¶ Intro / Opening
Project Lead the Way believes that students love learning that feels like play. Through hands-on problem solving, they strive to help kids explore who they can be. Project Lead the Way is a proud sponsor of PBS Kids and Work It Out Wombats. Learn more at PLTW.org. From your friends at PBS Kids. We are the Wombats. Malik! Zeddy, Zeke, and my stuffy snout. And you are our Wombuddies' best ever friends. Work it out, work it out, work it out, Wombuddies. If you're sad when things go.
¶ Unintended Popcorn Mess Makes Gramma Mad
Work out feeling mad. Hey, Wombuddies. Do you ever get really mad? The kind of mad where if you were a volcano, you would erupt. And lava would ooze out all over the floor. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Well, here's something we learned from Grandma Super. Even if you're feeling like a volcano, there's a way to... Step out your mouth!
because we totally, by accident, invented this new game. Catch the popcorn. We were making popcorn like we always do, but then the top of the popcorn maker came off. And popcorn started flying everywhere. So we made it into a game where we take bowls and try to catch the popcorn. Only sometimes we miss. Lots of times we miss. And we have to chase it. And here's where our story starts. Come back here, Popcorn. Watch out for the tables, Zeke. Uh!
Oh, no. Sorry, Super. What is going on here? We were just trying to catch the popcorn. And I, by accident, knocked over a cup of water. There's popcorn all over the floor and water all over the table. Super, you have your mad face on. You bet I have my mad face on. Because I am mad. I just cleaned up the kitchen. and I asked you to keep it tidy. We didn't mean to make a mess. I know you didn't mean to, but still, you made a mess. Sorry, Super. Yeah, we're sorry.
We're sorry. I'm going to take a few deep breaths... ...to calm myself down. And now...
¶ Gramma Super's Three Calming Steps
I'm going to my room. I need a minute. I don't like when Super is mad. I don't like when she's mad at us. What is Super doing? Why do I hear music? Let's go find out. That's so weird. She's playing marching music. And she's marching to it. Those are her footsteps. Even her footsteps sound mad. I wish we could get her to not be mad anymore. What if we bring her a bowl of popcorn? She loves popcorn. Good idea. I'll go get it. Got it.
Should we knock on her door? We have to. Otherwise, she won't know about the popcorn. Hi, Super. We... Um, brought you some popcorn. Because we know you like popcorn. And we're sorry about the mess. Well, thank you very much. Will you hold it for me? I'm not ready to eat it just yet. I'm still stepping out my mad. You have steps to get over being mad? I do indeed. First, I take a few slow, deep breaths to calm down.
Second, I put on loud music so I march around until I don't feel so mad anymore. Third, I put my mad into words so I can explain my feelings to whoever I'm mad at. To us, you mean? Yes, to you. If you go gather on the couch, I will be out shortly. Uh, okay. Thank you. I don't get what Super is doing. When I get mad, I just yell as loud as I can. Super, we're on the couch.
I've put my mad into words. Are you ready to hear them? Yes, I think. Part of it is talking and part of it is singing. Here we go. As you know, I spent a long time in the kitchen this morning cleaning it up. Then I went off to do the shopping. And what did I ask you? To not make a mess. Exactly. And what did you do? We made a mess. So you can see why I was mad. You undid all my hard work. So then I had to figure out how to deal with my mad, right?
¶ Understanding, Apology, and Peaceful Resolution
I decided not to yell, not to upset my little squishes, but instead to step it out. So step out, you're mad. Come on, sing along. because I feel so much better. I will join you on the couch. Yay! Do you want us to teach you how to play catch the popcorn? I think what Super would like is for us to clean up our mess. Bingo! Which we'll do right now. I'll sweep up the popcorn. I'll wash out the bowls. I'll wipe up the water. And I will put my feet up and eat this nice big bowl of popcorn. Mmm. Mmm.
If you want to get over your mad without yelling or fighting, come up with the steps that will help you calm down. Just like in Super Song. Step out your mad. It's the best way to do it. You work your way through it. So step out your mind. Ask your grown-up to subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes. You can listen to all our podcasts, watch videos, and play games for free at pbskids.org.
The Working Out Wombats podcast is produced for PBS Kids, by GBH Kids, and distributed by PBS Kids and PRX. Working Out Wombats is made possible by... a Ready to Learn grant from the U.S. Department of Education, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
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