Morning basket planning can be exhausting especially during the winter. With so many subjects and activities to find, looking for resources for your family’s next morning basket theme is not always at the top of the priority list. As a homeschool mama, with twin preschoolers and a kindergartner, planning morning basket time is something I love to do. Here are a few of our winter morning basket ideas and some of the activities and resources we love to incorporate into our morning basket themes.

1. Martin Luther King Jr.

With MLK day coming on January 16th, it is the perfect month to learn about this important American hero. As preschoolers and Kindergartners, there are so many resources that teach about Martin Luther King Jr. and the impact he had on America. Here are a few resources you could use in your morning basket theme.

1. Sesame Street MLK Jr. Episode
2. Martin Luther King by Brad Meltzer
3. Robin Hill School Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Margaret McNamara
4. My Daddy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Martin Luther King III
5. Analyze Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech together (age appropriate questioning)

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2. Arctic Animals

This is one of my kiddos favorite topics for morning basket time. Last winter, when we did this topic their interest lasted long enough for us to do 3 full weeks. Here are some of our favorite activities with arctic animals.

1. A trip to the zoo to see real arctic animals
2. All the books we can find at the library
3. Choosing a few animals and pretending to be them
4. Laying out blankets on the floor and pretending to be polar bears on ice
5. Snow sensory bins with arctic animal toys
6. Wild Kratts arctic animal episodes

3. Snowflakes

My littles love snow. My favorite video of the twins, was when they saw their first snow at 2 and understood what it was. “No! No!” They yelled with glee. Snowflakes are a fascinating topic for littles and incite a lot of wonder. Here are a few ideas we did together. 

1. Cut paper snowflakes
2. Read Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Martin
3. Find a book of snowflake pictures to study the different shapes
4. Go outside while it is snowing and catch snowflakes (use black construction paper to get a good look)
5. Make snowflake themed food, read about snowflake quesadillas here.

4. Snowmen

Nothing beats rolling up a snowman! But planning a morning basket all about snowmen comes in a close second. There are so many activities to consider when planning a snowman morning basket theme. Download my free morning basket planner to help you gather the ideas for this, or any other theme you might want to plan. 

Here are some ideas for snowmen morning basket activities linked in my Pinterest profile. Follow the board for more ideas.

5. Aurora Borealis

My daughter loves all things space and stars. Aurora Borealis is actually a morning basket that we are planning for this January in our own home. I can’t wait to test out some of these ideas with her. Here are a few of the things on my morning basket planner right now. 

1. Making a poster that answers the question “What are the northern lights?” together. We will use some resources like this article on Highlights. 
2. Visiting NASA’s site to see what the astronauts have to say.
3. Use the books added to my Morning Basket Ideas board on Pinterest. Check out the Northern Lights section here. 
4. Watch a video of the northern lights. I wish we could go and see them, but this great YouTube video will just have to do for now. But someday!

6. Inventions!

January 17th is Kid Inventor Appreciation Day and this STEM crazy mama is here for it! My kiddos love to tinker, build, and invent. So January this year is going to be all about inventions. Here are a few of the books that will be in our basket routine for this theme. 

1. What do you do with a problem? By Kobi Yamada
2. What do you do with an idea? By Kobi Yamada
3. Have you Thanked an Inventor Today? By Patrice McLaurin

 

7. Peanuts

January is about all things peanuts! Consider making your own peanut recipes, reading about George Washington Carver, or learning more about peanuts during the month of January. 

• - 24th is National Peanut Butter Day
• - 26th is National Peanut Brittle Day

 

8. Winter Holidays

Winter has many holidays that can be celebrated and observed during the months of January, February, and March. Each of those listed below and many others are a wonderful opportunity for Morning Basket themes. What holidays in those months aren’t listed below? Brainstorm a list and design your morning basket theme using my free Morning Basket planner. 

1. Valentine’s Day
2. Groundhog’s Day
3. St. Patrick’s Day

 

 

 

There are so many wonderful ideas for morning basket themes during the month of January. The 8 listed above are just a few. What are some morning basket themes you love to use with your homeschooled kiddos during winter? Be sure to share in the comments below.