Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Bubble Tubes Literacy Center!

SoOoOo, I found these little bubble tubes in the dollar bins at Target and they just happen to have little baseballs on them...which is the unit we're doing this week! Go Cards!!!
Anyway, they were so cute that I couldn't put them down and I thought Hmmmmm....what can I do with these???
This is what I came up with.......

I call them "talking test tubes" :)
Just fill the bubble tube with water and a pinch of glitter and put alphabet beads inside for a word that you want to practice...this one has "like" in it;) Oh, I should also mention that the bubble wands pull right out!
When I ran to Michael's to get the alphabet beads, I found these Easter themed bottles...4/$1.50!!! They are extra cute because the plastic is tinted pink, yellow, blue and green!  So, I snatched them up too! I got some pastel alphabet beads for those! It will look like little Easter eggs floating around in there!:) Apparently these bubble tubes are pretty popular and cheap! Yay for us!;)
UPDATE: I was a little worried about having leakers, so I made this little storage box for them. This way they can sit upright and I don't have to worry about them leaking:) Just get a kid sized shoe box and cut x's in the top with a knife! Then stick a tube in each hole:)
 So, here's my little response sheet that I made for this center!
 Click on the picture below to download/print a copy of the response sheet from google docs. Enjoy!!!!
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7 comments:

  1. LeAnne CooperApril 17, 2011 at 4:16 AM

    I LOVE this idea! My kinders would love to do this as the sight word station after we get back from spring break...can't wait to try it! Thanks for sharing!!

    Hangin' with Mrs. Cooper

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  2. Katie MenseApril 17, 2011 at 6:16 AM

    You're so welcome, LeAnne!!!;) Have fun!!!

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  3. UnknownApril 19, 2011 at 4:41 AM

    Thank you so much for the great idea. The children will love this. It just looks cool and I know the kids in my class will enjoy it.

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  4. LeAnne CooperApril 19, 2011 at 12:19 PM

    I found the bubble tubes at Walmart today in the Easter section. They had a bunny/egg set as well as basketball/baseball/soccer/football. I got the sports set, so I can use them year-round.

    Hangin' with Mrs. Cooper

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  5. LeAnne CooperApril 19, 2011 at 12:20 PM

    Oh, and I was going to ask...did you use any type of glue to keep the tops on? I was contemplating doing that as I made mine, but I wasn't sure if it would work with the water in there. I have a rambunctious group this year, and would rather be safe than sorry! Although, it is just water. :o)

    Hangin' with Mrs. Cooper

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  6. Katie MenseApril 19, 2011 at 3:39 PM

    Thanks, Emily! Hope your kiddos have fun!

    @LeAnne-It's so funny that you should ask this!!;) I had the same thought and I tried gluing my caps on with E6000(I'm obsessed with this glue!) Don't do it!!;) It melted the plastic and I had to buy new ones! LOL! However, on my new ones, after I screwed my caps back on I did put a little bit of ModPodge, just to seal the crack. I also put some on the sticker just in case it would get damp, that it wouldn't get ruined. I just really talked to the kids about how to take care of them and we haven't had any problems yet:)
    I was also a little worried about storage of them. So, all I did was get a kid sized shoe box and cut x's in the lid with a knife. Then, I stuck a bubble tube in each x and it has been the perfect little holder:) I'll try to remember to take a pic of it tomorrow so you can get a visual:)
    Hope this helps!!

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  7. JoannaAugust 11, 2011 at 9:52 AM

    Thanks so much for sharing this idea, I can't wait to try it with my kiddos this year! I purchased "baby soda bottles" from Steve Spangler Science a few years ago and found that these look just like test tubes except they have a screw on top and are quite durable (they won't break if you drop them!). I think they would be perfect for this activity!

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