Format
Each episode begins with Ellen out on a flight of fancy and when it nears its apex, she says, "Actually...", and the scene changes to a desert area, and Ellen states "I had just gotten off the bus from school and was saying goodbye to Mateo, my bus driver." She turns to the bus, and says "Bye, Mateo" and waves her hand as the unseen driver closes the school bus doors, honks his horn twice and drives off.
Ellen then says hello to her friend, a tire and carries a feather duster, two useful props in her adventures, then takes them to the hotel offices, where mom and/or dad ask how school was, and Ellen recounts the first adventure. Ellen then sees what her parents are up to (finding a fossil, fixing a fan because the air conditioning broke, etc.) which leads into further imaginary adventures based on chores she's been asked to do.
Read more about this topic: Ellen's Acres