Many Hands Make Light Work

Here's a handy idea to motivate your students to help clean up the classroom after a messy project or party. (Anyone have one of those this week?) They say that "Many hands make light work", so enlist class support and get the job done quickly! Just tell your students that in order to participate in the next activity (whatever that might be), they will each need to pay you one "ticket". A ticket is a scrap of paper (or other garbage) off the floor. Adjust your "price" based on the condition of your room. Three, four, five tickets.... how messy is your room?? Your ticket collector can walk around with the recycling can (or wastebasket) to collect the "tickets". The younger kids especially enjoy this transition, but as long as you don't over-use it, even 6th graders will buy in!