Tween Spirit: Teaching and Raising Tweens: My Summer Bucket List!

Happy Summer!

Most of the country is already on vacation, but here in Michigan we still have a few weeks left! June 16 is the magic day for my district...so the countdown is officially ON! I absolutely love summer, so I've been planning my summer "to do" list for quite some time :).

Summer in Michigan means great weather (finally!), fun in the water, art fairs galore, berry picking, and time spent "Up North". (For those not from Michigan, "Up North" means anywhere that has a lake and cottages or camping...many people I know go "Up North", but really head southwest to the Grand Haven area! Weird, right?)

I'm joining up with Katie at Mind Sparks and some other summer lovin' bloggers to share my "Summer Bucket List"! So here's my plan to make the most of my time at home and in the sun!

1. As an ELA teacher and avid reader, summer is my time to catch up on all the new books! I spent many years as an elementary teacher, so I've read lots of great upper elementary books, but I'm still working my way through middle school reads. I've been jotting down titles that I see my 8th graders reading all year, so I've got a great list to start with! Plus, I always do the adult summer reading program at my local library, along with my kids! I earn a $5 Starbucks gift card for every 5 books I read...that is win-win in my book!

I found a used book sale at the mall! SCORE!

2. Art fairs are one of my absolute favorite things! In Michigan, you can usually find one every single week of the summer. I love wandering with my mom or my friends, looking at how creative other people are! There's usually live music and outdoor lunches involved, too. My favorites are Plymouth's "Art in the Park", and the Ann Arbor Art Fairs.

3. I used to go strawberry picking with my grandpa, so this activity holds special memories for me! Unfortunately, now that school goes so late into June, it's tricky to get strawberry picking these days, even though Belleville, Michigan (one of the largest berry picking areas) is nearby. Lately, we've done better going blueberry picking near Tawas, Michigan. My daughter loves picking berries, and we have fun making yummy desserts with them. Berries are also great frozen in smoothies year round...and you can't beat the price when you pick them yourself!

Our blueberry haul!

Cherry Picking!

4. I extolled upon the virtues of our pool club in a blog post not long ago. I really can't say how much I love it! My kids are occupied, I can read or nap in a lounge chair, Jimmy John's delivers...what more can a mom ask for? Plus, I like mixing up my workouts with some pool laps during adult swim time. It is amazing how out of breath and sore I get from doing laps! Swimming is such good exercise!

I can just sit and watch, or read, or nap!

5. OK, here's my dirty parenting secret. I'm an ELA teacher, but my son HATES writing. Thankfully, he loves reading, but his writing needs a lot of work. He's going into 8th grade, and it is really a struggle. We've had a come to Jesus discussion about how we will be having a writing boot camp this summer in between soccer camps and Boy Scout camps. He's not thrilled. I'm sure there will be arguments and stand offs...possibly we will end up with an outside tutor to save our sanity. (Isn't that always the way...kids don't work the same with parents as they do with other adults!) Wish me luck and patience with this "to do" item!

6. Because of #5, I need the fruity drinks! We are going to spend a week on the Gulf of Mexico in July...my entire plan for the week is fruity drinks and lounging.

My view for a week each summer!

7. Even though it's summer, teachers still work, right?!? Our school will be fully 1-1 tech integrated next year. I've been using Google Classroom already, but there are SO MANY things I still want to learn! I've been reading Alice Keeler's Tech for Teachers blog, and playing around with ideas I've seen others using. If any of you are already doing 1-1 tech, please comment below with blogs and ideas I should look into!

8. Photo albums are every mom's nemesis right? How does the time go so quickly? How did I end up with 10,000 photos on my camera, but zero prints? I used to be so good about scrapbooking...I have travel albums and baby albums and toddler albums...then, I went back to work and it all. just. stopped. I put in a ton of time over Christmas break and lowered my expectations. I'm only 2 years behind now, and I'm only doing Snapfish or Shutterfly albums. Ain't nobody got time for scrapbookin' no more!

9. We may be the only family in Michigan to not have a cottage...but luckily we do have friends' with them! (and there are lots of hotels and campgrounds too :) I love spending time on the lakes and in the small towns around Traverse City, Grand Haven, Tawas, and Petoskey. As the T-shirts say..."Great Lakes, Great Times"!

Lovin' Lake Life!

10. This should probably be my #1! I just got started on TpT last August after going to the conference in Vegas. I have learned sooooooo much from veteran TpTers, blogger friends, and all the groups on Facebook. I've been creating products slowly, but surely all year, as they fit into my personal curriculum needs. This summer, I'm hoping to spread into a larger subject and grade range of products and add more Score Four! games and Color By Code activities. If there is something you see a need for in your classroom, please comment below...I'm happy to take custom order ideas!