Brain Overload!

Wow! Has this been a week of mental exhaustion. We are nearing the end of our quarter at school and it is time for all those progress reports and data collection folders to be finished. My brain was on total overload by Friday. But. . . . rest assured I finished all of mine and turned them in just in time to leave work a few minutes early. Yea! Now we have a three day weekend. I love those!!!
I currently have four 4th graders and loving it. I sat through 20 Science project presentations yesterday. Whew! If that wasn't a long afternoon and very interesting to see all of their different projects come to life. By the end I told them all that they had totally wore me out and they all started to laugh and the teacher, Mrs. Stevens said, "Now you feel my pain." "Yes, yes I do," I replied.

So then it snowed. . . . have you ever tried to take a huge group of 6, 7, and 8th graders outside and expect them NOT to throw snowballs? Good Grief! I feel bad for these kids, they beg and beg me to let them go outside and release all of their energy and then they get into trouble because of throwing snowballs. Ugh! The principal was very unhappy with their behavior and I wasn't exactly pleased but I understand that it is a great temptation to put kids out in the snow and then say, " Don't pick up the snow." Unfortunately when one is throwing snowballs and mean to hit one of their friends which is partaking in the snowball throwing, someone innocently standing in the background gets the snowball upside their head or face. That is not good! Now, all of those that were throwing snow are not aloud outside until the snow melts. Seriously, that could be March. Isn't there a better solution to this problem? I say give them another chance and if they disobey then call the parents and give them some after school detention. The principal tells me that she is there at school until 5 or 6 pm every night anyway. I suppose since I am involved in this situation I could stay after one afternoon if that is what it took. I just know that not letting this age group go outside possibly until March, they are already wired enough during lunch period. If they can't go out and relieve some of that overload of energy and hormones their craziness in the lunch and classroom is just going to get worse. Anyway. . . that is how my week ended, in a dilemma. Any ideas or suggestions?