our daily notebooking practice (which is covered in the Wild + Free SIBLINGS bundle from March). Even though our days are flexible and always adapting to different needs, our Morning Collective remains a priority because of the spiritual, mental, and emotional stimulation it brings to our family.

In the past year, we have learned to take advantage of slow mornings, because we can! I generally run or swim first thing in the morning, and my early risers like to start on some of their table work while I’m gone. Everett especially has asked me to lay out anything

he can do independently, as he chooses to finish it as soon as possible. I set the children’s work (typically just math and cursive copy work on their workspace the night before and it’s their choice as to when they finish it throughout the day).

Upon my return, the children get dressed and work together to make breakfast. Since we now have a schoolroom (yay!), we leave the mess downstairs and then head up to the loft to participate in our Morning Collective time.

I set out a stack of books the night prior that I plan on reading through. We first start with a Bible story from both the Old and New Testament. We use the Egermeier’s Bible Story Book, as it has wonderful vintage-style illustrations and does a fine job at recapping Bible stories.

The two older boys use their Bibles to then read aloud from the passage that was covered in the story. Here we discuss the differences and similarities of the true Bible and the Bible Story book. My hope is that this teaches them how to dig into the Word and to cross reference information; it also helps with oral reading. We discuss the story for the day and the scripture we read as a group. Sometimes there are profound conversations and sometimes there are not, and we just move on to prayer.

We talk about people we have committed to pray for as well as take any prayer requests. The children are all expected to pray and choose what they would like to pray about. A few days a week, we turn on some worship music and journal, or the children have the option of worshipping by dancing or waving flags. This is the time that helps cultivate their personal relationship with the Lord, rather than me just informing them of who God is. There has been some beautiful fruit as a result of

this time, but there also has been typical child-like journaling and actions. It’s okay, it’s something we work on together to learn how to hear God’s voice and responding to him in worship and adoration. On the days we don’t worship and journal, we read through a book about a martyr, missionary or any hero of faith.

We then go through our memory work for the week. This is either a hymn or a poem, as well as a Bible verse, which is each repeated about 3-5 times. This year, we are starting by introducing basic Spanish words through simple flash cards and are memorizing one new word per day. We follow our memory work by discussing the season we are in as well as the month and day. We read either a poem or a story from one of our seasonal or holiday books. At this point everyone grabs some sort of busy handwork and I begin reading aloud. The toddlers tend to go between handwork, drawing, and looking at books, while the older children are more focused on their handwork.

Our pattern for read alouds is usually one chapter of a nature-based book, one chapter of a fantasy book, one chapter of a farming, survival, or historical book, and one chapter of a horse book as we are still working through the History of Horses block through Beautiful Feet. All books, aside from the block we work on, are influenced by the children’s interests.

Usually the children request more than one chapter of anything we read. Sometimes we spend that whole time reading one book. Other days, we work through all of them in short chapters. It just depends on the spirit of the household and whether I am personally enjoying the book! In the middle of this time we will take a slight break and have a snack and do some table work, which consists of spelling and math instruction for those who need it.

All together, our Morning Collective takes about two hours, including the time for a snack and table work. I prioritize this time much more than I do table work or our notebooking as it, by far, has yielded the most results regarding an understanding of life and purpose in general. This is the true heart of our homeschool as it is the reason why God led us to homeschool in the beginning.

OUR BOOK LIST

The following list of books contains titles we have read last year as well as books we are

currently working through at the time:

CHRISTIAN HEROES/BOOKS OF FAITH

Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula

Christian Heroes Series by Janet and Geoff Benge

The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

The Ology by Marty Machowski

SEASONAL/MONTHLY POEMS

Out and About: A First Book of Poems by Shirley Hughes

Holiday Stew by Jennie Whitehead

A Child’s Book of Poems by Gyo Fujikawa

Around the Year by Elsa Beskow

A Child’s Calendar by John Updike

Linnea’s Almanac by Christina Bjork & Lena Anderson

Read Aloud Poems for Young People edited by Glorya Hale

Around the Year by Tasha Tudor

A Time to Keep by Tasha Tudor

NATURE-BASED BOOKS

Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock

Among the People Series by Clara Dillingham

Parables from Nature by Mrs. Alfred Gatty

Wild Animals I Have Known by Ernest Thompson Seton

The Burgess Animal Book for Children,

Burgess Seashore Book,

The Burgess Bird Book, by Thornton Burgess

Secrets of the Woods by William J Long

FANTASY

Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Stuart Little, Trumpet of the Swan, Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White

The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden

The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary

Mr. Popper’s Penguins, by Richard Atwater

Along Came a Dog and The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong

Roald Dahl anything!

FARMING / HISTORICAL / SURVIVAL GENRE

Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Fairchild Family Stories by Rebecca Caudill

Little Britches Series, by Ralph Moody

Anything G.A. Henty (for older children, 10+)

Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin

This Country of Ours, Our Island Story by H.E. Marshall

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney

Woods Runner, by Gary Paulsen

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

HORSE STORIES

All Marguerite Henry books

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

The Black Stallion by Walter Farley

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jodi Mockabee is the wife to an exceptionally patient husband and a mother to five young and active children. Her family journal, Mockabee Seven, has become a place to share and encourage mothers through Christ-led parenting, health and wellness, and to also capture the quasi-homeschooling, adventure-seeking lifestyle that they lead. Jodi is learning daily how to submit her heart to Christ, which has been a task in itself, but with a good latte and some chocolate, she is learning obedience is certainly the start of His greatest plan for her and her family.

@jodimockabee