Sub Tub Preschool Style!

I saw a pins for a sub tub, but every tub was for elementary school and none for preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten! I was beyond frustrated, but I after looking at 20 variations of sub tubs I can make my own. Hopefully this helps at least one other person in their quest for preschool sub plans and ideas. Happy Sub Building!

First I searched high and low for the perfect sized tub. I prefer tubs with lids, clear, and my classroom accent is blue. The ones at the Dollar Tree, unfortunately, weren't big enough for what I wanted, so I made my way to good old Walmart. I chose a clear blue tub from their storage container. It's a 6.5 qt tub and it only cost $3.50 after tax! Yay!

Second, I wanted to choose a theme that would I'd be able to leave in the tub all year. I'm forgetful and I know I will never change it by season or holiday or for any other reason. Since it is already named after a little submarine, sub tub. I went for the good old fashion Ocean theme. If you haven't already read my list of centers of themes from a previous post, click here to learn my madness.

Third, I created my layers of what to include in the tub. Starting from the top to bottom of what a Substitute would see first:

• Welcome Letter including basic rules
• Name tags
• List of trustworthy/untrustworthy students
• Schedule
• Center rules
• Free play rules
• Free center Friday rules
• Ocean books
• Ocean lace cards
• Word wall words
• Word writing list
• Trace board sheets
• Ocean Puzzle

Conveniently,  everything fit into the tub with room to spare!

Welcome Letter
This informal letter I typed includes, as its name, a welcoming to the class along with a few right off the bat things the Sub should know, as well as an extra attached page for good/bad student behaviors. It also includes a list of student names and explanation of what is included in the tub he/she has just opened. Here's the letter:


Name Tags
My students love any day they get to wear a name tag or sticker, so including these for the teacher who doesn't know them is genius. The tags themselves are just blank Avery labels, any size. The Sub writes each child's name onto the label and sticks it to them for the day. Whoever still has their name tag on at the end of the day gets an extra sticker on their chart!


List of Trustworthy/Untrustworthy Students
Sometimes this is tricky because my students are very cunning. They know what they can get away with and will try to pull the wool over anyone's eyes. I do have extremely honest students who tattle on themselves, so it could be worse. I do like to include an explanation on why the students are labeled trustworthy or untrustworthy.This gives a clear reason for the Sub to not doubt why the child is on which list.


Schedule
This is pretty self-explanatory. I include a time table excel chart of what to do, when to do it, and how. This eliminates any confusion about when and how things should be done. It is mapped out to ensure that no time is left unfilled.

Center/Free Play/Free Center Friday Rules
I have different sets of rules for the classroom depending on the day of the week and activity. The students learn quickly, but sometimes it can get complicated. I include a different sheet for each individual set of rules. Most of the rules are the same, but some are exempt for certain times.


Activities
Last but not least at the bottom of the sub tub are the activities for the day. This includes the Ocean books, lacing cards, word writing list, word wall words, tracing sheets, and puzzle.
Everything except for my word wall words can be found on Scholastic's Book Club at clubs2.scholastic.com Happy Shopping!