After blogging about my new morning routine a couple weeks ago, I had quite a few people ask if I would continue to keep sharing the items that I am placing in my morning tubs. Since I just switched to our second round of tubs this week, I thought I would share our items and how it’s going.
In my first post HERE about Morning Tubs, I told you that I decided to keep each group at a tub for 3 days. With 6 tubs, I only have to rotate the activities in the tubs every 18 days. The 3 days at a tub also allows students that may come in late one day to still get a chance to do their tub another day. My students complete their Morning Work at their desks. Then, they may go to their Morning Tub.
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I filled my first tub with popsicle sticks. I gave the students the freedom to use these as they wished. Some have been using them to make tally marks, some have built houses with them, and others have been making their names. I love seeing the creativity of children.
Our second tub is a writing activity. I printed these picture cards with pictures that I had purchased from Shutterstock a couple years ago for my Picture Perfect Writing packet. I placed them on a ring to use for writing ideas. I put these pictures in the tub along with writing paper. I am shocked by how much they love this tub. You could easily find old pictures in magazines to use for this tub.
My next tub is filled with pattern blocks. The students always love using pattern blocks to make designs.
The next tub was kind of a last minute idea. I had some extra rolls of yarn in a cabinet that I knew I wouldn’t use anytime soon. I put these into a tub and am letting the students use it as they wish.
Some have cut out shapes. Some have glued pieces of yarn onto paper to make pictures. One group decided to make a spaghetti dinner. Even though it was a cute idea, it was messy. This tub definitely does not look neat and organized now, like it did in the picture above.
My fifth tub has geoboards and rubber bands in it, which the students love.
My last tub consists of foam 3D shapes that came with our math series. I thought this would be a great way to let them explore with these before we actually use them in lessons.
It’s another great rotation of Morning Tubs. I will come back to share our next round with you in a couple of weeks. Are you using Morning Tubs? I’d love to hear your ideas as well 🙂
Where did you get the tubs?
Lakeshore Learning
Thank you for sharing your ideas. I have colored popsicle sticks to use !
I love colored popsicles sticks. Color makes everything better 🙂
I started using the morning tubs this year too! It’s for my early finishers of their morning work. I also use them for my early finishers in art class too! I have used your ideas of n pattern blocks, play dough, popsicle sticks. Also I have used pattern block templates and paper, snap cubes, base 10 blocks, magnetic letters and cookie sheets. Other ideas I have are using the lace cards, dominoes and decks of cards. Thank you for this great idea! !!
Great ideas!
Ditto above… you can even add a ping pong ball to a small stash of blocks of any kind and kiddos build a maze to blow the ball from start to end of their maze design… keep the ball but change out blocks (wooden, lego, mega blocks, cubes, etc)… thanks for sharing out guys… Pinterest is so much fun
I am using the morning baskets. Some favorites are plastic animals, Bunny Hop, ABC stamps, and nature Basket full of leaves, acorns, rocks, etc along with magnifying glasses), giant floor puzzlez
Love your ideas!!
I LOVE those ideas!!! I may have to borrow a couple 🙂
I need to find those wooden shape blocks…I know I have them, somewhere….
Make that a Morning Tub activity…find the blocks. Lol!
I teach second grade and tried morning tubs the other day. We did LEGOS, logic puzzles, play-doh, adult-like coloring pages, and using sticks to create pictures or structures (I found it at Target). The kids loved it!
I love the idea of adult-like coloring pages. I’m sure I have some that would love that!
As a first year Kinder teacher, I began to use morning tubs two weeks ago when I read Round I of your posts. The students love it and so do I. It beats having to check 20 papers every morning when students are constantly trickling in the classroom first thing in the morning at different times. I have used pattern blocks, puzzles, play-doh, links, magnetic letters, and coloring books. I will be adding other manipulatives as the year progresses and my collection grows!! Thanks for the ideas!!
Awesome! I’m so glad it’s working so well.
Thank you for the inspiration. I started this year after morning work (thanks for his idea too). I love it. Kids are so creative and cooperative play. I have decided after doing attendance and whatever little morning business, I sit with one tub. It is such a fantastic interaction. I ask what the kids are doing. If I can join. I build or play along with them. One group we got into a challenge of building the tallest football goal post and who can make it stand the longest. One kid built in two stands on the bottom. But then he explained it wouldn’t stand so he added two more.
Thx again. This is really making my morning.
My earlier comment had the incorrect email.
I ❤️❤️❤️this! I am starting next year with morning tubs!
I found a great idea to keep my yarn a little neater. Empty Pringles cans with a hole in the top makes it easier for kiddos to use it and they fit great in my tubs!
Such an awesome idea! Thanks for sharing 🙂
How long do your students spend at the Morning Tubs? I’m going to teach K next year and this will be perfect for exploring manipulatives and adding some fine motor time.
My students start coming into the room at 8:00. They complete a quick morning work review sheet, which takes maybe 5 minutes. We clean up tubs at 8:30.
I have been using morning tubs for years. Our favorite are my junk boxes. These are filled with small items, pom-poms – mini erasers, nuts and bolts, (many items from my garage – plastic items as well), washers, buttons, plastic money, trinkets, just about anything. Then I place small paper cups (or ketchup cups) with cid chopsticks, or plastic tweezers and they sort everything. A FAVORITE in my classroom.
I love that idea. I am always amazed at their creativity when they are given what we would consider “junk.”
Do you also use centers in your room and if so do you have different items for centers?
I still do centers, but I use other items. The Morning Tubs are more of a “free play” type of thing where my centers are more reading/phonics based.