Once in a while I like to remind moms to “clear the coffee table.” What I mean is that you should clear off a space that is taken for granted in your house and put something out that is
•    surprising,
•    new,
•    novel,
•    or has been overlooked for a long time.

Perhaps there’s a bucket of Legos that has gathered dust in the basement. Bring it upstairs! Maybe you have a collection of art postcards that you have boxed away. Scatter those over the coffee table.

Here are other ideas:
•    poetry books,
•    deck of cards,
•    paintbrushes and watercolor paints,
•    new pencils,
•    note cards,
•    disposable camera,
•    birding field guide,
•    binoculars,
•    chess or checkers,
•    a mini white board and markers,
•    bean bags,
•    beads and wire to make bracelets,
•    assortment of shells and fossils,
•    teatime essentials (like mugs, teabags, a muffin mix. and poetry),
•    back issues of National Geographic from the library,
•    jacks,
•    a new DVD…

Any of these can spark a train of activity that leads to learning.

If you notice that the morning habits have become dull, “clear the coffee table” (or whatever space you can dedicate) and set out some new items to stimulate your kids (and yourself!).

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Julie Bogart is the author of The Brave Learner. She homeschooled her five children for seventeen years. Now she runs Brave Writer, the online writing and language arts program for families, and is the founder of The Homeschool Alliance and Poetry Teatime.