No I did not make a toilet…but my Monday Made It has to do with the toilet! But it has to do with bathroom procedures and keeping the class bathroom clean! And yes, it involves drawing in the toilet. So get out your Sharpies and gloves!
Bathroom Procedures: The Toilet Spider
Look, I’m a dude. I get it: boys are gross and sometimes we can’t aim very well. Even as grown ups. True story. After years of teaching kindergarten I was struggling with bathroom procedures and how to keep the bathroom clean. Especially the boys peeing on the floor. Enter the toilet spider.
The toilet spider is a very similiar idea to using Cheerios or cereal when potty training at home. But if we used cereal at school, we’d stand in the bathroom all day with a box of cereal. The toilet spider is a permanent visitor to our class toilet and he gives the boys something to aim for.
Before school starts, put on 2 pair of rubber gloves.
Grab your Sharpie.
Get on your knees in front of the toilet. This puts you at a five year old eye level.
Draw your spider (or target, or happy face or mustache) to give the boys something to aim for.
You can do a spider or a target. Below are videos of me showing how I do each of them. I have always used a spider but decided to switch it up for the 2022 school year.
On the first day of school, take the boys into the bathroom and tell them that their job is to pee on the spider. Every time they go to the bathroom. Tell them he lives in our toilet and they need to make him leave. Make it fun. Make it a game. I also show them how to raise the lid and lower the lid and flush the toilet. You know….guy issues…
Then bring the girls into the bathroom and explain that boys are gross. And so they pee all over the floor. And you drew a spider in the toilet so they won’t pee on the floor.
Problem solved. Our bathroom floor stays dry 95% of time!
Then I realized that five year olds need visual reminders. Lots of visuals. So this should be true of the bathroom too!
So I to added a little to our bathroom procedures so I asked my friend Crystal at The Library Fox if she could whip me up some clean up clip art. Well, of course she did an amazing job so I was able to create a set of task cards for bathroom procedures. Yep. Toilet Task Cards! True story! Get em’ while they’re hot folks!
And yes, I named them Toilet Time Task Cards! Would you expect anything less from the kindergarten smorgasboard?!
And as for this question: do students ask to go to the bathroom? Do they have a signal?
In our classroom my students just go. If they need to go, they go. Because as an adult, I don’t have to ask to go. So I don’t expect my students to ask. I also don’t know if they really need to go or not, so they are free to go as needed.
For more beginning of the year procedures, check out this post for my 7 first day procedures!
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32 comments
OHHH I love these!!! and thanks for the toilet pic of your spider! I am sooooo doing this! Last year I got more than a little tired of cleaning up after the boys! We have one of the little bitty toilets in our bathroom, and it was way easy for them to over shoot! UGH
Love the Toilet Time Task Cards!!! I've always said we should put a cheerio dispenser in the bathroom for the boys to throw in and aim for…but your way means no toilets clogged with cheerios! Love it!
-Andrea
alwayskindergarten@gmail.com
Thanks so much for sharing!! These are for sure going to be on my first day lesson plan and procedures. Your kiddos are so lucky to have you as a teacher. I can't wait to see all you do this year.
Heather
The Busy Busy Hive
Oh my goodness – I love these! Bathroom procedures are very hard for my kids. Having these pictures is going to help so much. Thank you!!
I LOVE these task cards! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Becky
Lesson Plans & Lattes
I wish I got to work with you, your awesome 'stacheness, and your glitter!! Jealous of your team! I might put these Toilet Time Task Cards in our 2nd grade bathroom! 🙂
I love these. Am so sharing with my Kinder team.
Mels
Any tricks to get the spider to not come off when the custodian cleans the toilet? I used permanent marker but it still came off.
Not that I can think of. I just have to draw it again!
Greg! You are a scream!!!! Toilet time task cards…..now that's awesome!!!! And your “walk through” of drawing the spider on the toilet…priceless!!!!! Thanks for the smiles and for linking up:)))
4th Grade Frolics
bahahahahaha…insert uncontrollable laughter here – how could your new school not like you??? Love your spider idea. God bless all of your kinder teachers out there…every single one.
Catherine
The Brown-Bag Teacher
I am loving these!!!!!! Downloaded and will print, laminate and highly anticipate placing them perfectly in our one classroom bathroom that gets a lot of action…
Thanks a bunch and I know those teachers at your new school will love you!
Holly
Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade
I'm reading this and happy not to have a potty in my classroom! I am thinking ahead for my own son! Great ideas!
Jenny
Suntans and Lesson Plans
Still cracking up thinking of you down at a child's level drawing that spider…too funny! Thanks for the task cards….love them!
Stephanie Ann
Sparkling in Kindergarten
These are really cute. Thanks for sharing them. I could of really used them last year with my four year old class of 13 (yes you read that right) boys and 3 girls. We did a lot of singing the potty song by Heidi of Heidi songs before we would go to use the bathroom.
Hysterically laughing! My mom and I went to my new room today, which features a bathroom. We were talking about making it cute, and I asked what that sign she used to have for my brothers said. It was, “If you sprinkle, when you tinkle, please be neat, and clean the seat!” She said she'd bring it tomorrow – and that it matches the colors in my room. She used Cheerios, too. Can't wait to tell her about the spider!
Brooke
LOL! Only Kindergarten teachers can TRUELY appreciate this post. I can't wait to get into the bathroom and get funky with my Sharpie!
I love your toilet spider! I wonder if this works for big boys too??? I'm with you on being nervous every year at back to school time! I'm at a new school, new staff and new grade level this year. You would think 19 years of experience would ease my fears but it doesn't!! Good luck with your new school year!!
Aimee
aimee@vanmiddlesworth.org
Pencils, Books, and Dirty Looks
Looks like I'm gonna be hugging the toilet to draw a spider!!! 🙂 Love this idea and really hoping this works. So tired of the pee on the floor!!! Thanks for the adorable freebie, too!
Kelly
Beg, Borrow, Steal
I'm almost laughing too hard to comment! and to think I taught my boys to hit the water by throwing in a couple cheerios and told them to sink the ships. Would love to work at your school!
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These are adorable Mr. Greg!! Thank you so much! I FINALLY have a bathroom in my classroom this year, and these are perfect! I'm going to try your toilet trick also! 🙂
Oh my goodness I am laughing so hard I can so relate to this! I love the spider idea I am going to have to consider that. And I am downloading those task cards and putting them up in my our classroom bathroom. Only a kindergarten teacher would make the first card say “use the toilet” I LOVE it! Thanks!
Sarah
Clearly Kindergarten
You are a brave man… Kneeling on the floor of a boys bathroom! I know this is a great idea & I never would have thought of it! We need more men in kindergarten! Thanks for the task cards! I will use them! Just FYI my daughter goes to an international school & there's more men in kinder than women!
I enjoyed this.
http://mcanetworkacademy.com/mariee/the-first-day-of-kindergarten
Love these! Thank you for sharing. I can't wait to post them on my bathroom door. I hope this will help my little firstie boys.
Ok, this is GENIUS!!!! Thank you so much!!! One question…what do you do to get the boys to lift the seat?? Multiple times a day I was having to clean the seat for my sweet girls.
[…] Bathroom Procedures TOILET TIME The Kindergarten Smorgasboard. thekindergartensmorgasboard.com […]
[…] always accidental. As we noted above, those who stand up to pee don’t always have great aim. The Kindergarten Smorgasboard offers this solution: a toilet […]
[…] always accidental. As we noted above, those who stand up to pee don’t always have great aim. The Kindergarten Smorgasboard offers this solution: a toilet […]
[…] always accidental. As we noted above, those who stand up to pee don’t always have great aim. The Kindergarten Smorgasboard offers this solution: a toilet […]