Waiting for the Buses

Wondrous Words

Dismissal time can be tricky to manage with a variety of interruptions that often begin when instruction is still finishing up. Once the announcements begin the calm seeps out of the room.  An elementary classroom can seem like a busy airport terminal with travelers racing to catch their planes.  Several students are picked up for activities "we can't be late for!" To which I wish to reply, "How can you be late when it is actually still part of the school day?"  Others are dismissed for school clubs.  After these groups depart, there is anywhere from ten to fifteen students left to wait a bit longer.  Hence, the "End of the Day" drawer: card games, word games, Rush Hour, Story Cubes, and a few others. Bananagrams is a one of our favorite end of the day activities. Kids know I love to play games and am especially fond of word games, so packing up and tidying up goes into high gear to make time for a round of word making. After several attempts at making the most of this hectic time of the day, I believe we have found a keeper!