Summer Lovin'

I absolutely love everything about summer!  I love spending time with my little man and watching reruns of The Real Housewives of New Jersey (I can't take my eyes off of the drama!).  Daily trips to the pool keep us busy with a twilight mini-golf session every once in awhile.  This is the life of a teacher and boy do I.LOVE.IT!  I have no guilt about basking in my happiness with my toes in the sand! 

 

Here is a pic of the little guy and I waiting for our turn at mini golf.  Does he look like mommy?  I hope so! 

 

 

 

 

Notice the tooth missing on the bottom row?  Yep, my little soon-to-be-first-grader lost his FIRST TOOTH!  Look what the tooth fairy left him...

 

 

She is a pretty cool gal if you ask me! ;-)  Wink, wink!

 

 

I've been doing a lot of reading this summer in preparation for implementing the Common Core.  I just went to the library today to pick up some books.  The little guy had to pick up all of the Garfield graphic novels and the latest Captain Underpants book.  Mommy, on the other hand, choose a book about teaching reading and one by Ralph Fletcher (bowing down in reverence...this man is a writing GENIUS!)  The Trend for Kids magazine just came in the mail and had some pretty cute stuff!  I bookmarked everything I want to buy!

 

 

 

 

Did I mention I let a Despicable Me 2 minion lead the way to the library?  Thanks, McDonald's!  My son sure got a kick out of this!  P.S. The movie was AWESOME!  Take the kids! 

 

 

 

 

I may even take him to my classroom for a visit this year!  Hmmm, creative juices flowing...

 

Speaking of creative juices, I have been SUPER BUSY creating resources to use in the classroom this year!  Here are some highlights:

 

 

 

and

 

 

These task cards make a quick, easy center or whole-group activity.  My students can't get enough of the task cards.  They are differentiated for different levels of learners by the level of questioning on them.  Some are fairly simple, while others make students think!

 

I just made one of my favorite resources so far and that is:

 

 

These math centers are aligned to the Common Core and meet varying levels of challenge.  In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a "cookie cutter" teacher.  I don't make "one size fits all" activities.  They can be easily differentiated without too much extra work on the teacher's part!

 

 

Looking for a cute way to welcome parents to Back-to-School Night or Peek-at-Your-Seat Day?  These sign in sheets and comment cards are a little over a dollar and may be just what you are looking for!

 

 

 

 

If writing is what you want for your students, these 100 Back-to-School Writing Prompts might be just your thing!  These are guaranteed to keep those little fingers busy!

 

 

 

 

I am still deciding on a classroom theme but have been throwing around doing an 80's theme for my classroom.  I may have lots of cool neon signs and sunglasses everywhere!  I was so inspired, I whipped up these background papers!

 

 

By the way, try to guess my favorite 80's movie!  If you do, you will win this pack of background papers and a choice of one of the above resources!  Hint:  I especially love watching my favorite 80's movie in the morning!

 

Well, that's about it for now!  Don't forget to leave your email and guess in the comments section!  Good luck!