Morning Chat Tubs

We start the day with time to chat with our friends, be creative, and settle in before diving in to our rigorous content each day! How do we do this? Morning Chat Tubs!

Ground Rules for Students

• Students come in to the classrooms, put backpacks and lunch boxes away, turn in any papers or notes, and choose a tub
  
• Four students per tub
• Stay at the same tub
• Treat materials carefully
• Voice Level 1
• Clean up quickly, quietly, and carefully and head to Morning Meeting
• Each afternoon, my student “assistants” place the tubs out for the next morning
• Our classroom runs on routines, so many of these structures are used across subjects and activities and become second nature to students. (Read more about our structure and routines HERE!)
  

What is Happening During Morning Chat Tub Time?

• Our school news is playing on the television
• Students are quietly interacting with peers and exploring our various supplies
  
• I am helping students check out their take home readers (Read more about my Take Home Reader Program HERE!)
  
• I take attendance and check papers and notes from the turn in basket
• If I have any assessments missed by absent students, I complete those during this time
  
• If time, I visit kids at the tubs to see their creations
  

Why Do We Do Morning Chat Tubs?

• This gives students time to chat with friends before we start our day
  
• It’s a “soft start” for kids to have time to adjust before beginning our structured school day
• This “free time” allows students to explore materials, create, and have fun while they listen to the school-wide news and announcements for the day

Morning Chat Tub Logistics

• I have 5 tubs set up for 4 students each
  
• I change out materials on a “rolling” basis…every two weeks or so, I switch out the materials from 1 or 2 tubs. This gradual change leads to less excitement/drama amongst students
• Students choose their tub when they come in and must stay their for the duration of Chat Tub time (10-12 minutes)
• I encourage students to check out different tubs with different groups of friends each day… I don’t police this unless there are repeated problems that students can’t solve on their own

Materials

The great thing about my Morning Chat Tubs is that almost any material can be used and it will generate conversation and creation! I get most of my materials from Amazon, the Dollar Tree, and Target Dollar Spot. I also use a lot of our math manipulatives.

Here is a list of some of the materials that I’ve used in my Morning Chat Tubs…

• Legos
• Brain flakes or similar building materials (search STEM toys on Amazon for lots of great options)
• Lincoln Logs
• plastic counters
• plastic cups
• buttons
• playing cards
• dominoes
• base ten blocks
• connecting cubes
• directed drawings
• stencils
• seasonal coloring pages or color by number
• letter/number beads and pipe cleaners
• card games ( I usually pre-teach these)
• blocks
• magnetic tiles/blocks
• craft sticks of various colors and sizes
• plastic food
• pattern blocks
• plastic figures
• writing journals for notes or doodles
• magnetic letters, numbers, or shapes
• puzzles
  

I hope this helps you if you’re interested in trying out Morning Chat Tubs in your classroom! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Jennifer ~ Practical Primary Teacher

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