After-school program lets kids be kids

Long after the last bell rang at Glacier Gateway Elementary School last week, students were still busy in classrooms having fun.

The school has a six-week long after-school program where students from kindergarten through third grade work on art projects and Native American studies and just plain have fun.

The program is so popular, there’s often a waiting list, said kindergarten teacher Emilie Erler, who has coordinated the effort for the school for several years now.

Younger students rotate through different activities, while older students tackle more complex projects. One class, for example, was working on large “circle art” projects — paintings of trees with large circular leaves.

The activities are far less structured than regular class, and younger students spend most of their time playing and socializing, without distractions like computers, televisions and cell phones.

“It builds their social skills,” teacher Mary Noble said.

The kids like it because they get to play with students from other classes and other grades, she explained.

“It gives them a chance to just be kids,” Erler added.

The school has plans for two more sessions this year — one in February and another in spring. Each session lasts six weeks and one day a week, usually Tuesdays or Thursdays, Erler said.