Latest / Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies / 225. 5 Easy Ways to Reignite Student Engagement During the September Slump

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225. 5 Easy Ways to Reignite Student Engagement During the September Slump · Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies

• 0:01
  Heidi: This is episode 225 of Teacher Approved.
• 0:06
  You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping
• 0:09
  educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm
• 0:13
  Heidi.
• 0:14
  Emily: And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
• 0:17
  Window, where we give research based and teacher approved
• 0:20
  strategies that make teaching less stressful and more
• 0:22
  effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from
• 0:26
  each episode at secondstorywindow.net.
• 0:28
  Heidi: We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
• 0:31
  the show.
• 0:36
  Emily: Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
• 0:39
  episode, we are talking about the mid-September slump. What
• 0:43
  happens when that back to school honeymoon period officially
• 0:46
  ends, and how you can keep your students engaged without
• 0:50
  completely exhausting yourself in the process.
• 0:53
  Heidi: Let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick
• 0:55
  win that you can try in your classroom right away. Emily,
• 0:58
  what's our suggestion this week?
• 0:59
  Emily: This week, try switching up your Monday morning question.
• 1:02
  Instead of asking students how their weekend went, ask what
• 1:05
  they're looking forward to this week.
• 1:08
  Heidi: This small change can make a really big difference for
• 1:10
  some kids. Not everyone has great weekends, and starting
• 1:14
  Monday by asking them to think about something that might have
• 1:17
  been hard can really set a tough tone for the day.
• 1:20
  Emily: Plus, for kids who struggle with being at school,
• 1:22
  reminding them about the fun they had at home can make it
• 1:24
  even harder to settle into the school week. Asking them to
• 1:28
  focus forward instead of backward helps them get mentally
• 1:30
  ready for what's coming.
• 1:31
  Heidi: It's a simple way to help kids regulate their emotions and
• 1:35
  start the week thinking about positive possibilities rather
• 1:38
  than dwelling on what they're leaving behind.
• 1:40
  Emily: If you like this idea or anything else we share here on
• 1:42
  the podcast, could you take a moment and give us a five star
• 1:45
  rating and review in your podcast players?
• 1:48
  Heidi: Well, we're in late September now, and if you're
• 1:52
  noticing that your adorable little angels are, well, maybe
• 1:55
  acting a little less angelic, you're probably not imagining
• 1:59
  it.
• 1:59
  Emily: No, because the honeymoon is officially over. Those first
• 2:04
  few weeks when kids were actually excited about your
• 2:06
  pencil sharpening procedure, when they hung on your every
• 2:10
  word about how to line up for the bathroom? Well, we hate to
• 2:13
  be the bearers of bad news, but that's done.
• 2:16
  Heidi: Oh yeah, it's long done. This was always a bittersweet
• 2:19
  transition for me. It was nice to feel like life was settling
• 2:23
  into a routine after the chaos of back to school, but there was
• 2:27
  something so sweet about their wide eyed enthusiasm for
• 2:31
  everything. It's so endearing when getting to use new glue
• 2:34
  sticks is the highlight of the day.
• 2:36
  Emily: Yeah, but it wears off fast, doesn't it? But the thing
• 2:40
  to remember is that this shift is supposed to happen. If
• 2:44
  everything stayed brand new and exciting all the time, then kids
• 2:46
  would be constantly overwhelmed. Their little brains need this
• 2:50
  shiny excitement to wear off so that they can focus on learning.
• 2:54
  Heidi: Which, you know, is not as endearing, but I guess, is
• 2:57
  probably more important. That means that once the rhythm of
• 3:02
  the normal school day is setting in, those little brains start
• 3:05
  scanning the room like, Hmm, okay, I've mastered the morning
• 3:09
  work situation. I know exactly what happens during math time.
• 3:12
  What else is happening around here?
• 3:15
  Emily: Yeah, it's like they have this internal radar that's just
• 3:18
  searching for the next interesting thing. You can just
• 3:20
  hear it beeping in your mind. And then if they don't find
• 3:24
  it...
• 3:25
  Heidi: Oh yeah, oh yeah, they will create their own
• 3:27
  entertainment. And I can promise you that their version of
• 3:31
  entertainment is not what you want to have happening during
• 3:34
  your reading lesson.
• 3:36
  Emily: No, definitely not. So if you're seeing more fidgeting
• 3:39
  kids rushing through work just to have something to do, or that
• 3:43
  glazed over look during lessons, their brains are simply saying,
• 3:46
  I need something worth paying attention to.
• 3:48
  Heidi: But don't let that get you down. We promise this is not
• 3:52
  a depressing episode. In fact, we think this dip in energy is
• 3:56
  actually a good thing, because once you understand this
• 3:59
  pattern, you can harness it instead of letting it run the
• 4:02
  show.
• 4:03
  Emily: And you don't need to overhaul anything to do it. A
• 4:05
  few simple tweaks can change everything. One of our favorite
• 4:09
  things to talk about on this podcast is the balance of
• 4:11
  structure and novelty in the classroom. We did a deep dive on
• 4:15
  this back in episode 99 if you want all the details. But as a
• 4:18
  refresher, picture one of those old fashioned scales, you know,
• 4:21
  like the ones you see in a courtroom that have like the two
• 4:23
  hanging buckets on it.
• 4:25
  Heidi: One of those buckets represents structure. This is
• 4:28
  your procedures, your expectations, your daily
• 4:30
  schedule, and anything else that gives shape to your day. The
• 4:34
  other bucket is spark. This is novelty, surprise, excitement
• 4:38
  and anything else that adds a little flair to the normal.
• 4:41
  Emily: When structure and spark are balanced, your students are
• 4:44
  engaged. Too much structure, and kids get bored and check out,
• 4:48
  too much spark, and they're completely overwhelmed.
• 4:50
  Heidi: At the beginning of the school year, that spark bucket
• 4:54
  is overloaded. Every single thing is brand new, new desks,
• 4:58
  new crayons, new routines and a whole lot of new faces. To
• 5:01
  balance all of that novelty, we lean heavily into structure at
• 5:04
  the start of the year. We work on getting to know each other,
• 5:07
  teaching procedures and settling everyone into the routine.
• 5:11
  Emily: Yeah, we're just working overtime, on loading up that
• 5:13
  structure bucket. And that was perfect for back to school
• 5:16
  season, but now that bucket is getting pretty heavy, so it's
• 5:19
  time to add some spark to balance things back out.
• 5:22
  Heidi: And we are using the word spark on purpose because we are
• 5:25
  talking about tiny, little glints, not a full fireworks
• 5:30
  show.
• 5:31
  Emily: Yeah, think small, intentional moments that signal
• 5:34
  to kids, Hey, learning is pretty fun. And the best part is that
• 5:38
  most of these cost nothing and take almost no prep. All they
• 5:41
  need from you is a bit of intention.
• 5:44
  Heidi: So let's talk about five simple ways to add that spark
• 5:47
  back into your day. And these really are simple. Think micro
• 5:51
  novelties, little effort, big payoff. And the first one is to
• 5:56
  change something.
• 5:58
  Emily: Changing something can be as basic as moving your read
• 6:00
  aloud to a different corner of the room, or it can be letting
• 6:03
  kids do their spelling practice with markers instead of pencils.
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  Suddenly, spelling feels special, even though it's the
• 6:09
  exact same words.
• 6:10
  Heidi: A simple way to make a change is switching up where you
• 6:13
  teach lessons. Instead of standing at the front board, try
• 6:16
  teaching math back at the carpet one day. Your lesson plan can
• 6:20
  stay exactly the same, but your students will instantly be more
• 6:23
  tuned in.
• 6:25
  Emily: A great way to create that, oh, something's different
• 6:27
  feeling at the end of September is to rearrange your desks. You
• 6:32
  are probably going to change seats at some point soon anyway,
• 6:35
  you might as well use it strategically.
• 6:37
  Heidi: And we have lots of thoughts about how to do this
• 6:40
  process strategically.
• 6:41
  Emily: Who us, have lots of thoughts?
• 6:43
  Heidi: I know. You might even say we have all of the thoughts
• 6:47
  about this. So your seating arrangement is one of your
• 6:51
  greatest classroom management tools. So let it work for you.
• 6:55
  You can find the details in episode 97 where we walk you all
• 6:59
  the way through all of the details for our teacher approved
• 7:01
  seating system.
• 7:02
  Emily: Also check out our digital seating chart tool that
• 7:05
  lets you try out lots of different strategic
• 7:08
  arrangements. Twenty minutes of planning a well balanced seating
• 7:11
  chart can buy you two months of decreased management issues.
• 7:15
  It's a very smart investment, and there's a link to it in the
• 7:18
  show notes.
• 7:19
  Heidi: Okay, besides changing something. The second way to
• 7:22
  increase Spark is to add to what you're already doing. Add a
• 7:26
  quick brain break between subjects, add a funny prop or a
• 7:29
  sound effect. You can even try out a new accent for a few
• 7:32
  minutes. And if your accent is terrible, that's even better.
• 7:38
  Emily: Thank you, Pepe Le Pew.
• 7:40
  Heidi: Should I do the whole episode like this?
• 7:43
  Emily: I'm gonna say no on that one.
• 7:45
  Heidi: Spoilsport.
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  Emily: Or you can add movement to something that's usually done
• 7:49
  sitting down. So instead of reviewing math facts at their
• 7:52
  desk, you can have kids stand to do jumping jacks while they
• 7:54
  practice. You're still meeting your math goals, but with a
• 7:57
  totally different energy.
• 7:59
  Heidi: You could also think about adding something
• 8:01
  unexpected to your routine. For example, maybe you add comedy
• 8:05
  captain to your class jobs. That person's job is to read the
• 8:08
  day's joke to the class at the start of morning meeting. Or you
• 8:11
  could try ending the day with a silly clap or a chant.
• 8:14
  Emily: Adding a new element makes old routines feel like an
• 8:17
  upgrade, but don't feel like you have to make this a year long
• 8:19
  commitment. We want novelties to stay novel. So once everyone in
• 8:24
  the class has had a turn to be comedy captain for the day, you
• 8:27
  can retire that position until you need it in February, because
• 8:31
  then you can bring it back as a way to enliven the dreary winter
• 8:34
  days.
• 8:35
  Heidi: Yeah, the goal is to sprinkle in just enough newness
• 8:38
  to keep things fresh, and then take it away so it keeps feeling
• 8:42
  fun.
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  Emily: That sounds mean, but it's not mean. We're not giving
• 8:46
  them something and then ripping it away.
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  Heidi: We're doing it out of love.
• 8:50
  Emily: We're just pulling it back a little for later.
• 8:53
  So the third way to add Spark is to celebrate something. And
• 8:57
  before you panic, we are not talking about classroom parties.
• 9:00
  Heidi: No, we would need three episodes to talk about classroom
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  parties. Check out episodes 33, 34 and 96 if you don't believe
• 9:07
  me, but the celebrations that we are talking about today are much
• 9:11
  more low key.
• 9:12
  Emily: Much, much, much, much more low key. Think 30 second
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  dance break because it's Wednesday afternoon, or, you
• 9:20
  know, one of those silly whatever the daily holiday is,
• 9:24
  like, you know, did you know there's a National Cheese Day?
• 9:28
  Heidi: Of course, there is. There's a national day for
• 9:30
  everything.
• 9:31
  Emily: Yeah, and I think we just missed Talk Like a Pirate Day
• 9:34
  for this year. But National Random Acts of Poetry Day,
• 9:38
  American Touch Tag day and National Grouch day are all in
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  October.
• 9:43
  Heidi: Oh, put those on your calendar. And also in October,
• 9:46
  if you're looking for more of a personal celebration, there is
• 9:51
  National Bra Day and National No Bra Day.
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  Emily: Oh my gosh. Maybe don't put those on the classroom
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  calendar, though. I think you can just keep that one to
• 10:01
  yourself.
• 10:03
  Heidi: Yeah, probably for the best. But you aren't limited to
• 10:07
  the calendar when it comes to planning celebrations. Pick a
• 10:09
  day this week and have everyone whisper for the entire morning
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  just because. Kids eat that stuff up.
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  Emily: Yep. The fourth simple way to increase spark is to add
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  choice, and this is so motivating for kids. Maybe you
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  let them pick where to work for one assignment, they can sit at
• 10:24
  their desk or under their desks or in the reading corner.
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  Heidi: Just make sure that whatever choices you give them
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  are choices you can live with. Don't offer the choice to work
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  under their desks unless you're actually okay with kids crawling
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  around down there.
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  Emily: Yeah, you can only be the fun teacher, or if you're also
• 10:41
  okay being the lay down the law teacher. For choice to work, you
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  have to hold students to high expectations. It's that warm
• 10:48
  demander mentality that we were talking about. I don't know if
• 10:51
  that was last week or two weeks ago. So it'd be saying like, Oh,
• 10:54
  it sounds like you're playing under your desk instead of
• 10:57
  working, so time to move back to your chair. You can decide if
• 11:00
  you want to give the student a second chance after a few
• 11:03
  minutes, or if it's just better for them to be done for the day.
• 11:05
  Heidi: With classroom structure, the boundaries are clear for
• 11:08
  students. Adding spark, however, can come with some boundary
• 11:12
  pushing. Kids naturally want to see how far they can go,
• 11:16
  because, as we like to say here on the podcast, the minimum
• 11:20
  standard of behavior in any classroom is, what can the
• 11:23
  students get away with?
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  Emily: The potential payoff from adding spark to your day is
• 11:27
  worth some hassle, but also be willing to walk it back if it
• 11:31
  sends your kids into overwhelm. And if a big choice like
• 11:34
  choosing where in the room to work is too big for your
• 11:36
  students to handle, just keep it small.
• 11:38
  Heidi: Yeah, even something like letting students choose between
• 11:41
  solving their math problem on a whiteboard or on a sticky note,
• 11:43
  can make the whole day feel fresh and exciting. Either way,
• 11:47
  they're doing their work, which is a win for you, but the kids
• 11:50
  feel like they got a treat, which is a win for them.
• 11:53
  Emily: And that brings us to the fifth way to add spark to your
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  day, and that is to solve something. Kids love a good
• 11:59
  mystery or challenge. So start phonics with a riddle, or
• 12:02
  present your science lesson as a problem that they need to figure
• 12:06
  out.
• 12:07
  Heidi: You could write clues on the board and have them guess
• 12:09
  what today's vocabulary word will be, or create a simple
• 12:12
  classroom mystery, like someone has stolen our pencil sharpener.
• 12:16
  Let's examine the evidence.
• 12:18
  Emily: A great way to add a little mystery in math is to
• 12:20
  give students story problems with no numbers. You can cover
• 12:24
  up the numbers in the problem or just leave a blank space. At the
• 12:27
  park, Devin saw some birds in a tree and some in the grass. How
• 12:30
  many more birds were in the tree than in the grass?
• 12:34
  Heidi: Because the students are missing key information, their
• 12:36
  brains are much more interested in figuring things out, instead
• 12:40
  of just solving for a quick answer. And if you have taught
• 12:43
  this type of story problem before, that is especially
• 12:45
  helpful, because when they hear how many more, how often do kids
• 12:49
  just jump to addition, even though it's a subtraction
• 12:51
  problem?
• 12:52
  Emily: Yeah.
• 12:53
  Heidi: This bit of mystery slows everybody down and it gets them
• 12:56
  thinking before you reveal the numbers.
• 12:58
  Emily: Solving something can also look like meeting a
• 13:00
  challenge. Activities like finish before the timer beeps,
• 13:04
  find three mistakes in my work, or solve the puzzle before the
• 13:07
  bell can be extremely motivating.
• 13:09
  Heidi: Just make sure that you've included accommodations
• 13:12
  for any learners who might find this type of activity more
• 13:15
  pressure than pleasant. We don't want to stress kids out in the
• 13:18
  name of having fun.
• 13:19
  Emily: You really don't have to add something big to spark
• 13:21
  curiosity. Even small surprises signal, Hey, pay attention,
• 13:25
  something different is happening here.
• 13:27
  Heidi: But while you are adding these moments of spark to your
• 13:30
  day, you also want to keep an eye out for any early warning
• 13:33
  signs that your structure might also need some attention. As our
• 13:37
  procedures become routines, little cracks can start to show.
• 13:40
  Emily: Think of these as your check engine lights. Yes, you
• 13:43
  can probably drive for a while with that light on, but
• 13:45
  eventually you're going to have bigger problems if you don't
• 13:47
  deal with it soon.
• 13:49
  Heidi: And it's the same thing in your classroom. If you notice
• 13:52
  that you are giving the same reminders over and over and
• 13:54
  over, or the same kids keep making the same mistakes with
• 13:57
  procedures, that is your warning light blinking.
• 14:01
  Emily: For example, maybe morning work completion is
• 14:03
  getting sloppy. A few kids aren't finishing, others are
• 14:06
  rushing through without thinking. It's easy to just
• 14:09
  remind those kids individually and keep moving.
• 14:12
  Heidi: But if you find this happening, step back and really
• 14:15
  look. If it really is just a couple of kids, you can find
• 14:18
  ways to support them individually. But if it's more
• 14:21
  widespread, that's your signal to hit the brakes and reteach.
• 14:26
  Emily: I know the last thing any of us wants to do is go
• 14:28
  backwards and reteach something we covered in detail just a few
• 14:31
  weeks ago, but trust us, taking two days to reset expectations
• 14:35
  now will save you weeks of frustration later.
• 14:37
  Heidi: When I taught second grade, I learned this the hard
• 14:39
  way. I would notice my morning routine getting a little loose
• 14:42
  about this time of year. And I would think, Oh, I know they've
• 14:45
  got it. They're just being kids. They'll settle in and things
• 14:48
  will be fine. But a few weeks later, my whole morning would be
• 14:51
  chaotic, because when one piece goes, it takes the whole system
• 14:55
  down with it.
• 14:57
  Emily: This is not the fun part of teaching. And the kids don't
• 15:00
  enjoy it any more than you do, but when they know exactly
• 15:04
  what's expected, kids are free to focus on learning, instead of
• 15:07
  trying to figure out the rules or figure out a way around the
• 15:10
  rules.
• 15:11
  Heidi: So as you navigate this mid-September transition,
• 15:14
  remember that what's happening is totally normal. It's a signal
• 15:18
  that your new students are ready for the next level.
• 15:21
  Emily: Keep those solid routines, that structure is
• 15:23
  still super important, but start sprinkling in some small
• 15:26
  surprises and choices and pay attention to the warning signs
• 15:30
  before they become bigger issues.
• 15:32
  Heidi: These aren't huge overhauls, they're just tiny
• 15:35
  tweaks that can make a big difference in keeping your
• 15:37
  students engaged as you settle into your school year rhythm.
• 15:41
  And if you want more ideas for increasing engagement at the
• 15:43
  start of the year, make sure to go back and check out episode
• 15:46
  156.
• 15:48
  Emily: We'd love to hear how you handle the September slump. Come
• 15:51
  join the conversation in our Teacher Approved Facebook group.
• 15:55
  Now for our Teacher Approved Tip of the Week, where we share an
• 15:57
  actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and
• 16:00
  simplify the rest. This week's tip is about getting ahead on
• 16:03
  parent communication by scheduling emails now. So tell
• 16:07
  us about this, Heidi.
• 16:08
  Heidi: Well, this one is such a time saver. If you know you're
• 16:11
  going to need to send the same type of email to parents
• 16:14
  multiple times throughout the year, sit down and draft those
• 16:17
  emails now. So for example, if you do a star student each week,
• 16:21
  just draft the email. Your child will be star student in two
• 16:24
  weeks, please send me a photo for their poster by Friday, and
• 16:27
  then schedule it to send two weeks before each child's turn.
• 16:31
  Emily: You can do the same thing for field trip permission slips,
• 16:34
  conference sign ups, or any regular parent communication.
• 16:37
  Draft the email once, then schedule when it needs to go
• 16:40
  out.
• 16:40
  Heidi: Now if you want some bonus points, cc yourself on
• 16:44
  these emails. That way you get a copy in your inbox as a reminder
• 16:47
  that the email went out and that you should expect responses.
• 16:51
  Emily: Oh so smart. This is a great way to save time and make
• 16:54
  sure you stay on top of important communication. Most
• 16:56
  email systems let you schedule messages. You just compose the
• 17:00
  email like normal, then look for the option to schedule it
• 17:02
  instead of sending immediately.
• 17:03
  Heidi: The key to making this work is having your important
• 17:06
  dates mapped out ahead of time. If you know when your
• 17:09
  conferences are, when field trips are happening, or any
• 17:12
  special events that are coming up, like dress up days, you can
• 17:14
  definitely schedule those reminder emails now.
• 17:17
  Emily: This same system works for positive communication too.
• 17:20
  Maybe you want to send a 'great job this week' email to three
• 17:23
  different parents throughout the month. Draft those emails now
• 17:25
  and schedule them to go out when you want.
• 17:27
  Heidi: This way parents get the information with plenty of
• 17:30
  notice, and you're not spending Sunday nights frantically
• 17:32
  writing emails. So I think this is a win all around.
• 17:35
  Emily: Yeah, maybe you want to consider setting aside one of
• 17:38
  your planning times this week to set up your scheduled emails for
• 17:40
  the next month or two, and your future self will be so grateful
• 17:44
  if you do.
• 17:44
  Heidi: To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we're giving
• 17:47
  extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra
• 17:49
  credit?
• 17:50
  Emily: I'm giving extra credit to the new game from the New
• 17:53
  York Times that's called Pips. It has a cute name, and it's a
• 17:57
  cute game. It's a game where you rotate dominoes to fit into a
• 18:01
  game board, but there are certain parts of the board that
• 18:04
  have conditions, like all of the numbers in a certain part of the
• 18:07
  board must be the same, or certain squares must be greater
• 18:10
  than or less than a specific number. It kind of reminds me
• 18:14
  of, like the logical rules of playing Sudoku, but this is
• 18:18
  probably more fun. Yeah, I'd say this is more fun. Especially
• 18:23
  because it's like visual and they have three levels of
• 18:25
  difficulty that you can play each day. So it's a new fun
• 18:29
  addition to my daily puzzle schedule.
• 18:32
  Heidi: I could see this being really popular with older
• 18:34
  students, like this would be a perfect math warm up.
• 18:37
  Emily: For sure, yeah.
• 18:38
  Heidi: Might have to build up to the harder level.
• 18:41
  Emily: Yes, those take a little bit more brain power.
• 18:45
  Heidi: Yes, that is a very fun addition to what the New York
• 18:47
  Times has offer. I'm just bitter that they locked up the mini
• 18:50
  crossword. It's fine. It's fine. I'll get over it.
• 18:53
  Emily: I know, I'm so sorry, and I subscribe, but only because it
• 18:55
  was only $5 a month. When that expires, if they want me to pay
• 19:01
  more, I probably won't pay more, but I'm willing to pay $5 a
• 19:03
  month to get to play the mini every day. What are you giving
• 19:07
  extra credit to, Heidi?
• 19:09
  Heidi: Well, I'm giving extra credit to simmer pots. Now that
• 19:12
  it is finally cooling down, I'm leaning into all things cozy and
• 19:16
  fall. I love having a pretty pot bubbling away on my stove, and I
• 19:21
  have been preparing.
• 19:23
  Emily: Wow.
• 19:24
  Heidi: So during this summer, I used my air fryer, oh my gosh, I
• 19:29
  can't believe I did this. I used my air fryer to dehydrate lemon
• 19:32
  and orange slices for this moment.
• 19:34
  Emily: Oh my gosh, Martha Stewart.
• 19:36
  Heidi: I know pretty much. Now, did this make a task of slicing
• 19:41
  fruit 4000 times harder and more complicated than it should have
• 19:46
  been? Yes. But it means that I can make a simmer pot anytime
• 19:53
  the mood strikes, even if I don't have fruit on hand. And
• 19:56
  that was always the hang up for me. I was like, oh, this would
• 20:02
  be the perfect day to have, you know, some orange and cinnamon
• 20:02
  going on the stove. I don't have any oranges.
• 20:03
  Emily: Uh huh.
• 20:04
  Heidi: So I was like, oh, add it to the grocery order and then
• 20:07
  get it a week later, and that, you know. So this way I'm
• 20:10
  totally prepared. Now, I did a little investigating, Heidi
• 20:13
  science corner here. So I did an orange, dehydrated it, and put
• 20:19
  it on the stove, and it did not have any scent.
• 20:21
  Emily: Oh, no!
• 20:22
  Heidi: I was very bummed. But then I did a fresh one in it
• 20:26
  also did not have any scent in a simmer pot. Like, if, if I put
• 20:30
  my face right in it, like close enough that I was having to hold
• 20:32
  my hair back so it didn't catch on fire, like that close, then
• 20:35
  it had some orange scent to it. But the fresh ones didn't smell
• 20:39
  any stronger than a dehydrated orange. So I just now I'm using
• 20:42
  it for esthetics, although I did then get some orange oil in
• 20:50
  there. So we'll see. I turned a simple task into a production.
• 20:55
  But that is fully my MO. If you have been here for more than
• 20:58
  five minutes, you know this about me. So this is where we're
• 21:00
  at.
• 21:01
  Emily: Well, it could have been this really awesome hack.
• 21:04
  Heidi: Well, it is, because, like, it's not pretty without
• 21:07
  the citrus floating in there.
• 21:09
  Emily: Oh, for sure. The only thing I hate is that, like, it
• 21:11
  doesn't stay pretty for very long once you've put the the
• 21:14
  fruit in, it all turns.
• 21:16
  Heidi: Especially if you do the cranberries ones.
• 21:18
  Emily: Yes, yes, that's true. And I do usually do the one with
• 21:21
  cranberries. If I did one without cranberries, I bet it
• 21:23
  would hold up a little longer, but the oranges do turn into a
• 21:26
  big mushy mush.
• 21:26
  Heidi: Yes, and we can tell, because we have glass simmer
• 21:29
  pots for this.
• 21:31
  Emily: Obviously.
• 21:32
  Heidi: And I did if, if anyone else is on this same kick, I did
• 21:37
  put a link in the show notes so you can find one. But the one
• 21:40
  that's the thing too, is not anything special, just look for
• 21:43
  something that's about two liters, I found that's a good
• 21:45
  size, because you need it big enough to hold all the bits and
• 21:47
  pieces and then water.
• 21:49
  Emily: Well, I feel like now is the moment to mention that if
• 21:52
  you like this content about dehydrated fruit for simmer pots
• 21:57
  in your pretty glass pots, then you would probably like our
• 22:00
  podcast The Holiday Headstart, where we talk all about ideas
• 22:06
  for making every day special, especially season changes and
• 22:10
  the holidays. So come join us over there, if you like this
• 22:13
  riveting content.
• 22:15
  Heidi: Yes, that's how you will know if you like that podcast.
• 22:17
  If this sounded interesting to you, that podcast is the place
• 22:22
  for you.
• 22:22
  Emily: You know what, if this doesn't sell that podcast, I
• 22:25
  don't know what would.
• 22:27
  Heidi: Well, that is it for today's episode. Remember, the
• 22:31
  September slump is completely normal, but you can make it work
• 22:34
  for you and not against you by keeping routines steady and
• 22:38
  adding small moments of surprise and delight.
• 22:42
  We hope you enjoyed this episode of teacher approved. I'm Heidi.
• 22:46
  Emily: And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
• 22:49
  or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an
• 22:52
  Heidi: You can connect with us and other teachers in the
• 22:52
  episode.
• 22:55
  Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.
• 22:58
  Bye for now.
• 22:59
  Emily: Bye.