Hands-on learning for students using morning tubs. Click now to get a mini unit for free!
Second grade students are sure to have learned so much this year, and the May and June 2nd Grade Morning Bins are here to help finish the year off strong!
My blog post contains Amazon affiliate links which means that I earn a few cents from anything purchased through my links. I use that money to purchase items for my classroom. Last year, I began starting our day with morning bins as a paperless replacement for morning work. I love the versatility morning bins. You can get as complicated or simple as you want. I try really hard to use materials that I already have in my classroom. Below I've listed over 50 ideas for you, most of which I've used in my bins for my 2nd graders. I'll add links where I can. Great places to find morning bin fillers- Amazon, Target Dollar Spot, Dollar Tree, your math closet, Michael's, yard sales. STEM/Building Things LEGOS- I have a big bin of LEGOS, and I try to find them at yard sales. Yard sales are great places to find a lot of things for morning bins. I will also say that the off-brand of LEGO-style building blocks is just fine for morning bins. They're a great budget-friendly option. Brain Flakes- You can often find a variety of these at the Dollar Tree. Keva planks- So, these are expensive, but Highlights magazine has a set in their classroom rewards catalog, and I've ordered two sets of those for free. Check those out, for sure. The rewards program is free and has lots of great stuff. Magnatiles/ PicassoTiles- These are an investment but so, so good. I think they're great for building 3-D shapes during a geometry unit, so I can justify the cost. I have yet to meet a kid who doesn't like building with magnatiles. Picasso Tiles are less expensive and just as great. I have a set at home and at school. STEM straws magnetic sticks Tumble Trax magnetic marble run- These is so fun! They're one of the kids favorite items. Also, I have a two sets for bigger runs. The kids love building tracks on the whiteboard. They come up with such clever ideas. PlusPlus/hashtag blocks -Some people are lucky and find these in the Target bins. I've never found them. I have a big set of mixed blocks, but there are lots of different sets available. These are an alternative to LEGOS. Kid K'nex Interlox Snowflake Disks Bristle Blocks marble run- This is a tough one to store in a small bin, but it's a great small group activity. I see these at yard sales. Games basic card games- Go Fish, Old Maid, etc. - Ask for donations for these! So many families have games that they aren't playing anymore. dominoes- Get the foam dominoes! Your ears will thank you. I got a set from the Highlights magazine prize magazine a few years ago, and they've held up great. puzzles- The Ravensburger jigsaw puzzles are my favorite! The designs and colors are great. Puzzles are one of those things that kids rarely do anymore, but they always love them. I always break them out when see that my crew is needing more opportunities for teamwork and communication. Uno/ Dos Pizza Party dice game- This is a really cute, fast game. It's really only for 2-3 players and uses the included dice and cards. Tricky Triangle peg game Farkle Flip- Just like the dice game but with cards, which make a great visual for kids. finger soccer Kanoodle- This is a great 3-D puzzle game. It includes a bunch of puzzle cards and is perfect for students to work on spatial relationships. decks of playing cards- There are SO many things that kids can do with cards. I use them in math all of the time. I like to give kids the freedom to do what they wish with the cards, whether it be playing a game or building. brain teaser puzzles Sensory Play Play Doh- If you spend $10 on morning bins, please spend it on Play Doh...or have families make it and send it in. Second graders love Play Doh, and it's so versatile. I laminate construction paper for the kids to use as mats. Play Doh Accessories/Cutters- Plastic silverware, cookie cutters, kids' kitchen tools, and sand molds are all great options here. I try to add seasonal items to the Play Doh bin- cookie cutters, rolling pin, pony bead sprinkles at Christmastime, shades of blue and white, snowflake cutters, and pipe cleaners in the winter, you get the idea. Kinetic Sand- You might find yourself playing with the kinetic sand right beside the kids. It's so relaxing. I give them small trays to put the sand on, and then I also add the Play Doh accessories to the tub. Pompoms with scoops, cups, and plastic tweezers Fidgets: A few times a year I borrow some of these from our instructional support department to try out with different students. By putting them in the morning bins, I can see what they gravitate toward and like without calling attention to specific students. Rocks, fossils, feathers, sea shells, etc with little magnifying glasses: If your school is ever getting rid of old science kits, go through them and grab stuff for your morning tubs. magnetic wands and various metal items like paper clips, magnetic chips, other magnets, etc. Art Materials stencils and paper Popbeads - I had Popbeads as a kid and got my daughter a set, and she loved them. I bought another set for school, and the kids really love them, even the boys. construction paper scraps, hole punch, and yarn pipe cleaners and beads- specifically letter beads and pony beads foam craft kits- I shop for these at Michael's after the holidays for the following year. You can get class sets for 70% off, which ends up being less than $5. coloring books/pages and Twisty crayons- The twisty crayons are special, and they LOVE them! I make a big deal about them being special, and the kids treat them nicely. dicut shapes, doilies, and stickers to make cards around the holidays- Does your school stick have a dicut machine? I feel like ours rarely gets used anymore, but the kids love those shapes! watercolor paints and paper drawing books and paper- I borrow drawing books from the school library, and the kids love them. stamps, ink pads, and paper Literacy Ideas letter cubes- You can buy these pre-made, or if you have a huge amount of Unifix cubes, you can easily make your own. I try to grab extra Unifix cubes if I see them on the discard tables in the faculty room. Bananagrams- Bananagrams is so good! It's like Scrabble without the board. It's versatile and easy to clean up. phonics dominoes- I have the digraph and blend dominoes in my room, and I'd like to add the compound word set. Found It! sight word games- Found It! is a sight word game that I created for my students. It's fast and fun. Students just need the deck of Found It! cards. I have a set for each Dolch list, so you can differentiate. Squiggle Stories- This is another activity that I created. Students use a squiggle in the illustration box to create whatever they want, and then they write a story about it. It's fun to see how different kids use the same squiggle. Mad Libs seasonal stationary and envelopes - I save envelopes from junk mail and ask my families to do the same thing. When we have a specific purpose for writing, I'll put out the colorful, fancy envelopes for them. blank cards and notecards- One of my hacks is to have my friends and family save cards that they receive, and then I chop off the part with writing. The kids write on the blank side. Super easy way to reuse cards that would end up in the garbage can. magnetic letters fact flashcards- Target often has these sets of flashcards on different topics, and they all have interesting facts on them. I have space, dinosaurs, states, and presidents. They're a dollar a pack, and the kids like them. mini white boards and colorful Expo markers- My students each have a black marker, so they love when the colorful markers come out. I have a set of mini dry erase boards that are about the size of a small sentence strip. I can't find them to link them, but they're awesome! I use them in guided reading a lot but like to put them in morning bins a few times a year. Math Ideas hexagon/ Tangram puzzles printable math games- Pick games that you've played before. I love this bundle of math games from Games 4 Gains a few years ago, and they're perfect. pattern blocks geoboards and rubberbands flashcards and task cards- I have flashcards and task cards for pretty much every math unit. I try to put them in the bins toward the end of the unit when we're reviewing. pattern links- To be fair, I kind of hate these! BUT the kids love them. They love to make ropes and patterns and whatever their little minds conjure up. I just hate untangling them. play money- They love the play money. If you have money task cards, toss those in, too. My own kids have a play cash register, and I always bring it into school around our money unit. Students LOVE playing with this. base ten and Cuisenaire rods- They love to build with these. Again, if you have some task cards for base ten blocks, toss them in with the blocks. Abstract Creations- aka: Random Stuff dixie cups/ plastic cups- They love to stack them! index cards, tape, and hole punch straws of various sizes and modeling clay or Play Doh foam balls and toothpicks- I love those small foam balls that are out around the holidays. They're usually sparkly and so fun. They're usually with the vase fillers at Dollar Tree or Michael's. popsicle sticks with Velcro dots- They get so creative with these! The sticks are a great job for a volunteer to make for you. cardboard tubes- Collect them from paper towels, toilet paper, mailers, etc. They're fun to build with and even use with paint. Amazon link to all of my morning bin favorites! I hope this gives you some good ideas for your own morning bins. If you have any more great ideas, please leave me a comment below. I'm always looking for new ideas. You don't have to spend a ton of money! Look around your classroom. You probably have a lot of great stuff available that your students don't have the opportunity to use regularly. I also ask for donations, shop the sales, and use some of my requisition money each year to buy a few new things. Thanks for reading!
Set a positive tone for the classroom each morning with these 2nd Grade Morning Work Tub activities. They are the perfect solution for morning work during September. These morning bins will save you time, energy, and prep work to make your mornings stress-free! This September morning tub unit includes games, activities, and fun learning to practice skills and concepts for second grade. TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"I am beyond excited for these morning tubs that are appropriate for second graders! I really like that you have a page that details what supplies are needed and how to use each activity. It is all very hands-on and I can't wait to use them this year. Thank you!" - Emily C. ✅ Click the preview button to see pictures of the activities addressed in this unit, supplies, and more information. ✅Click here to SAVE 30% by buying ALL 11 Monthly Morning Tubs for 2nd grade in one convenient Year-Long Bundle. Why you will LOVE these 2nd Grade Morning Tubs ❤️ designed to meet second-grade standards ❤️ fun, engaging, and hands-on activities ❤️ literacy, math, fine motor skills, and critical thinking ❤️ set a positive tone for the day ❤️ NO worksheets! Students are excited to come to school each morning to begin their day with these fun activities. Supplies Needed: Items commonly found in your classroom, such as clothespins, magnets, linking chains, paperclips, cubes, or small blocks, will be used. Math Skills in this unit: Numbers within 1,000 Time to Hour & Half Hour Counting within 1,000 2-D Shapes Inverse Operations Place Value Calendar Skills Doubles Facts Patterns ELA Skills in this unit: Ending Punctuation List Writing Plurals Antonyms Sight Words Compound Words Nouns, Adjectives, & Verbs Digraphs Narrative Writing Fine Motor Skills in this unit: Tracing Lines Tracing Pictures Poke Pin Pictures Lacing Pictures Critical Thinking Skills in this unit: Secret Code Riddles Square Logic Puzzles Place Value Order Logic **Click on the preview to see a picture of every activity in this unit. Some of the activities are available in black/white in addition to the color pages for additional options. TEACHERS LIKE YOU SAID… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"I’m homeschooling this year and wanted something that my child could do independently and these activities are fantastic. Each activity is interesting and thoughtfully designed. It was easy to print on card stock and assemble a basket full of activities that my child can choose from. They’re great for brain breaks or to warm up before we start work. I plan to buy more!" - Paula D. Need these tubs for 3rd or 4th grade? You can see my third-grade units here. And the fourth-grade units here. You can find other helpful 2nd Grade September Activities here: ✅No Prep Literacy Centers ✅No Prep Math Centers ✅Fall Following Directions ✅Science and Social Studies Paperless Activities Thank you! It PAYS to follow me! All NEW units are listed at a 50% discount for the first 48 hours for all of my loyal followers. Please remember to leave feedback. You get TpT cash to help you get FREE products when you cash them in! (SCORE!!) Have a wonderful and blessed day, Cynthia 2nd grade morning tubs 2nd grade morning bins September morning tubs
Read 7+ things you can accomplish while students complete hands-on morning work and learn how having a soft start is a great management tool!
Do you have Morning Chaos? First Grade Morning Bins to the rescue! Get ready to transform your morning routines with these fun hands-on activities! First
STEM Bins for Elementary Students “I’m finished! What do I do now?” How many times during our teaching day do we hear these words from our students? Oftentimes, it is much too often, and students are provided a handful of the same options to keep them busy until our next transition. Sometimes students are instructed...
Morning Tubs are a great alternative to traditional morning work used in primary classrooms. They provide an opporunity for children to explore and play.
September morning tubs are a fun and engaging way for Second and Third graders to learn important skills. These tubs are easily prepped!
You CAN use morning tubs during Covid. There are ways to use morning tubs with manipulatives that let kids enjoy hands on or digital ideas too.
October Morning Tubs are perfect to help students continue to practice skills and concepts through hands-on activities.
Say goodbye to stress in prepping morning work! I've provided more than 200+ hands-on activities for your students to try!
Are you looking for morning work that is more than worksheets? Would you like to be able to use your math manipulatives like pattern blocks, counting bears and base 10 blocks more effectively? Check out how using math manipulatives for morning work is not busy work but instead crucial math skill practice.
Shop more of The Moffatt Girls products: Click Here! Morning Bins / Morning Tubs / Morning Work /Anytime of the Day Work! Get ready to revolutionize your morning routines with Morning Bins The Bundle! What are Morning Tubs / Bins? Morning Bins provide a hands-on option to morning work and can turn those busy, hectic mornings into meaningful and independent practice! These play based tubs / bins are the perfect way to wake up those little minds! No grading, no pressure, just fun and engaging practice! ⭐ What are the benefits of Morning Tubs / Bins? ⭐ The benefits of morning bins are endless! They are hands-on and engaging They provide meaningful practice for basic skills Students have opportunities to work on fine motor skills They provide group and social interaction Open-ended practice Alternative to pencil/paper work They provide extra practice for previously taught skills Most importantly…they make learning FUN! ⭐What included in the Bundle?⭐ Each monthly theme will include 21 skills. The monthly skills stay the same throughout the months, but the activities change to provide students with more challenging activities. 189 Morning Bin activities Color AND Black and White Version Included! Simplified Student Direction Cards Material List for each bin Morning Bin Rules Poster Labels for Bins (2 options) Teacher Progress Monitoring Sheet Some bins included accountably sheets, if you choose to use them ⭐Skills included in the Morning Bins:⭐ Vocabulary- Read the vocabulary words, sort them into groups and explain why they are sorted that way Word Use- Read the words in a set and place them in order according to the degree of their meaning Phonemic Awareness and Phonics- Read the words and find a picture that completes the puzzle Writing Conventions- Read a word and decide if it needs a capital letter or not Spelling Conventions- Read the word and decide if the underlined letters for a blend or digraph Text- Decide if the text is fiction or non-fiction and sort it on the mat Sentences and Paragraphs- Unscramble the sentence, write it and find the picture that matches Parts of Speech- Read a word and decide if it is a noun, verb or adjective Writing- Read the topic and write a fact and opinion about it Logic and Critical Thinking- Turn, read and find the matching words to complete the puzzle Addition and Subtraction- Read the word problem, draw a picture and write an equation to match Math Fluency- Sort the problems to the correct sum or difference Multiplication Foundations- Divide the counters into equal groups and write how many are in each group Place Value- Read the number, and write one less, one more, ten less and ten more Counting and Skip Counting within 1,000- Read the number and fill in the blank boxed to match the section on the 120 chart Measurement and Estimation- Number the items from 1-5 to show the order of length from longest to shortest Time and Money- Add up coins to find the value, then find the card with the matching value Data and Graphing- Read the list of items, tally them up and graph them on the chart Shapes and Fractions- Find the name and matching attributes for each 2D shape Critical Thinking- Observe the patterns of the lines then draw the lines on the next shape to continue the pattern Social/Emotional- Take turns spinning and emotion with a partner then tell a time when they felt that emotion *Please note that this is a downloaded pdf file. No physical product will be sent to you. ⭐More Questions?⭐ Feel free to email me at [email protected] ⭐⭐Be sure to follow the Moffatt Girls on:⭐⭐ Visit my blog at The Moffatt Girls Blog Follow me on Facebook Follow me on Instagram Join my FREE private group, The Moffatt Girls-Engage Group, to see how other teachers, parents, and homeschoolers are using and organizing Moffatt Girl Curriculum! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Read 7+ things you can accomplish while students complete hands-on morning work and learn how having a soft start is a great management tool!
STEM Bins® are an ideal hands-on solution for early finishers, morning work, centers, fine motor practice, indoor recess, Makerspaces, or positive reinforcement of behavior. They also provide an open-ended and developmentally appropriate foundation of engineering for elementary students.
February Morning Tubs There are so many different things happening during the shortest month of the year! Groundhog's Day, Valentine's Day, President's Day, Black History Month, Dental Month... it seems the list goes on and on. Although a couple of activities have graphics for some of these special days, the majority of the month have graphics that can be used at any time of the year that your students are ready for them. Below is a quick overview of all of the activities included in the February Morning Tubs for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. ELA Morning Tubs Predicting: Students will choose from eight pictures to list the things in the pictures and what is happening. The students will then predict what will happen next. Poems: Students will read the riddle, find the matching picture, and then use colored popsicle sticks to build the picture. I Spy February Vocabulary Words: Print a class set and use anytime during the month! Students will use magnifying glasses to find the hidden words, list them, and then find those words in the word search. Variety Parts of Speech: Students will play the game to build a tower by answering the cards. The student with the tallest tower wins the game. Prepositions: Students will place mini-marshmallows to show the prepositions. The best part? Eating the marshmallows when finished! Writing Silly Sentences: Students will roll the die to choose cards and then turn their six cards into silly sentences! Inference: Students will read the paragraph to infer the emotions of the students and then draw their facial expressions. Alphabetical Order: Students will write the words in abc order. Point of View: Students will write stories from the point of view of something in the picture. Math Morning Tubs Skip Counting Puzzles: 2nd grade: Numbers to 1,000 3rd Grade: Numbers to 100,000 4th Grade: Numbers in the Millions Adding/Subracting Odd & Even 2nd Grade: 3-digit 3rd Grade: 4-digit 4th Grade: 6-digit Comparing Numbers: 2nd Grade: Thousands 3rd Grade: Ten Thousands Fourth Grade: Millions Ordering Numbers: 2nd Grade: 3-Digit Numbers 3rd Grade: 5-Digit Numbers 4th Grade: 6-Digit Numbers Adding Four Numbers: 2nd and 3rd grades Multiplying 2-digit by 2-digit Numbers: 4th grade Math Fluency: 2nd grade: Subtracting from 20 3rd and 4th grades: Multiplication Snap Cubes: Students will play a game to see who will win the winter games snap cubes contest! Fractions: Students will spin, find the matching fraction, roll a playdough ball, and smash it. Geo boards Shapes: Students will complete task cards on the Geo boards. Fine Motor Morning Tubs Dental Cursive Writing: Trace the Pictures: Dental Fine Motor Activities: Critical Thinking Morning Tubs Finish the Grid: Students will follow directions on the task cards to finish the grid. Who's the Mystery Person: A partner game Would you like to receive a FREE set of my morning tubs? Sign up for my Tuesday newsletters via email and get this set for free! Your students will be excited to begin their day with these February Morning Tubs. Click on the pictures below if you would like to see more about them in my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Fun and engaging. That's just my... Kind of Teaching!
Math Morning Work simplifies your hectic morning classroom entry. Grab a FREE set of engaging, paperless tasks for your bins, and read more here!
I believe that children learn best through play and exploration. Here's a closer look the March Morning tubs for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades!
Get your morning routine perfected with the 2nd Grade Back to School morning bins. Getting into a good routine can be a challenge at the beginning of the school year, but I've got something for you to help make your morning transitions
Subject Holidays/Seasonal, Engineering Grade Levels PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Resource Type Activities, Fun Stuff, GATE File Type Compressed Zip File Be sure that you have an application to open this file type before downloading and/or purchasing. 49 MB|37 pages
The new year calls for new fun, and the January First Grade Morning Bins are sure to bring just that! They've been added to the First Grade Morning Bin
Math Morning Work simplifies your hectic morning classroom entry. Grab a FREE set of engaging, paperless tasks for your bins, and read more here!
