I Spy Sensory Tub Play - how to make your own I Spy Sensory tub for play. Use our FREE I Spy cards to help build maths rich vocabulary during play | you clever monkey
My little girl went back to preschool this week! She was super excited to see her friends, her teachers and just be back in the classroom. She’s one that loves school and that makes things so much easier! This month Michaels asked it’s makers to make something for the classroom and teachers and since our...
I Spy Sensory Tub Play - how to make your own I Spy Sensory tub for play. Use our FREE I Spy cards to help build maths rich vocabulary during play | you clever monkey
Morning Tubs (Ideas, Management, and More) 3 comments morning routine, morning tub ideas, morning tubs, morning work alternative, play, STEM materials I have been intrigued by the idea of morning tubs for the past few years. Starting the day with play based learning just seemed so developmentally perfect to me. However, it wasn't really a viable option for me until this year. And, let me tell you, they are the best. This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase through one of my links. For more information about my Disclosure Policy, please visit this link. This summer, I spent some time reading (and rereading) blog posts from The Brown Bag Teacher. I used her information and suggestions to formulate a morning tub system that works for me. I love that the kids start their day with a small chunk of time that lets them just be kids. They get time, right from the start, to interact and play. It's a great way to get that "out of their system" so they can focus on their learning. Morning Tubs Morning tubs are a hands-on alternative to morning work. Instead of completing a worksheet, or filling in an agenda, the kids are touching, creating, thinking, talking, sharing, and having a great time. Additionally, depending upon the kind of materials you put out, your students can work on their fine motor skills. Through play, they learn to problem solve and interact with their peers. It's a non-threatening way to ease into the day, which for some kids is huge. How I Manage Morning Tubs I have five table groups in my classroom. There are anywhere from 4 to 6 kids at a table group. Every day, each table group gets a new tub of materials. The students get 7 minutes to use the materials, and 2 minutes to clean them up and put them away. We have a few rules: No complaining about the materials in your bin. Work nicely: share materials, use kind words, and work together. Use the materials appropriately (no flicking or throwing materials across the room). The tubs can be used on the floor, so long as the whole group agrees. Use appropriate voice levels. Clean up within specified time. Here are a few more particulars: If a student doesn't like the materials at their table, they have the option of silent reading instead. While the tubs are in use, the students are expected to use "level 2" voices (table talk voices). If they are too loud, they could lose their tub. If a specific student is having a hard time sharing with the group, or being kind, they lose the privilege of using the materials the rest of the morning. When it's time to clean up, they must do so at a "level 0" (silence). If the class struggles with a quiet, and speedy, clean up they don't get morning tubs the following day. Voices aside, students are not allowed to throw materials into the tubs. They must place them into the tubs carefully, without making extra noise. The use of tubs has so many benefits, but ultimately, it is a privilege to get to use them. So, I do hold the students accountable. We have had days where the tubs were off limits so we could revisit expectations. How I Store Morning Tubs These are the 10 drawer rolling carts from Michaels. They are perfect for storing and presenting morning tub materials. The materials are placed in the drawers. Each morning, I remove a tray and place it at a table group. When it's time to clean up, the drawer is placed back into the cart. I numbered each drawer with vinyl numbers (see top photo). This helps me make sure that the drawers are placed back into the carts in the proper order. The square number tags are attached with velcro and are used to note which table group gets that particular tub of materials. Every day, the tubs go back into the rolling carts in numerical order (vinyl numbers) and the table group cards are moved to the next tub in the rotation. This means that the students get to use a variety of materials throughout the week and a few weeks will pass before they use the same tub again. This eliminates burnout and keeps the kids excited about the materials. What I Put in My Morning Tubs Anything I think the kids will love to use. I'm not picky, and neither are they. I have lots of building materials, as well as some materials that are meant to encourage imaginative thinking. Take a peek! Beads are perfect for fine motor development. Plus, they are fun. I use pony beads mixed with some animal beads. My kids use pipe cleaners to string the beads, but you could use lacing strings too! I also have some alphabet lacing letters. The kids love stringing together favorite words, especially their names. The drawer below the lacing letters features some felt pieces that I found at the Target Dollar Spot over the summer. I got some plain felt (off the bolt) from Hobby Lobby and cut it into 12x18 inch pieces. The large pieces of blue felt serve as a background, and are folded and stored at the bottom of the tub. The kids place the cute pieces from the Dollar Spot on the larger pieces of felt to build scenes. These plastic animals (and a few trees and fences) are a bigger hit with the kids than I thought they would be. They build scenes and engage in imaginative play. It makes my heart happy to see that. The drawer below the animals contains small tiles that the kids use to make words. I've had these for a while, and since they weren't seeing much action, I decided to put them in a tub. This Melissa and Doug building set is great. I found it on clearance at Target, but Amazon sells it as well. The kids work together to make all kinds of interesting creations. Plus, it's great for fine motor skills. Below the wooden building set are our snowflake blocks. These are lots of fun too! Currently the kids love building rainbow patterned wands. They often work together to make really long "trains" of blocks. These brain flakes (similar to the snowflake blocks) are fun and easy to use too. They are also great for fine motor skills while allowing students to be creative. I also put out snap cubes. These were some extra cubes I had on hand (left over from an old math program), so I put them in a tub. My students love using them to build tall towers, walls, and other creative structures. I saw these balance toys in the Target Dollar Spot over the summer, and decided to give them a try because the price couldn't be beat. I got two sets, and I'm glad I did. The kids really, really like them. You can find similar balance toys on Amazon. The dominoes are left over from when we used Everyday Math. They make for a great morning tub now! Finger puppets are a fun morning tub too. I was worried that my second graders would think they were too babyish, but I was wrong. They are perfect for imaginative play. The drawer below the puppets is filled with square tiles. Another math program "left over." The kids typically stack them or arrange them to make patterns or pictures. LEGOs...a no brainer. Kids love them. They build all sorts of things with them. I got mine at Walmart last year (Black Friday deal). Keep you eyes peeled for deals, they pop up around the holidays. Below the LEGOs are our building block bars. They're fun, colorful, and easy to use. Shown below is a gear set that I found at Costco. They are fun, and the kids really like them, but they are kind of big and actually take up two drawers. The magnetic blocks in the second drawer are fun too. These blocks tend to be really pricey, but I got lucky one day and grabbed this set on Amazon as a lightning deal. It isn't a huge set, but the kids love it and do build creative things. These hashtag blocks are super small but they let the kids be creative as they build. Plus, they work on fine motor skills. I found these in the Target Dollar Spot over the summer. And, I basically wiped out their entire supply when I bought them. Haha!! The foam pattern blocks are from our math program. The kids like to use them to create pictures and patterns. Where I Got My Materials Truthfully, I purchased most of them. But not all at once. I've accumulated things over time and have used them for different purposes in my classroom up until deciding to use them as morning tub materials. Many of these materials were once part of my "Fun Friday" stash. I just repurposed them into morning tubs. Some of the materials are from our current math program, or left over from previous math programs. In other words, they were things I had on hand that weren't really being used for much. My favorite places to find materials include: Amazon Target Dollar Spot Zulilly As soon as my own kiddo outgrows her toys, I plan to add many of them to my morning tub rotations. So, don't forget to raid your own kids' toy stash! Donors Choose as an option for getting materials like these in your classroom. Amazon even allows you to create a wish list that can be shared with your students' families. Also, don't be afraid to ask your own friends and family to gift an item to your classroom. Many times, our loved ones are willing to purchase something that we want/need for our classrooms. Click HERE for a direct link to my Morning Tub Ideas page on Amazon. DON'T FORGET IT, PIN IT! Share It:
Budget sensory bins for toddlers! Dollar store sensory bins just as fun! 10 Dollar Tree sensory bins using dollar store sensory items.
Sensory play is a great way to introduce your preschooler to all sorts of concepts. Try making this square sensory bin to help you child learn and explore everything about the square shape!
Learn how to make your own homemade sensory table from PVC pipe, your kids will absolutely love it. This post shows you examples on different filler ideas.
Sensory tables are a powerful place in the classroom! It is a special place where so much learning can occur IF you plan intentionally. Friends, I'm here with amazing holiday-themed sensory tables your students will LOVE! They are sure to learn a ton too; it's the power of play! There is a sensory table for every holiday, and on some holidays, I even have two ideas for you.
This school sensory bin uses colored pasta as a base and a wooden bus, school and people toys for kids to play with. A great way to prep for back to school. When my kids started preschool, our favorite way to prepare for the day was through play.
This visual directory of non-food sensory bin ideas for preschoolers will help teachers plan the bin filler, accessories, and learning objectives.
This coffee sensory bin is so much fun. It smells great and kids will have a blast using this sensory bin for imaginative play.
We like to switch the materials in our Sensory Bin every month to reflect either the season or the monthly theme. This month our sensory bin contains: Leaves (from the Dollar store) Acorns Pinecones Plastic rakes Ornamental Corn Mini Pumpkins Plastic scale (for comparing the weights of the different materials) After interest in playing with these items waned, I turned the bin into an I Spy game. It would be best if the items I had included for the game had a Fall theme. But since I didn't have more Fall items other than what was already in my bin, I just used what I had on hand. As you will see on the poster, I included some cookie cutter shapes and various toys from around the classroom. I also added a bunch of extra items to the bin that were not on the I Spy sheet to make the game more challenging. For instance, I included both a red dinosaur and a blue dinosaur so that the students would have to find not just a dinosaur, but the dinosaur that was the correct colour. I will change the items up next week for Halloween to include skeletons, ghosts, and other Halloween items.
Here are 100 amazing Sensory Bins for toddlers & preschoolers. Learn and play with all these ideas from rice to pom poms to caps & more!
Preschool science, curriculum, printables, crafts, homeschool, and education!
This Toddler and Preschool Bugs Sensory Bin is also a great Spring sensory bin for kids to explore insects.
Fun and frugal sensory tub idea for Halloween or whenever you need some monsters.
More fun than a day at the beach!
These rice bins are excellent for sensory play with kids. From scented rice and colored rice to seasonal sensory bins, these are great for play & learning. Sensory bins provide so much learning and fun for kids of all ages! Toddlers can play with this and practice their scooping
Cut up straws for this drinking straw sensory tub. Preschoolers will love all of the colors and textures...and it is totally reusable!
A shredded paper sensory bin is simple to use, very inexpensive to create, and lots of fun to play with.
A fun and easy sensory tub idea for your toddler or preschooler. Sensory Bin Oatmeal and Trucks Activity is quick to set up and will keep your toddler busy.
Simple sensory bins are fun to throw together in a few minutes. Sometimes, all it takes to occupy the kids in a sensory learning activity is just two items that you can find around the house or in the toy bin. We started a Simple Sensory Bin series a few weeks ago, making sensory bins with ... Read more
I have gathered up 55 sensory table ideas for your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom. There are ones for most themes, holidays, and seasons.
Want to learn how to dye rice in vibrant colors for your next sensory bin? We tested four different methods to find the one that works the best!
Sensory Bins like this Pond Themed Sensory Bin Idea are ideal for helping your kids to experience fun new activities in homeschool education!
How do you engage and delight students with learning? You need to add sensory tubs for practicing essential skills. Let me show you ho
Check out the 40 best themed sensory bins that help children discover, explore, create, play, and learn by using their senses!
Kindergarten students will enjoy these INSTANT Tubs N Trays activities. These activities can be used for fine motor work and centers.
Create a giant sensory tub for toddlers and preschoolers to learn about colours in a whole body, mutli-sensory way, with fine motor activities mixed in too
Kindergarten students will enjoy these INSTANT Tubs N Trays activities. These activities can be used for fine motor work and centers.
Fun Easter sensory bin for kids. Great for scooping, pouring and roleplay. Fun for young kids of all ages!
Seasonal sensory tubs ideas for every month of the year - great ideas for sensory play, messy play and hands-on learning.
Are you looking for non-food sensory table filler ideas? In a past article, I listed many ideas for sensory table fillers, but many teachers prefer to not add food to the sensory bin. Now, here is a
Looking for the BEST water sensory bins for your toddler or preschooler? Check out these amazing and super easy water sensory bins and soups!
I have gathered up 55 sensory table ideas for your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom. There are ones for most themes, holidays, and seasons.
Make your own corn sensory bin using homemade dyed corn kernels. The bin is perfect for a variety of themes throughout the year.
This visual directory of non-food sensory bin ideas for preschoolers will help teachers plan the bin filler, accessories, and learning objectives.
Sensory tubs have long been a curiosity of mine. I know that they are frequently used in the Early Childhood Classroom, I just didn't have enough information on the subject. I didn't know what the purpose was, I just knew that lots of people use them. I came across a FAQ on one of the "Teacher Blogs" that I follow, and decided to check it out. One of the first FAQs was "What is the purpose?" http://countingcoconuts.blogspot.com/2010/11/your-sensory-tub-questions-answered.html I was super excited to be close to the answer to this question :) Here is what I learned: there does not always have to be a purpose. Clear as mud, right? Well, once I did a little more reading, I began to understand. Sensory tubs provide children with open-ended opportunities to explore with their senses, engage in meaningful converstaions with adults and other children, develop motor and cognitive skills, and so much more! I also learned that I already have one, just on a more basic level. A sand table is a sensory tub in itself. I have been varying the materials in the sand table at preschool, using beans, rice, and Easter grass, now I just need to kick it up a notch! I saw a picture of a "Back to School" sensory tub and decided to jump right it! As often is the case, Windsor is my test student. I spent a week or so collecting back-t0-school things that I thought might work well in the tub. I sent Nate to the office to shred notebook paper enough times that he says he is not interested in becoming "Parent Volunteer of the Year"! The only thing left to do is sit down and discover! I am pretty sure that this is one of those that you have to "do" to understand. So , here we go... As soon as I brought her into the kitchen, she sat down, looked up at me, and said, "Mommy, do you want to play with me?". The very next thing out of her mouth was, "What do we do?" It seems that she had the same question I did... It did not take us long to figure it out. She picked up the scissors first and asked if she could cut. I said go for it. Her little eyes lit up and she went to cutting. Cutting with a 2 YO takes both hands, so I don't have a picture of this activity. Here she is loving the shredded notebook paper. We talked about how it was "crinkled" and "crunchy"-2 great new words! The pencil sharpener discovery was the highlight of our time together. She asked me what is was, and I almost took if from her to show her, but then I remembered to give her a chance to figure it our on her own. And that is exactly what she did. At first, she put the eraser in the sharpener, but it didn't work so she turned it around. After about a minute she had figured it out all by herself. She was very proud. We talked about how it could be dangerous if she put her finger in, and I would not let her do this without close supervision. Here she is "writing" her name on one of the mini notebooks in the tub. This experience exceeded my expectations. A sensory tub is almost like a choose-your-own adventure. The same child could have sat down with me and had an entirely different experience, which is the beauty of it! I can't wait to share this with the rest of my preschoolers over the next few weeks! We worked together for about 10 minutes, which is great for a little one! Most surprising to me, was the amount of content that we packed into the short amount of time. I can't imagine a lesson that would teach this broad of a range of subjects. I am listing below the things I can remember that we did.. . -we TALKED! (language development) -cut (fine motor development) -used our senses, the post-its were sticky (vocabulary development) -opposites, off/on with the calculator (cognitive development) -used a new tool, ruler (math, vocabulary development) -orally spelled her name (early literacy development) -zipped the pencil pouch (fine motor development) -counted the pencils (building number sense) -sharpened pencils We didn't do these things this time, but we could next time... -identify colors -sort by color, shape, and type of object -identify letters and numbers -measure objects -manipulate paperclips -place erasers on pencils
Looking for ideas of ways to help your preschoolers explore their world? Sensory tubs are a great! Most preschoolers love touching and feeling things.
I’m not sure why I’ve never filled our sensory bin with cereal before, but it made the perfect taste safe bin for my girls. They loved measuring, mixing, dumping, scooping, and snacking every time I took our bin out to play. Check out all 10 ways we played with this week’s Sensory Summer bin! If […]
Create a sensory invitation to play -packed with lots of learning opportunities using magnetic chips and magnetic wands!
Sensory Play is so important! Here's a collection of Sensory Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers organized from A to Z.
How to dye pasta and make a rainbow sensory tub.
A free printable for fine motor task cards. Help kids strengthen their fine motor skills with these easy activities!
Fun vehicle sensory bins for toddlers and preschoolers. Perfect for you preschool transportation theme activities!
A sensory bin is typically a plastic tub or container filled with carefully selected materials and objects to stimulate the senses of children in preschool.
For my first Hands-On Play post I’d like to share a sensory bin I made to celebrate Caden’s third birthday! The idea with the I Spy Three! Sensory Bin is for Caden to have fun searching for some of his favorite objects (animals, bugs, cars, etc.) and to practice counting to three. I had a […]
