Season 2, Episode 1
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Take Clean-Up Time From CHAOS to Calm
A Simple Addition To Your Clean-Up Routine That Will Make The Transition Smooth EVERY TIME!
Is clean-up time a disaster in your preschool classroom? Do all the kids finish cleaning up at different times turning it into a free-for-all?
Whether this is a big problem for you or not - you’re going to love the strategy I’m sharing today. Find out what simple activity you can have your students do when they are finished cleaning up – to make the transition SMOOTH LIKE BUTTER!
Welcome to season 2 of the Pre-K Teacher Family Podcast… This season, we’re going to be giving you quick and easy tips to make tomorrow better than today was in your classroom… little changes that have big results.
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Episode 1:
We're back baby.
Season two episode one - here we go!
This is episode one, and I am Caylee your host.
So this season, I'll be doing a lot of the episodes by myself. But don't worry, Layne will be back for some episodes. She's alive and well. And being a rock star mom.
Here's an update from Layne:
“Hey, pre K teacher family. It's Layne. You won't be hearing from me as much this season as you did our last season. I am now homeschooling two kiddos full time. So just a tad bit busier. I also am working at our animal sanctuary. So you won't hear from me as much but I'll still be around. I don't know if you remember back in our first season, the pandemic kit and Scout’s school shut down. And I started homeschooling and I loved it so much that we just kept with it. So I know you're in good hands with Caylee. She is the master of all things pre K. I know she'll keep you thoroughly entertained and enlightened. I will be around. Alright, bye miss you guys.”
Layne, I'm gonna need to have you on specifically to talk about homeschooling your kids. I have questions for you about that.
But yeah, I just I was dragging my feet. Because I didn't want to do this stuff by myself. I kept thinking about how disappointed everyone was going to be that lane isn't here, every episode. And I didn't want to let anyone down. But at the same time, I knew that I have tips to give. And if I have to do it by myself, because at this point in our life, we can't coordinate time to get together and record that often, which we still will do it. But it's just not a daily weekly thing that we can fit in our schedules right now. So I can make excuses all day.
But I have so much valuable content to get out to you that it was time to stop making excuses. And just press record. Because you need help. And help is what I'm here to give you.
You know what you should do?
Leave us a review and tell Layne how much you miss her, then maybe she'll pack up her family and come live out here on my homestead so we can record lots of episodes together.
For now I'm going to keep things straight to the point.
I'm not here to chit chat, (mostly because I have no one to chit chat with.)
But this season is all about bringing you helpful tips…
Not wasting time, no fluff, just the good stuff.
The episodes are going to be shorter, and they're going to be filled with quick wins quick tips, stuff that you can take and implement right away in your classroom to make big changes.
So this episode today is about cleanup time.
I have a few adjustments for you to try, that will dramatically improve the way that cleanup goes in your classroom. I'm going to tell you how to solve the problem of every kid getting done cleaning their center at a different time. You know some kids are at the easel they just put their painting on the drying rack and walk to the carpet done. Other kids are at Legos and they have to put every Lego away. So that's going to take more time.
What do you do as kids trickle over to the carpet?
I'm going to tell you exactly what you should do.
But first things first, we need to talk about the actual clean up song.
What kind of song do you play when it's time for your kids to clean up? Is it one of the really annoying ones? You may have heard me talk about this on Instagram.
I have a very strong opinion about clean up songs:
If you tell me” “You know what? Caylee, I love those annoying cleanup songs. “
Well, that's fine.
You know, you and I just have a different taste in music.
But I think most people use them because that's what everyone else uses. That's what they've always used.
We all just start chanting “Clean up!” and it just turns into whatever. But I'm here to show you there's another way. Here's what I use for a clean up song.
It's a simple, calming instrumental…
Doesn't that sound so much better?
Imagine that starting to play… it's time for cleanup to start. So the kids start moving around slowly, (rather than all of the other versions of all of the terrible cleanup songs out there.) That, basically, I don't want to have to play the examples, we all know them. But as soon as you hear it, it's like it…
They (Loud Traditional Cleanup Songs) make kids start chucking Legos, running in circles, losing their minds — it's asking them to amp up, instead of asking them to slow down for cleanup.
I actually have a whole playlist on YouTube that I'm going to share with you, it'll be in the show notes, with tons of examples of calming simple instrumental songs that you can use with your kids to change the way that everything happens when they hear that clean up song.
Okay, now that we got that out of the way, I want to talk about what happens when your new cleanup song comes on, it's going to be great, your kids are going to peacefully move to the music. And they're going to calmly place the toys where they belong.
And guess what, when one kid is done in 15 seconds, and the other kid is going to take seven minutes, you are no longer going to have a huge problem.
So this solution is originally a Montessori strategy.
And the first time I heard about it, I was just like, “Duh, it makes too much sense not to use it.”
It's just the most perfectly appropriate and logical thing for kids to do when they're done cleaning up at different times, you're gonna love this one, I'm telling you.
So here's what you do:
^^^ Wherever you have circle time, you're going to create a circle on the floor.
Basically, right there over their spots that they sit at when they're at circle time. So here's how you set it up. Either you and your para or you and a friend - you and someone else will have to work together. One of you will stand in the middle of where the circle is, and they're going to hold a piece of yarn, and then the other person is going to hold the other end of the yarn. And you'll adjust it to fit so that the one person can stand in place in the middle and the other person can walk around with that yarn stretched however far the distance is supposed to be to make a good sized circle. So you can kind of adjust it coming a little closer if you need to, you know, to avoid the furniture or whatever it is, but yeah, they're gonna walk around in a circle. And then you can take chalk if you have carpet, and just draw a chalk line. So that it can kind of be something that will fade over time as your kids get it down. And they won't need the line there anymore.
But you can also do it with something a little more permanent, like tape or however you want to do it. But there will be a line around the circle for kids to know that is what they're gonna walk on. And the Montessori way is like a very perfect way of doing everything. So I'm not a perfectionist, I'm pretty sure I just drew my chalk line and I kind of winged it, winged it? I just “wung” it. 😂
But as long as you have a line on the floor for your kids to look at, that's all you need. And what that line is for is for balancing on.
So as children finish putting away their materials during cleanup time, when they're done, they'll tiptoe to the line. And they'll start to balance and practice that control as they move their bodies along the line.
So there are a few important things that you need to teach your students before you just unleash this activity.
You're going to set them up for success by explaining some things to them before they actually get to balance on the line.
First, you're gonna model it for them.
And when you're modeling it, you're gonna have your feet touch, so like your toe is going to touch the heel of your other foot as you're walking. And that's the goal for them.
Some of them won't be able to do it that close in the beginning. But the good thing is, is that they're going to get better at this every single day. Because they're going to get to practice it every time they're done cleaning up, they're going to head over to the carpet. And they're going to practice this balancing.
I also like to tell them that they can choose between two options for what they want to do with their arms.
Giving them two choices to pick between just eliminates all of the other possible things they could come up with that they would like to do with their arms. Just cut all those out. And let's just use these two…
So I tell them, they can either stretch their arms out to the side, which can also help them to balance even better.
Or they can put their hands down by their side, which makes it a little bit trickier to balance but it's totally up to them whichever one they want to do.
But especially in the beginning, it's very hard for them to balance so give them that extra tip by saying, “If you spread your arms out wide to the side, like an airplane, it'll actually help you to balance better.”
They like to hear any kind of tips like that.
If you have shelves or other pieces of furniture close to where they'll be walking, make sure that you model that for them and show them what to do when they get close to those pieces of furniture. Tell them that they're going to move their arms so that they don't knock anything off of the shelves, and model how to move really carefully. Being even sneaky, I like to say, “Do you know what it looks like to be sneaky, that means we're going to move quietly, carefully, slowly…”
You really want to paint the picture for them and be as clear as you can about what you expect of them.
Tell them what it should look like what it should sound like, how they should move their feet, how they should move their arms, what they should be doing with their mouth… ya know, there's never too much that you can tell them, It's all helpful.
And then once you've modeled it for them, you'll be able to give one or two kids a chance to come up and model it for the class.
And then you're going to point out how nicely they're moving and how:
“Oh my gosh, look, they remembered to move their arm…so they didn't hit those markers that are on the shelf.”
“Wow, look at how careful he is being”
“Look at how quiet her feet are moving, I can't hear anything”
“They're not making any noise, they are so sneaky!”
“They are really balancing carefully.”
So then, once you've had a few kids come up and model it and they're doing it very well, you need to teach them how to JOIN the balancing line.
When they're finished cleaning up, they're going to come and join the line on the circle. But they are first going to think of it as like “a line” like they're lining up for going to specials….But, you have to kind of help them understand that it's not really “a line” because it's a circle.
And there's no first or last, which is kind of tricky for them.
All of your kids are going to want to naturally come up and join right behind another kid. It just - that's just how it happens.
So you're going to teach them that actually, when they're coming to join the line, they're going to look for an open space.
They're not going to start balancing right behind another person.
They're going to find a spot where there's no one on the line, that would be a good spot for them to join.
And then you can enlist the help of a few kids to come on up and show how this works. So a few of them can start walking on the line, and then someone's going to come up and, hmm… “Where would be a good spot for them to join in? Should they go right behind this kid right here? No… they're going to be stepping on his toes and his heels they’re going to step on his feet! … Instead, they should just start walking right over here. Look at this spot! There's no one around, they have space to balance, spread out their arms and move carefully as they practice balancing.”
And then there's one more thing that you're going to want to teach them before you invite the whole class to practice it together.
You have to talk about what happens when they get really close to the person that's in front of them. Because that's going to happen, it's totally inevitable.
They're going to be coming right up on the people that are in front of them.
And we're going to teach them what to do when that happens.
We're going to tell them, “Sometimes you might be close to someone who's in front of you. Other times, you might have someone that's behind you that's getting close to you. And that's okay, whenever you're getting close to another person, you're gonna think to yourself: *Time to be patient.* If you're coming up on someone that's moving in front of you, and you're getting close to them, you can start to slow down a little bit. You don't want to get really close and crowd up on the people in front of you. So once you notice that you're getting close, it's time to slow down, give them a little space.”
And then it's a good idea to have a student come up and help you practice walking right behind them.
Show your kids so they can actually see what is “a good distance.”
Let them actually see you show: “Here is a good distance, I'm still far enough away that I'm not smooshed up on them. And they still have room to walk without being too close.”
And then show them what it looks like when you start to get too close.
And really make it clear.
“Right now I'm a little bit too close. This is what it looks like when you're a little too close.” And then sort of model out loud your thinking in that moment, “I noticed that I'm getting too close. So I'm going to be patient, I'm going to slow down. And I'm going to let them move a little bit forward so that I'm not too close anymore. As they keep going. I won't be too close. I can change the way that I'm walking so that I keep a good distance from the people in front and behind me.”
Another good visual cue for them is to look at the feet.
So show them, again, what it looks like when your feet are too close to the people in front of you and show them exactly what “a good distance” would look like. Because the feet are a very concrete visual prompt that they can see.
And then you also want to let them know that sometimes they'll be close together with people. And other times, they'll have a big space. And that's okay.
Sometimes they tend to feel the need to hurry up and get right behind the person that's in front of them. But you want to make sure they know that It's fine, If there's a, you know, a few feet or a big gap - in between you, you don't need to rush to be behind the person in front of you.”
Because it's not really like we're in line the way that we are when we go to specials.
And one expectation that you want to make very clear to them is that no matter how far or close they are to other people, it's never okay to touch anyone. So you should never be to close - where you're touching them. If you are, you need to fix it right away, because we're not touching other people while we're balancing on the line.
But go about phrasing that in a really positive way.
And just tell them, “You're doing your own balancing, and other kids are doing their own balancing. And together, we're all working together to get better at balancing, which is a really important skill. And I know that you guys are going to get so good at this. Because you know what? We're going to be able to practice it every single day. Do you know what happens when you practice things over and over and over again, you get really good at them. And balance is something that we're going to practice every day.”
And then whenever you feel that they're all ready, you can go ahead and do the whole class practice at the same time.
But you're going to stagger how they start. So it's not like “Everybody okay, go!'“
No. You're gonna have a few kids start. You could put all the other kids right in the middle of the circle, and have them watch. And then maybe carefully tap each child as they're ready to join the line.
And all the while you're going to be narrating all the great things that you're seeing. And reminding them, “Oh my gosh, look how good we are this, we are so sneaky. Wow. Look how carefully you're balancing.”
Just overdo it with the positive feedback because they're all trying this new thing, and you want to encourage them to do it right, instead of starting to jump on kids who maybe aren't doing it exactly the way you want them to. Instead of correcting kids at this time, just keep focusing on what you're seeing that you want to see more of, and they'll catch on.
And I'm not saying avoid, or you know, ignore kids who are totally misbehaving. If they're acting out, of course, you need to address it.
But a lot of times, some of the kids are just focusing on their feet, and they're not doing the right things with their hands or whatever it might be.
But they are sincerely trying to do it the right way.
So just keep narrating and saying out loud what you want them to be doing. And they'll, you know, they'll try to do it their best. And it's a tricky thing for them in the beginning. But you'll see that they really get this down. And you'll see that it just becomes this really soothing and calming way to initiate that it's time to clean up. And also the new clean up song that you're gonna have whichever calm instrumental that you decide to use, there's so many fun options…
The whole thing is just going to make cleanup time, so much less intense, and so much more productive.
I actually have a video that I created for my YouTube channel with photos and a lot of things that will help to make this whole explanation much more clear:
Because once you see the pictures, you're going to totally just understand what I'm talking about much easier than just hearing it.
And now, I want to take a second real quick to check in with you to see what's going on with your kids?
How are you feeling?
How are things going in your classroom?
Do you have kids who are misbehaving and it's ruining things for the rest of the kids? Do you have one or two kids who are disrupting constantly?
Do you feel like you're walking on eggshells trying not to have that one kid flip out and throw a huge tantrum?
Do you feel like your kids don't listen, no matter what you try?
Are you repeating directions over and over?
Are you coming home exhausted because things aren't going the way you thought they would?
And you've been trying stuff but nothing's working.
Do you feel like you might just give up?
Maybe you were feeling excited over the summer and you were looking forward to getting back in there with your kids. And maybe it's just not as much fun as it should be.
Or maybe you dreaded going back because you knew what kind of craziness you're gonna be facing each day.
And maybe you're about to lose your mind.
But I'm going to share some good news.
You may or may not know this, but my sole purpose in life is to make you a better teacher…
I've told you this before, I'm a one man wolf-pack, sitting here recording this episode for you. And I didn't just start working for you today. I've been doing it for months.
In fact, I created a whole course for you.
I like to think of it as a little treasure map to guide you to the gold.
💚 Because here's the thing:
I know how to help you.
I know what you need to say to your kids to get them to listen.
I know what you need to do with that one really crazy kid who's completely out of control.
I know what you need to say to your kids, to make them follow directions the first time.
I know what you need to say, to make your students work harder than they've ever worked.
I know what you need to do to run a calm classroom.
And yes, I share tips on Instagram. And I'm going to make lots of podcast episodes to give you lots and lots of tips.
But nothing comes close to the course that I created.
One minute reels on Instagram aren't enough time to tell you what you need to know, my course is only six hours, if you sat and watched the whole thing in one sitting, which I don't recommend.
I think it's best to break it up and sit and watch when you have time.
You'll get a certificate at the end for six hours of professional development.
And those six hours are going to be me and you baby.
You'll see my face on the screen. And I will talk you through everything that you need to know the best part.
It's all simple stuff. It's not complicated. It just works.
And I made it for you. I hope you'll check it out.
And reach out to me if you have questions or want to talk about whether or not it's right for you. Send me a DM on Instagram —
Or Contact me right here right now:
Because you're the person I am here working so hard for …
I literally cannot wait to talk to you!! 💚
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You don't have to keep being interrupted at circle time.
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Sign up and get started—
Because you're going to see the results right away.
Tomorrow doesn't have to be the way that today was in your classroom.
Tomorrow can be better.
I hope you'll let me show you how.
Now is the time.
And I'm serious about the guarantees.
I built the course so that you wouldn't just be impressed.
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There are surprises.
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There's even an 85 Page printable workbook filled with stuff just for you resources, helpful things.
My course isn't going to leave you hanging.
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If you have questions, let's talk I'm here for you.
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🌻That's all for this episode
…sending you hugs from Montana.
And the next episode — I just finished writing in I like was tearing up ain't getting goosebumps.
Make sure that you do not miss episode two.
It's gonna be something different than you've ever heard. And I think you're gonna love it.
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