I LOVE SUMMER...(and a FREEBIE!)

I love summertime!  I usually only post about school-related stuff, but since I'm on vacation, I'll share a little about what I've been up to since we got out of school!  This past week has been full of slow and easy mornings, happy kids, a glorious cup (or two) of my delicious Keurig coffee, and absolutely nowhere to be!  Ahhh!  As a mom of four kids, this is my time to just relax and stay home with my little ones.  I haven't signed anyone up for swim lessons, day camps, or any other types of summertime activities.  To me, this is the one time of year when we can all just re-charge our batteries and do what we want, when we want!  Some of my favorite memories as a child are just those care-free summer days when all I had to do was get dressed and go outside to play all day in the sunshine!  I want my kids to have the same... so that's what we're doing, and let me tell ya -- it's wonderful!

Yep, our summer days sure have been busy!

So many ducks to feed, so little time...

Swinging and smiling!  Another summer day at the park! 

As you can see, I haven't been blogging much since my vacation started, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy working!  In between trips to the park, hanging out in the backyard blow-up pool, and making 462 snacks and lunches for my kids every day, I've been working on some new products for my TpT store!

In an effort to gain some more exposure, I've re-vamped my Spelling FREEBIE, and I'm re-posting it to share with all of YOU!  You can grab it in my TpT store here!

I've used these exact printables every week in my class for our daily spelling homework.  It's simple, easy, and fun for the students to use.  Here's a little peek, in case ya missed it the first time!  Enjoy! 

Super Dad Comics! So much fun!

My class and I had the best time making these little Superhero themed comic strips for Father's Day!  Before we began, we had a little discussion about Superhero comic books, what they look like and what kinds of words they use.  We talked about the original slogan for Superman...which goes something like, "Faster than a speeding bullet... more powerful than a locomotive... able to leap tall buildings in a single bound... it's a bird, it's a plane, no... it's SUPERMAN!"

Then, we got to work on some brainstorming for our own "Superdad" comic strips for Father's Day.  The students helped me think of some things that are FAST, and then we came up with sound word to go with it (to go inside the speech burst/bubble). (We added a few funny ones with a Father's Day theme... such as "a lawnmower" haha!)  Then, we got to work on making a list of things that are strong or powerful like our dads.  I cracked up when one of my students called out "a hammer!"  How perfect for Father's Day 

 

And here are a few of the finished products! 

 I love the facial expressions my student drew in this one!  Such a great imagination!

Currently for June...

I don't know how I missed this last month, but here we are in June and it's time for my CURRENTLY post!  I'm linking up with Farley's "Oh Boy 4th Grade" blog for this Linky Party.  If you haven't checked out her blog, you absolutely must!  It's so much fun!

And now... for my June currently...

 

1.  So... I'm currently listening to the hum of the computer.  It's been one of those days!  I finally had some time to upload a few new products onto TpT, so I thought I'd get on my blog and do some updating over here as well.  Here I am... many, many hours later... listening to this hummmmmmmmm of the computer.  It's actually quite annoying.  I need some music.

2.  I'm currently LOVING my class this year!  I am in denial that I'm going to have to say goodbye to those 32 adorable little faces on Thursday.  They have worked so hard and come so far this year, it's amazing!  We also put on a little play last week for parents and students, and I couldn't have been more proud of them.  There's nothing like that feeling of pride you feel when your students rise to the occasion and SHINE!  They were absolutely amazing!  

3.  I'm currently THINKING about all of the things I need to do this week before I lock up my classroom for the summer.  I'm sure you're all familiar with the endless amount of paperwork that the end of the year brings... well, I've been so busy with other things these past few weeks, I have barely started any of it.  I'm not looking forward to it, but I'm anxious to get it all done and check it off my "to do" list! 

4.  I'm currently WANTING to be done with this week so I can get a head start on my vacation!  This will be the first summer that I won't be working summer school in probably three or four years!  I'm so happy to be able to stay home and spend the summer lovin' on my family!  Woo-hoo!  xoxo

Here's my family!  Me, my awesome stepson Nicholas (who just graduated from high school on Friday!), my amazing husband, Matt, and our three littlest ones - Blake (8), Olivia (2), and Madeleine (4).  

5.  I'm currently NEEDING a break!  It's been a long haul these past few months, and after the craziness of school, kids, baseballs season, and end-of-year parties, graduations, and performances... this mama of four needs a little R&R!  Bring on the beach vacation!

6.  My 3 Vacay Esssentials:  For the first time in a few years, we are actually taking a real family vacation this year!  We've rented a cute little beach cottage in Santa Cruz and will be spending our days playing at the beach and Boardwalk, and relaxing and barbequing at the beach house at night!  So... for this little family vacay, my top 3 essential items are: 

1) Cute and comfy flip-flops 

2) A NEW pair of sunglasses (I'm totally going to treat myself to a new pair!) ;)

3) Lots of sunblock for the whole family.  I'm always lathering everyone up... so I'll be bringing a boat load of that, too. 

And... that about wraps it up!  Happy summer, everyone!  We're almost there!

It's a bird... it's a plane... it's SUPERDAD!

I'm SUPER excited about this fun little Father's Day unit featuring comic book style fonts and graphics!  We've got a week to go before Dad's special day... so my students and I will be working on some of these fun little projects as we wrap up our last week of school! 

Here's a little sneak peek! 

Students will be able to create their own little comic strip with dialogue and illustrations!  The unit also includes traditional Father's Day activities like "My Super Dad" fill in the blank pages, acrostic poems, and a Father's Day Coupon book!  You can find a link to it here!

If you were a fan of my Mother's Day printables in English and Spanish, then you'll want to check out this All About Dad unit!  Here's a peek for ya...

I had such great feedback from my Mother's Day unit in English and Spanish, that I decided to do one for Father's Day as well!  So many of you commented about how much your Spanish-speaking students enjoyed being able to create the same gifts as their English-speaking friends (and one that their parents would understand as well!)

I'm down to just four more school days (well, more like three and a half -- but who's counting?)  Can't wait to get back into blogging more regularly over the summer!