Ages 5-11 · Book 1, Accountability · 4,299 places
On the Bus
Twenty minutes with one adult facing the wrong way. A routine the children own is the only thing that works out there.
Built on Ellis Abel and the Red Block — “Big feelings. Small choices. Real accountability.” A character series, not a curriculum with a worldview attached.
The five sessions
- Session 1
Pick the one moment in the day that goes wrong most often
- Session 2
Read the story and name what is actually happening in it
- Session 3
Write the routine down in three steps a child can say back
- Session 4
Run it for a week without changing it, even on the bad days
- Session 5
Come back to it and let the child say what got easier
Questions leaders ask
Is on the bus in your area a religious program?
No. Ellis Abel is a character series. Each volume carries one named core value — this one is accountability — and the story does the teaching. There is no doctrine in it, nothing to opt out of, and it is used in public schools, libraries and secular programs as readily as anywhere else.
What ages does this work for?
Ages 5-11. The story is read aloud, so a child who cannot read yet is fully in it, and the discussion prompts are written in two bands so one adult can hold a mixed-age room.
How long does a session take in a your area classroom?
Twenty to thirty minutes, structured as read-aloud, small group, and one step each child names out loud before they leave the room.
Does this need a specialist to deliver?
No. It is written for the classroom teacher, the counselor, or whoever has the room that period. The leader script carries the questions and the follow-ups.
The rules that make it work
This is a character story, not a behaviour plan
Ellis Abel is a core-values series. No child is assessed, scored, diagnosed or labelled anywhere in it. It gives a room shared language, and it stops there.
Big feelings are not misbehaviour
A four-year-old at full volume is not defying anyone. Treating the feeling as an offence teaches a child to hide it, which is the opposite of the skill.
Name first, always
Every attempt to fix a feeling before naming it fails, and it fails loudly. The order in the book is the order in the room.
Ownership is small and specific
"Be responsible" means nothing at four. One job, done alone, every day, means everything, and it generalises on its own.
Adults go first
The adult naming their own feeling out loud in front of the child does more work than any session. Children copy what they see under pressure.
Routines beat reminders
A routine a child can recite is theirs. A reminder an adult repeats is the adult's, and it has to be repeated forever.
On the Bus by metro area
Northeast
- On the Bus — New York, NY
- On the Bus — Philadelphia, PA
- On the Bus — Boston, MA
- On the Bus — Pittsburgh, PA
- On the Bus — Providence, RI
- On the Bus — Hartford, CT
- On the Bus — Buffalo, NY
- On the Bus — Rochester, NY
- On the Bus — Bridgeport, CT
- On the Bus — Albany, NY
- On the Bus — Worcester, MA
- On the Bus — Allentown, PA
- On the Bus — Poughkeepsie metro area, NY
- On the Bus — Syracuse, NY
- On the Bus — Harrisburg, PA
- On the Bus — New Haven, CT
- On the Bus — Portland, ME
- On the Bus — Scranton, PA
- On the Bus — Lancaster, PA
- On the Bus — York, PA
- On the Bus — Springfield, MA
- On the Bus — Waterbury, CT
- On the Bus — Reading, PA
- On the Bus — Manchester, NH
- On the Bus — Trenton, NJ
- On the Bus — Atlantic City, NJ
- On the Bus — Utica, NY
- On the Bus — Norwich, CT
- On the Bus — Erie, PA
- On the Bus — Binghamton, NY
- On the Bus — Barnstable, MA
- On the Bus — Burlington, VT
- On the Bus — Kingston, NY
- On the Bus — Amherst, MA
- On the Bus — Chambersburg, PA
- On the Bus — Bangor, ME
- On the Bus — State College, PA
- On the Bus — Vineland, NJ
- On the Bus — Lebanon, PA
- On the Bus — Johnstown, PA
- On the Bus — Pittsfield, MA
- On the Bus — Glens Falls, NY
- On the Bus — Altoona, PA
- On the Bus — Lewiston, ME
- On the Bus — Williamsport, PA
- On the Bus — Watertown, NY
- On the Bus — Gettysburg, PA
- On the Bus — Ithaca, NY
- On the Bus — Elmira, NY
Midwest
- On the Bus — Chicago, IL
- On the Bus — Detroit, MI
- On the Bus — Minneapolis, MN
- On the Bus — St. Louis, MO
- On the Bus — Cincinnati, OH
- On the Bus — Kansas City, MO
- On the Bus — Columbus, OH
- On the Bus — Indianapolis, IN
- On the Bus — Cleveland, OH
- On the Bus — Milwaukee, WI
- On the Bus — Grand Rapids, MI
- On the Bus — Omaha, NE
- On the Bus — Dayton, OH
- On the Bus — Des Moines, IA
- On the Bus — Madison, WI
- On the Bus — Akron, OH
- On the Bus — Wichita, KS
- On the Bus — Toledo, OH
- On the Bus — Springfield, MO
- On the Bus — Lansing, MI
- On the Bus — Fort Wayne, IN
- On the Bus — Youngstown, OH
- On the Bus — Flint, MI
- On the Bus — Canton, OH
- On the Bus — Davenport, IA
- On the Bus — Ann Arbor, MI
- On the Bus — Peoria, IL
- On the Bus — Lincoln, NE
- On the Bus — Rockford, IL
- On the Bus — Green Bay, WI
- On the Bus — South Bend, IN
- On the Bus — Sioux Falls, SD
- On the Bus — Duluth, MN
- On the Bus — Cedar Rapids, IA
- On the Bus — Evansville, IN
- On the Bus — Fargo, ND
- On the Bus — Kalamazoo, MI
- On the Bus — Appleton, WI
- On the Bus — Champaign, IL
- On the Bus — Topeka, KS
- On the Bus — Rochester, MN
- On the Bus — Lafayette, IN
- On the Bus — Columbia, MO
- On the Bus — Joplin, MO
- On the Bus — Elkhart, IN
- On the Bus — Springfield, IL
- On the Bus — St. Cloud, MN
- On the Bus — Racine, WI
- On the Bus — Saginaw, MI
- On the Bus — Iowa City, IA
- On the Bus — Muskegon, MI
- On the Bus — Eau Claire, WI
- On the Bus — Oshkosh, WI
- On the Bus — Bloomington, IL
- On the Bus — La Crosse, WI
- On the Bus — Terre Haute, IN
- On the Bus — Waterloo, IA
- On the Bus — Kenosha, WI
- On the Bus — Janesville, WI
- On the Bus — Bloomington, IN
- On the Bus — Jackson, MI
- On the Bus — Traverse City, MI
- On the Bus — Rapid City, SD
- On the Bus — Monroe, MI
- On the Bus — Jefferson City, MO
- On the Bus — Niles, MI
- On the Bus — Sioux City, IA
- On the Bus — Bismarck, ND
- On the Bus — Wausau, WI
- On the Bus — Manhattan, KS
- On the Bus — Springfield, OH
- On the Bus — Battle Creek, MI
- On the Bus — Ames, IA
- On the Bus — Mansfield, OH
- On the Bus — Lawrence, KS
- On the Bus — St. Joseph, MO
- On the Bus — Sheboygan, WI
- On the Bus — Muncie, IN
- On the Bus — Sandusky, OH
- On the Bus — Michigan City, IN
- On the Bus — Kankakee, IL
- On the Bus — Grand Forks, ND
- On the Bus — Mankato, MN
- On the Bus — Fond du Lac, WI
- On the Bus — Bay City, MI
- On the Bus — Lima, OH
- On the Bus — Dubuque, IA
- On the Bus — Decatur, IL
- On the Bus — Cape Girardeau, MO
- On the Bus — Columbus, IN
- On the Bus — Kokomo, IN
- On the Bus — Midland, MI
- On the Bus — Grand Island, NE
- On the Bus — Minot, ND
South
- On the Bus — Dallas, TX
- On the Bus — Houston, TX
- On the Bus — Atlanta, GA
- On the Bus — Washington, DC
- On the Bus — Miami, FL
- On the Bus — Tampa, FL
- On the Bus — Orlando, FL
- On the Bus — Charlotte, NC
- On the Bus — Baltimore, MD
- On the Bus — San Antonio, TX
- On the Bus — Austin, TX
- On the Bus — Nashville, TN
- On the Bus — Virginia Beach, VA
- On the Bus — Jacksonville, FL
- On the Bus — Raleigh, NC
- On the Bus — Oklahoma City, OK
- On the Bus — Louisville, KY
- On the Bus — Richmond, VA
- On the Bus — Memphis, TN
- On the Bus — Birmingham, AL
- On the Bus — Tulsa, OK
- On the Bus — Greenville, SC
- On the Bus — New Orleans, LA
- On the Bus — Knoxville, TN
- On the Bus — Sarasota metro area, FL
- On the Bus — McAllen, TX
- On the Bus — Charleston, SC
- On the Bus — Baton Rouge, LA
- On the Bus — El Paso, TX
- On the Bus — Columbia, SC
- On the Bus — Cape Coral, FL
- On the Bus — Lakeland, FL
- On the Bus — Greensboro, NC
- On the Bus — Little Rock, AR
- On the Bus — Deltona, FL
- On the Bus — Winston-Salem, NC
- On the Bus — Palm Bay, FL
- On the Bus — Augusta, GA
- On the Bus — Durham, NC
- On the Bus — Fayetteville, AR
- On the Bus — Jackson, MS
- On the Bus — Chattanooga, TN
- On the Bus — Port St. Lucie, FL
- On the Bus — Huntsville, AL
- On the Bus — Pensacola, FL
- On the Bus — Lexington, KY
- On the Bus — Killeen, TX
- On the Bus — Wilmington, NC
- On the Bus — Corpus Christi, TX
- On the Bus — Ocala, FL
- On the Bus — Savannah, GA
- On the Bus — Brownsville, TX
- On the Bus — Gulfport, MS
- On the Bus — Myrtle Beach, SC
- On the Bus — Lafayette, LA
- On the Bus — Asheville, NC
- On the Bus — Naples, FL
- On the Bus — Mobile, AL
- On the Bus — Spartanburg, SC
- On the Bus — Beaumont, TX
- On the Bus — Tallahassee, FL
- On the Bus — Fayetteville, NC
- On the Bus — Montgomery, AL
- On the Bus — Shreveport, LA
- On the Bus — Hickory, NC
- On the Bus — Lubbock, TX
- On the Bus — Huntington, WV
- On the Bus — Gainesville, FL
- On the Bus — Clarksville, TN
- On the Bus — Columbus, GA
- On the Bus — Roanoke, VA
- On the Bus — Hagerstown, MD
- On the Bus — Fort Walton Beach metro area, FL
- On the Bus — Kingsport, TN
- On the Bus — Waco, TX
- On the Bus — Longview, TX
- On the Bus — College Station, TX
- On the Bus — Tuscaloosa, AL
- On the Bus — Laredo, TX
- On the Bus — Slidell, LA
- On the Bus — Amarillo, TX
- On the Bus — Lynchburg, VA
- On the Bus — Daphne, AL
- On the Bus — Tyler, TX
- On the Bus — Lake Charles, LA
- On the Bus — Hilton Head Island, SC
- On the Bus — Macon, GA
- On the Bus — Fort Smith, AR
- On the Bus — Panama City, FL
- On the Bus — Charlottesville, VA
- On the Bus — Gainesville, GA
- On the Bus — Athens, GA
- On the Bus — Monroe, LA
- On the Bus — Punta Gorda, FL
- On the Bus — Jacksonville, NC
- On the Bus — Johnson City, TN
- On the Bus — Lexington Park, MD
- On the Bus — Warner Robins, GA
- On the Bus — Auburn, AL
- On the Bus — Florence, SC
- On the Bus — Charleston, WV
- On the Bus — Houma, LA
- On the Bus — Bowling Green, KY
- On the Bus — Dover, DE
- On the Bus — Midland, TX
- On the Bus — Burlington, NC
- On the Bus — Abilene, TX
- On the Bus — Jackson, TN
- On the Bus — Greenville, NC
- On the Bus — Blacksburg, VA
- On the Bus — Odessa, TX
- On the Bus — Vero Beach metro area, FL
- On the Bus — Homosassa Springs, FL
- On the Bus — Decatur, AL
- On the Bus — Hattiesburg, MS
- On the Bus — The Villages metro area, FL
- On the Bus — Florence, AL
- On the Bus — Dothan, AL
- On the Bus — Sherman, TX
- On the Bus — Valdosta, GA
- On the Bus — Winchester, VA
- On the Bus — Wichita Falls, TX
- On the Bus — Rocky Mount, NC
- On the Bus — Alexandria, LA
- On the Bus — Dalton, GA
- On the Bus — Texarkana, TX
- On the Bus — Albany, GA
- On the Bus — Morgantown, WV
- On the Bus — Hammond, LA
- On the Bus — Harrisonburg, VA
- On the Bus — Jonesboro, AR
- On the Bus — Wheeling, WV
- On the Bus — Cleveland, TN
- On the Bus — Salisbury, MD
- On the Bus — Staunton, VA
- On the Bus — Morristown, TN
- On the Bus — Elizabethtown, KY
- On the Bus — Lawton, OK
- On the Bus — Goldsboro, NC
- On the Bus — San Angelo, TX
- On the Bus — Brunswick, GA
- On the Bus — Anniston, AL
- On the Bus — Owensboro, KY
- On the Bus — Steubenville, WV
- On the Bus — Sebring, FL
- On the Bus — Pinehurst, NC
- On the Bus — Beckley, WV
- On the Bus — Sumter, SC
- On the Bus — Gadsden, AL
- On the Bus — Paducah, KY
- On the Bus — Rome, GA
- On the Bus — Victoria, TX
- On the Bus — Hot Springs, AR
- On the Bus — Hinesville, GA
- On the Bus — Parkersburg, WV
- On the Bus — Enid, OK
- On the Bus — Eagle Pass, TX
West
- On the Bus — Los Angeles, CA
- On the Bus — Phoenix, AZ
- On the Bus — Riverside, CA
- On the Bus — San Francisco, CA
- On the Bus — Seattle, WA
- On the Bus — San Diego, CA
- On the Bus — Denver, CO
- On the Bus — Portland, OR
- On the Bus — Sacramento, CA
- On the Bus — Las Vegas, NV
- On the Bus — San Jose, CA
- On the Bus — Salt Lake City, UT
- On the Bus — Fresno, CA
- On the Bus — Tucson, AZ
- On the Bus — Honolulu, HI
- On the Bus — Bakersfield, CA
- On the Bus — Albuquerque, NM
- On the Bus — Boise, ID
- On the Bus — Oxnard, CA
- On the Bus — Stockton, CA
- On the Bus — Colorado Springs, CO
- On the Bus — Provo, UT
- On the Bus — Ogden, UT
- On the Bus — Spokane, WA
- On the Bus — Reno, NV
- On the Bus — Modesto, CA
- On the Bus — Santa Rosa, CA
- On the Bus — Visalia, CA
- On the Bus — Vallejo, CA
- On the Bus — Salem, OR
- On the Bus — Santa Maria, CA
- On the Bus — Salinas, CA
- On the Bus — Anchorage, AK
- On the Bus — Eugene, OR
- On the Bus — Greeley, CO
- On the Bus — Fort Collins, CO
- On the Bus — Boulder, CO
- On the Bus — Kennewick, WA
- On the Bus — Olympia, WA
- On the Bus — Merced, CA
- On the Bus — Bremerton, WA
- On the Bus — San Luis Obispo, CA
- On the Bus — Bend, OR
- On the Bus — Yakima, WA
- On the Bus — Santa Cruz, CA
- On the Bus — Prescott metro area, AZ
- On the Bus — Bellingham, WA
- On the Bus — Las Cruces, NM
- On the Bus — Lake Havasu City, AZ
- On the Bus — Yuma, AZ
- On the Bus — Medford, OR
- On the Bus — St. George, UT
- On the Bus — Chico, CA
- On the Bus — Billings, MT
- On the Bus — Coeur d'Alene, ID
- On the Bus — Yuba City, CA
- On the Bus — Redding, CA
- On the Bus — El Centro, CA
- On the Bus — Idaho Falls, ID
- On the Bus — Pueblo, CO
- On the Bus — Grand Junction, CO
- On the Bus — Logan, UT
- On the Bus — Maui, HI
- On the Bus — Santa Fe, NM
- On the Bus — Hanford, CA
- On the Bus — Flagstaff, AZ
- On the Bus — Mount Vernon, WA
- On the Bus — Napa, CA
- On the Bus — Albany, OR
- On the Bus — Bozeman, MT
- On the Bus — Missoula, MT
- On the Bus — Wenatchee, WA
- On the Bus — Sierra Vista, AZ
- On the Bus — Twin Falls, ID
- On the Bus — Farmington, NM
- On the Bus — Longview, WA
- On the Bus — Cheyenne, WY
- On the Bus — Corvallis, OR
- On the Bus — Helena, MT
- On the Bus — Fairbanks, AK
- On the Bus — Pocatello, ID
- On the Bus — Grants Pass, OR
- On the Bus — Great Falls, MT
- On the Bus — Casper, WY
- On the Bus — Lewiston, ID
- On the Bus — Walla Walla, WA
- On the Bus — Carson City, NV
Cities and all 3,143 US counties are covered too — every place page is live. The campaign sitemap lists every one.
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