Why Morning Tubs Will Be Your Favorite Routine This Year

Why Morning Tubs Will Be Your Favorite Routine This Year

I used to start my school day with a worksheet.

You know the kind—meant to keep kids busy while I took attendance and got things settled. But more often than not, it led to a chorus of “I need help!” and papers half-finished (or scribbled on and crumpled like a fast-food napkin).

So I tried something different. I swapped those worksheets for hands-on tubs filled with simple, engaging activities… and I’ve never looked back.

Psst—new to Morning Tubs?
I’ve got a free Morning Tub Starter Kit you can grab to see what they’re all about.
🎁 Click here to get your freebie!

Here’s why I think Morning Tubs might just become your favorite routine this year, too:

✨ They give your morning a calm, focused start.
You’re trying to do all the things—take attendance, respond to an email, tie a shoelace, and smile at parents hovering in the doorway. Morning tubs let your students dive right in independently, giving you time to breathe (and sip your coffee while it’s still hot).

🧠 They build skills without feeling like “work.”
My tubs are filled with math, literacy, critical thinking, and fine motor tasks—disguised as games, puzzles, and challenges. The best part? Your students won’t even realize how much learning they’re doing.

🎯 They’re easy to prep and reuse.
Print, laminate, and pop them in bins. Done. I even include editable direction cards to make your life easier. (Because heaven knows you already have enough on your plate.)

📚 They grow with your students.
I’ve created a set for each grade—2nd, 3rd, and 4th—so the content hits that just-right sweet spot. The August tubs are perfect for Back-to-School, with a balance of review and confidence-boosting tasks.

If you’ve never tried Morning Tubs before, August is the perfect time to start. They’ll help you and your students settle into a routine that feels manageable and meaningful from Day One.

👉 Check out my August Morning Tubs here (available for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade)

Or if you’re all-in and want to make mornings easier all year long…
💡 Peek at the full Morning Tub Bundles here

Whatever you choose, just know this:
A smooth morning routine isn’t just possible—it’s just a tub away. 💛

Simplify Your First Week of School in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Grades

Make Your First Week of School Relaxing and Stress Free!

The first week of school can be a whirlwind for both new and veteran teachers. The excitement of meeting new students is often paired with the challenge of setting the tone for the year and ensuring everything runs smoothly from day one. 

Those can be some pretty big challenges.

I understand these challenges, and that's why I created a solution to help you start the school year with ease: theFirst Week of School Survival Kit.

This comprehensive First Week of School Survival Kit is designed for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-grade teachers. This differentiated unit includes everything you need to kick off the school year without the stress and hassle. 

Differentiated for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Grades

Each grade level has its unique needs and challenges. The survival kit is tailored to meet these needs, ensuring that every student is engaged and learning right from the start. Whether you're teaching 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade, you'll find materials that are just right for your classroom.

No Prep Required

Say goodbye to hours of preparation! This kit is designed to be print-and-go, saving you valuable time. With everything ready at your fingertips, you can focus on what truly matters – connecting with your students and creating a positive learning environment.

Comprehensive Lesson Plans

Detailed and easy-to-follow lesson plans will guide your teaching throughout the first week. These plans cover all academic subjects. With clear instructions, you can confidently navigate each day without feeling overwhelmed.

Engaging Activities

Captivate your students with fun and interactive activities included in the survival kit. These activities are designed to be both educational and enjoyable, helping you establish a positive classroom atmosphere from day one.

Valuable Tips

Benefit from expert advice that will help you manage your classroom effectively.The survival kit includes tips and tricks for a successful first week, ensuring you’re well-prepared for any situation that might arise.

All Subjects Included

This survival kit covers all academic areas, from math and reading to science and social studies. You can rest assured that you’re providing a well-rounded education to your students right from the start.

Grab a few tips and a no prep bulletin board for FREE.

A stress-free and relaxing first week of school can be yours for less than the cost of your favorite latte and will be, oh, SO worth it!

Helping you to be on top of your game before the school year even begins is just...

My Kind of Teaching!

Organization and Storage Ideas for the Elementary Classroom

Let’s talk about organization and storage today.

There are so many areas in a classroom. They all have different functions, and they all need to have a plan for storage and organization.

Seasonal Storage

Choose a location in your classroom to store items for your centers. I found it most accessible in my classroom to have ten large clear plastic boxes with lids. Each box was for one month of the school year. Inside the box, I placed items I only used during that month, such as seasonal items, decorations, classroom décor, seasonal books, etc. You can even include a file folder and a master copy of any worksheets and activities you might use during the month. Download these free seasonal labels to use in your own classroom.

Literacy Centers, Math Centers, & Morning Tubs

For literacy centers, math centers, morning tubs, and anything else you might use again during other times of the year, use smaller clear plastic boxes from the Dollar Tree and Ziploc baggies. Keep these more easily accessible than the monthly boxes. Label each with the month and type of center. Keep a master list of what is included each month so that the activities can be used at any time during the year. (I’m a huge believer in using things more than once.)

Related Post: Getting the Most Out of Task Cards

Teacher Desk

It’s also important to be organized at your teacher's desk, small-group/guided teacher table, and other teacher spaces. Here are some ideas.

Teacher Desk – Keeping your desk from becoming cluttered during the busy day is hard! Think about what things you need on your desk. Answering these questions will help you decide what you need in each location.

• What do I do at my desk?
• Do I need notepads, pens/pencils, a coaster, a list of passwords, etc.?
• What activities will I be working on when I am in this area?

Knowing what you will be using an area for will help you decide what kinds of supplies you need.

Ask yourself the same questions for any other areas of the room where you spend the most time. Make a list of supplies you need to accomplish those needs.

Some other places in your room for organization:

1. Ticket out the Door – If you plan to use something like this, have an area out of the way of traffic for your students to place their answers as they are ending the subject or leaving your classroom. See ideas for using this strategy along with a freebie in this blog post.

2. Important Reminders – I needed an area next to my door to hang important reminders for handing out as the students were leaving the room. These easy-peasy bulletin board dots I made were just perfect (and cheap!) for this area. Click here to read how to make your own bulletin board dots.

3. Small-Group/Teacher-Guided Area – A small bookshelf that can store baskets filled with commonly used items works great for this area. Keep things like dry-erase boards, markers, erasers, etc. that are used often and baskets for other activities you might choose for a smaller amount of time.

Read how to use small groups as an effective teaching strategy.

See more information at these links:

Morning Tubs

No Prep Literacy Centers

No Prep Math Centers

Having a place for everything in your classroom will help when you are lesson planning, preparing for the next day or week, and so much more.

Having everything organized and ready to go will help you get out the door on time each afternoon and isn't that one of your main goals?

What organization ideas do you have for your own classroom? Comment below to share. I would love to hear them!

Helping you with ideas for organizing your classroom is...

My Kind of Teaching

First Day of School Activities

The first-day jitters are REAL!

You’re not able to sleep the night before even though you know that you are ready.

You have butterflies in your stomach.

There is the excitement yet nerves that assail.

It still happens whether you're a new teacher, on the brink of retirement, or somewhere in between.

Learn to embrace it.

Here are some tips to help the very first day go smoothly.

1) Use a notepad and write down Every. Single. Minute. of the day!

2) Since the schedule is new to you, write down times and what you plan to do.

3) Students are unusually quiet the first morning, as they are nervous also. Give them a fun activity such as a coloring sheet to complete with their new school supplies as you greet everyone and take care of the things you must do.

(For younger grades, I always had a laminated piece of construction paper and a small playdough container on each desk. This was a huge hit!)

4) After you have taken care of attendance, begin your morning with introductions. Tell them a little about yourself. Go over the schedule for the day. They will especially want to know about lunch and recess.

5) Tell them the procedures for bathroom breaks, as this is another big concern for students.

The biggest concern for the teacher on the first day is to make sure that every student has time to eat and that you send them home correctly. I had a principal who always told us that the only concern for the first day of school was to “feed them, keep them safe, and send them home correctly”.

In between, you will want fun things to do as you begin learning about your students. Some ideas are:

• break the ice/getting to know you activities (Click here to see some fun ones in my store along with some fun writing prompts.)

• first day of school read-aloud

• a little math

• a little reading

• a game

• teach them something

Complete some activities to get to know your students better. Getting them moving makes things even better. A favorite game I liked to use in my classroom was four corners. For the first day of school, I modified it to a simple yes or no game.

You can tell students that the left side of the room is yes and that the right side is no. (On the rug for "yes" or off an area rug for "no" works also.)

Use these FREE yes/no questions I have prepared for you. Add some of your own, as well.

Play bingo with your students for an easy game that everyone knows. I have a digital back-to-school bingo game in my store, or you can use an academic one you already own. Click here to see digital bingo games.

Another fun game is “Four in a Row”. You can find it included along with other NO-PREP back-to-school activities in my store to last your entire first week of school. Just print and go to make planning so easy for you.

Click here to see First Week of Week Survival Kit

I always liked to teach my whole class a math game I created. This was a game they BEGGED to play the entire year. Teach it first as a whole group, and then add it to your first week of math centers. Add it to your math shelf so that students can play it with partners as an early finisher activity throughout the year. Click here to see this game.

Most importantly, check with your students to make sure that they know how they are getting home and that you have the correct information. Begin checking with them early on the first day. Double-check and triple-check. You want to make sure that you and the students are confident in how they will leave school.

Plan your day in the most minute detail to ensure that you have the smoothest first day you’ve ever had.

Having the best FIRST day ever is just...

My Kind of Teaching

Stop Teacher Fatigue and Overwhelm

Whether it's the beginning of the school year, the middle of the school year, the end of the school year, or any of the many days in between, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and get teacher fatigue.

TEACHER FATIGUE!!!  It's a real thing, y'all!!

I experienced MANY years of it myself.  But what if I told you that it didn't have to be like that?

TRUTH!!

I refined my kind of teaching through the years and each year got better and better.

Yes, it involves learning tips and tricks and tweaking those to fit your style and your life, but it CAN happen!

Recently, I sent out a survey to my e-mail subscribers asking them this question, "What do you struggle with about leaving school each day on time?" 

Side note - Sign up for weekly emails to receive tips, freebies, gift card giveaways, and more!

The number one answer was planning/prepping.

Not far behind was paperwork and grading.

There are ways to implement and maintain a level of readiness and preparedness in your classroom.  You have to be willing to sometimes say no, close your door, and put those blinders on to be able to walk out that door each afternoon.  

Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing a series of blog posts of ideas and tips that have been tried and tested.  You can use them immediately in your classroom!

Read this blog post to see what a typical day for you can look like when you can leave your classroom on time each day simply by implementing a few "work smarter, not harder" techniques.

WARNING: Implementing all of these ideas in your classroom will have the following side effects:

• leaving your classroom on time each day
• staying prepared and “on top of things” all year
• your classroom running like a well-oiled machine
• stress-free days
• more time for yourself and your family
• free time in the evenings and on weekends
• time to do the things you enjoy out of school
• restful sleep

One of my absolute favorite ways to get ahead of the game and beat teacher fatigue is by using NO PREP activities throughout the day as often as possible.  

This blog post about NO PREP Math Centers can help with a math centers.

Stop by again soon to read more tips to STOP TEACHER FATIGUE!

That's just...

My Kind of Teaching