I know I CANNOT be the only one who has difficult mornings with a toddler. That is why I absolutely love morning baskets. They fill the gap between our breakfast time and our ‘let’s get going’ part of the day. If I am unprepared, housework doesn’t get done or Hurricane Evie sweeps through the living room. The morning basket helps keep Evie entertained and in place for at least 30 minutes. This month is Space Month, and I am excited to create a space-themed morning basket to introduce our new topic. Let’s dive in!
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Language:
The first and most important (or at least I would argue it is) element to my space-themed morning basket is books! Reading to young children is so important. It helps improve communication skills and cognitive development. This morning basket has three books; however, you can include (or exclude) any book you would like. The books I included are
- On the Launch Pad: A Counting Book About Rockets by Michael Dahl
- A Smithsonian Kids book: A is for Astronaut
- Rylee The Young Rocketeer by JoAnn M. Dickinson
These books cover all my high points, letters, numbers, and adventures. I love reading for knowledge but sometimes the best part of a book is jumping into a story and experiencing it with a character. That’s what Rylee the Young Rocketeer does. It invites children on an adventure through space.
Be on the lookout for some themed activities based on this book because I love it that much!
Sensory:
Sensory bottles are hit or miss for me. Sometimes they are wonderful. Sometimes they are a flop. However, as a former preschool teacher, I know the positive effect sensory bottles can have on children, especially if they are overstimulated. This simple sensory bottle includes mineral oil, purple paint, and star glitter. As a money-saving option, I opted for a used plastic bottle that we had lying around. It works perfectly.
If you use a sensory bottle in your morning basket, please supervise your child. Speaking from experience, one day they can’t open a bottle, and the next they can. A paint mess would be the least of your worries!
Math:
Another addition to our space theme morning basket is the concentric puzzle I lovingly call Saturn’s Rings. It is included in my ‘lesson plan’ for our planet-themed week! If you want to find more Planet-themed activities this is your post!
Art:
I love including art options in the morning basket, especially when it involves coloring! On some blank photo paper, I wrote the names of every planet in our solar system. As your child explores the solar system, they can ‘take pictures’ of each planet they visit by drawing a picture!
Circle Time:
The last component of my space-themed morning basket is my circle time folder. I have decided to use our morning basket as an introductory activity for our lessons. Since it is an introduction to the main event, I plan on being an active participant while Evie is doing her activities, for at least the circle time portion.
In our circle time folder, I have vocabulary words, our letter of the week, the shape of the week, the color of the week, the number of the week, and tracing practice papers.
It was super easy to put together, I just printed out the papers, put them in a sheet protector, and put them in a folder. DONE!
Want to join in on the fun? Here is a link to the tracing shapes and lines activity and here are my weekly topics for the planet week.
What do you think about this morning basket? Did you and your child enjoy this themed activity? Let me know in the comments! Just a quick reminder, all children develop at their own unique pace. If you are concerned about developmental delays, it is best to seek advice from your child’s doctor. These activities are designed to be done with a parent. Please supervise your child while these activities are being done!
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