Enter your email Address

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Amazon Shop
  • Facebook Group
  • Freebies
  • Distance Learning
  • Shop

Little Minds at Work

  • Curriculum
    • Alphabet
    • Grammar
    • Guided Reading
    • Intervention
    • Math
    • Phonics
    • Reading
    • Writing
  • FirstieCurriculum
    • Firstie Guided Reading
    • FirstieLiteracy
    • FirstieMath
    • FirstiePhonics
    • Firstieverntion
  • KinderCurriculum
    • KinderWriting
    • Kinder Guided Reading
    • KinderLiteracy
    • KinderMath
    • KinderSocialStudies
    • KinderPhonics
    • KinderReaders
    • KinderWordBuilding
    • KinderSocialSkills
  • Professional Development
    • Back to School Professional Development
    • Book Study: Purposeful Play
    • Kindergarten Step by Step
    • Close Reading

Hands-On Exploration Tubs (Free Sampler Included)

kindergarten morning work tubs
Hi there and thanks so much for stopping in this mid-June week! I hope you are enjoying your SUMMER and you’ve been able to relax and take a teacher breather!  Today I am here with something super “light” and FUN! Today’s post is all about hands-on exploration in our classrooms! A few years back I implemented explore/fine motor tubs in my classroom after I saw a drastic decline in my students’ fine motor skills. Oftentimes, my students were coming to school in August with little to no fine motor skills. I swapped “Read to Someone” during my Daily Five time with EXPLORE and it kept it there all year! I started with very hands-on and eventually added in academics to the explore tubs as well! You can read all about those original explore tub ideas *HERE*

kindergarten morning work tubs

This summer, one of my main to-do’s was get together a set of comprehensive exploration tubs so that you could go to ONE document for all of your explore needs and not have to track down items here and there! A lot of teachers asked me to create a set of exploration tubs for their morning work! Many teachers are wanting to go paper free for morning work and explore tubs are PERFECT for that! However, I also wanted the exploration tubs to be a great addition to any and all classrooms– not just those that do morning work! I actually LOVE what Mindy had to say about the exploration tubs implementation,

 “I’m a kindergarten teacher, BUT… in my school there is not a lot of time for “play” type of activities. We do breakfast in the classroom and I don’t see why students wouldn’t LOVE many of these activities while they are waiting for their peers to finish eating. I could see them being used as an inside recess option, or to have in hand for students who are always working hard and just need something different. These could be used as a brain break.”

kindergarten morning work tubs
Mindy summed up many different ways that hands-on exploration tubs can be used beyond my use of them during daily five and that of morning work! My set of Hands-On Exploration Tubs are designed to offer an engaging and FUN way to explore! The packet can be used to strengthen fine motor skills, explore during morning work or used as supplemental math centers. The packet is broken down into 10 different activities. The activities are each designed to maximize student engagement and offer a chance for students to show their creativity.  **Be sure to read to the end of the post where I give you a free sampler of all the activities below!**

View this DETAILED video of my new Hands-On Exploration tubs below or by clicking **HERE**

 


 


The Hands-On Exploration Tubs packet includes 450+ task cards/mats. Each of the cards or mats are labeled with the manipulatives needed to complete the task. This packet uses a variety of common classroom manipulatives (snap cubes, pattern blocks, teddy bears, building blocks, fuzzy pom poms, geoboards and play dough).

kindergarten morning work tubs

The Hands-On Exploration Tubs packet includes two different sizes of labels for your containers. The containers used in the pictures can be purchased at the Dollar Tree. Each of the activities also include a detailed “I can” statement card. This card can be included in the tub to increase accountability. The task cards/mats are best used once printed on cardstock and/or laminated. You can place the smaller task cards on a metal binder ring. You will want to determine if you would like to offer all of the task cards at once, or you can introduce them over time to not overwhelm the students.

kindergarten morning work tubs
kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs
The tub I used are from Dollar Tree and can also be purchased online! The larger container is  14 x 10 and the smaller container is 10 x 10! A lot of teachers want to know if full size paper will fit in the larger container! It does but it will have to be in there slanted! If you want the paper to go in flat, just print it at a reduced 95% on your printer. I actually go over that print tip in **THIS** print tip video!

kindergarten morning work tubs

What is included in the Hands-On Exploration Tubs packet?

– 450+ task cards/mats (detailed list found below)
– activity labels (offered in two sizes)
– activity “I can” cards

This packet uses ALL real-life photographs! 

kindergarten morning work tubs

What activities are included in the Hands-On Exploration Tubs packets?

Activity One: Build It In this activity students will get an opportunity to explore using pattern blocks. They will view the included picture card and recreate the “scene”. **50 cards included**

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

Activity Two: Band It In this activity students will get an opportunity to explore using geoboards and bands. They will view the included picture card and recreate the “scene”. **50 cards included**

kindergarten morning work tubs
kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

Activity Three: Dough It In this activity students will get an opportunity to explore using play dough and play dough tools. They will view the included prompt card and then complete the task. **50 cards included**

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

Activity Four: Match It In this activity students will get an opportunity to explore using a variety of manipulatives. They will view the included prompt card and then “match” or “copy” the card with the exact creation. **50 cards included**

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

Activity Five: Pattern It In this activity students will get an opportunity to explore using a variety of manipulatives. They will view the included prompt card and recreate the same pattern using their manipulatives. **50 cards included**

kindergarten morning work tubs
kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

Activity Six: Manipulate It In this activity students will get an opportunity to explore using pattern blocks. They will use pattern blocks to recreate the picture on the mat. **50 mats included**

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

Activity Seven: Tweeze It In this activity students will get an opportunity to explore using tweezers and fuzzy pom poms. They will use fuzzy pom poms to recreate the picture on the mat. **50 mats included**

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

Activity Eight: Snake It In this activity students will get an opportunity to explore using play dough. They will use play dough snakes to recreate the picture on the mat. **50 mats included**

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

Activity Nine: Cube It In this activity students will get an opportunity to explore using (snap) cubes. They will use (snap) cubes to recreate the picture on the mat. **50 mats included**

kindergarten morning work tubs
kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

Activity Ten: Stick It In this activity students will get an opportunity to explore using stick on pictures. They will use the included pictures to recreate the scene on the mat. **10 mats included**

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

I also share all about the manipulatives used! Please note the following links are to help give you a

Pattern Blocks
Cubes
Wooden Blocks
Fuzzy Pom Poms
Tweezers
Geoboards
Loom Bands
Dough Tools
Dough Scissors
Teddy Bears
Playdoh

I recently added 90 *FREE* cards into the packet and it had only been posted a day! WOOT! If you had purchased earlier in the week, be sure to redownload so you have access to all 450 cards/mats!

You can view the packet on TPT by clicking HERE or on the image below!


FREE SAMPLER! That’s right! I have a free sample for you! You can check out each of the activities in this free preview! Please note that these are all *NEW* so even if you own the packet already you’ll want to snag these FREE additional cards/mats! Click **HERE** to download the free preview or on the images directly below! (After you click to download, click the WHITE DOWNLOAD ARROW in the far right corner! This will download the Adobe file!)

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

kindergarten morning work tubs

Thanks so much for joining me today and last but not least is a manipulatives giveaway valued at $100!!! You can enter the giveaway **HERE** or using the rafflecopter below! I will choose a winner Sunday!

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks so much!

Related Posts

  • January Giveaways, freebies, & more!January Giveaways, freebies, & more!
  • A Little bit of Vegas!!!A Little bit of Vegas!!!
  • Teen Number Fun! {freebies}Teen Number Fun! {freebies}
«
»

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Comments

  1. Anita says

    June 20, 2018 at 12:54 pm

    Tysm for sponsoring this giveaway! I would love to win! Fingers crossed!

    Reply
  2. Elena says

    June 20, 2018 at 1:50 pm

    These cards are awesome!! I cant wait to use with my preschoolers, when we are back to school!
    Thanks,
    Elena

    Reply
  3. Barb says

    June 20, 2018 at 4:02 pm

    I love morning tubs and have used them for a few years. What I love so much about these are the photographs! I purchased the set and can’t wait to print and prep them for my class.

    Reply
  4. Leigh says

    June 20, 2018 at 4:53 pm

    Love the activities

    Reply
  5. Cheryl says

    June 20, 2018 at 5:17 pm

    These cards would practically save my life and sanity😉. They are self explanatory and fun for the kiddos! I would LOVE ALL OF THIS!!

    Reply
  6. Cathleen Roberson says

    June 20, 2018 at 6:06 pm

    These are so amazing! These kids will love all of them!

    Reply
  7. Sherrie Smith says

    June 20, 2018 at 8:59 pm

    Love all of your products😉

    Reply
  8. Andrea Parsons says

    June 20, 2018 at 10:49 pm

    I love, love, love this packet! I had explore tubs set up this year but ran out of ideas. Now I can just pick a pack of cards and throw in the manipulatives and done! Thank you so much!

    Reply
  9. Claudia says

    June 21, 2018 at 12:31 pm

    I really want to get those, but I have to wait until July to be able to claim some of the expenses for the 2018-19 school year. These activities will be so helpful for my incoming kinders.

    Reply
  10. Melinda says

    June 22, 2018 at 1:38 am

    Wow what a gift . I work with low income families and this wouls help teach so much!

    Reply
  11. Emily says

    June 22, 2018 at 12:07 pm

    I have bought the packet now I need the manipulatives!

    Reply
  12. Mrs. Duschel says

    June 22, 2018 at 1:30 pm

    I am so excited about using this with my class next year. Thank you for making it so easy to use. I love it!

    Reply
  13. Jenny says

    June 22, 2018 at 7:08 pm

    Oh I would love to win!!!! I love all of your items! ❤️

    Reply
  14. Justine says

    June 23, 2018 at 12:08 am

    This would be amazing!

    Reply
  15. Christine Rainwater says

    June 23, 2018 at 5:00 pm

    I love these! I have found almost everything on amazon. The only thing I am having a hard time finding is the wood blocks. What set did you use? Was it this one?

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079HSY4JH/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A14JQ5BWCY5D7L&psc=1

    Thank you!!!! Fingers crossed! This will be amazing for kids with disabilities.

    Reply
    • Tara says

      June 23, 2018 at 5:35 pm

      Mine were actually from a set that included arches, etc but yes the set you have there will work too! I hate that they are so pricey 🙁 I wonder if you can find something similar for less? Dollar Tree will also sometimes have the wooden blocks as well 🙂

      Tara

      Reply
      • Christine says

        June 24, 2018 at 1:46 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
  16. yahoo sign in says

    June 30, 2018 at 9:25 am

    Tysm for sponsoring this giveaway! I would love to win! Fingers crossed!

    Reply
  17. Kim Russell says

    July 19, 2018 at 12:58 am

    Hi Tara! Thank you so much for making these. 🙂 I have a management question. Do you have multiple kids work within each tub? If so, do you limit the amount of kids at each tub? Also… do you break up the rings so each child gets their own set of cards to work with?? I know thats a lot to answer but I figured you would know best!

    Thank you again!

    Reply
    • Tara says

      July 19, 2018 at 3:16 am

      Hi there! I prefer independent work BUT that is just my preference! I would say 3-4 kiddos a tub still work! This work especially if you’re able to offer a big tub of manipulatives in the middle of the table! 🙂
      Tara

      Reply
  18. pikcat says

    July 19, 2018 at 9:44 am

    What a cool idea! Thank you for sharing!! This is so creative!

    Reply
  19. Debbie says

    August 7, 2018 at 7:00 pm

    Hi Tara! Thank you for such a wonderful product. I was wondering what size pom poms you suggest with the mats.
    Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Tara says

      August 18, 2018 at 2:25 am

      Here you go 🙂 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LWUTG1G/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Hey there! Thanks so much for visiting Little Minds at Work!  My name is Tara West and this is my little piece of the internet!  You most likely know me best by the photo below! It is my profile … |Read More...|

Subscribe!

Sign up to receive updates & monthly newsletter.

Find it Fast!

Follow on Instagram

Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: No posts found.

Make sure this account has posts available on instagram.com.

Follow on Facebook

This message is only visible to admins.

Problem displaying Facebook posts. Backup cache in use.
Click to show error

Error: Error validating access token: The session has been invalidated because the user changed their password or Facebook has changed the session for security reasons.
Type: OAuthException

Little Minds at Work

7 months ago

Little Minds at Work

◾️FREE DOWNLOAD◾️ Download this freebie Phonemic Awareness Assessment! This could be completed via virtual learning as well 1:1!

drive.google.com/file/d/1ICsUO2MoTB4ci6kekKNKCXIhT1okKqmh/view?usp=sharing
... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

Little Minds at Work

7 months ago

Little Minds at Work

😆😆😆We're all in the same boat! ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

Little Minds at Work

7 months ago

Little Minds at Work

🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️Ummm... ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

Little Minds at Work

7 months ago

Little Minds at Work

💻📱NEW! INSTANT Digital Practice activities! These activities have been carefully designed to give students practice/introduction to dragging items in digital platforms and typing! This is a set of 10 themes and 30 activities! In this example, students drag the bees to the hive! Snag this packet here: bit.ly/2KYQBGL

Preview video here: vimeo.com/414403211
... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

Little Minds at Work

7 months ago

Little Minds at Work

Erin has her take-home distance learning kits all prepped for the kiddos! She used pieces of my ELA and Math tool kits along with supplies for the kids!

ELA Tool Kit: bit.ly/2OKF2Vz
Math Tool Kit: bit.ly/2CJaBwk
... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
·Share

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linked InShare by Email

Follow on Pinterest

  • Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
    Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
  • Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
    Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
  • Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
    Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
  • Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
    Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
  • Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
    Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
  • Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
    Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
  • Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
    Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
  • Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
    Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
  • Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
    Let’s Ponder CENTER TIME in the 2020 Classroom!
Follow Me on Pinterest

 Tara West © 2017 - Privacy Policy