It’s Almost the 100th Day of School!
A list of 100th Day Activities for Classrooms and Homes
One of my absolute favorite days in elementary classrooms was celebrating the 100th Day of School! It may seem trivial — why celebrate one day out of ten months of school? I could get all heady and say how 100 is a significant concept to grade schoolers … My Hero, Zero (where are my Schoolhouse Rock! fans?), fact family of 10, hundreds chart, 100% goals, etc. … but the honest truth is it is a way to celebrate learning goals!
At the beginning of every school year, I would set short- and long-term goals with my students. What did I and what did they want to achieve academically, socially, and emotionally? Beyond the A, B, Cs, each school year is momentous in a child’s development. You all probably can recount a seminal moment in each grade if you take a moment to reflect.
The 100th Day of School always fell at the end of January or beginning of February, marking a midpoint when we could reflect on the first half of the year and plan for the second half. It was a time to celebrate; it was a time to course correct; and it was a time to push ourselves further.
There are many ways to celebrate the 100th Day of School, so we have compiled some activities that you can do whether in person or virtually. Use these activities to encourage your students individually and as a classroom community. Share your 100th Day celebrations with us on Twitter @ClassroomChamps or Facebook/Instagram @ClassroomChampions.
Compliment Chain:
Ask students to write a personalized compliment for each of their classmates on an individual paper strip. After delivering them to the recipients, students can connect the strips to make their own paper chain. Use another strip to connect each student’s chain into one complete classroom compliment chain. If you have at least ten students, you will have a chain of 100 compliments!
Reading List: Challenge your class to collectively read 100 books within a set amount of time (a week or a month?). Give them free rein or provide thematic books such as those found in this recommended book list.
Cheerio or Fruit Loop Abacus:
A bit more involved, but create personal Chinese counting tools using popular cereals, string, and a cardboard box.
Counting:
Practice counting by creating an art project or bulletin board display by grouping puffy balls, craft sticks, candles, cotton balls, stickers, and/or paint dots into groups of 10 to equal 100.
T-Shirt Designs: Challenge kids to take an old plain (or inside out) t-shirt and decorate it in a way that showcases the number 100. Fabric markers and fabric glue can help the longevity of this student creation, but aren’t necessary. Ask kids to wear their custom design on the designated day, and then hang them around the perimeter of the room for the next month for some custom decor!
Fashion Show: Let kids’ creativity shine! Will they dress as an centenarian? Or will the wear a festive hat or handmade necklace that alludes to the number one hundred? Host a fashion show complete with a classroom runway!
100th-Day Menu: Send home ideas for families to celebrate the 100th Day at mealtime:
- Can you use pancakes with a side of sausages or bacon to make the number 100?
- Can you create 10 snack packs of 10 items (pretzels, goldfish, etc.) to equal 100 bites?
- Can you make a meal or a cake in the shape of 100 using number-shaped foods (think bagels) or cookie cutters?
Self-Portraits: Create self-portraits for now and for in 100 years. Use torn paper art or pick from a host of mediums to help kids imagine their transformation decades in the making.
Rotation Stations: Set up activities stations so that your students can get hands-on practice with the concept of 100. Put out folded signs with instructions and set a timer rotate kids through 100 minutes of F-U-N:
- Build with 100 LEGOs or 100 pattern blocks
- Fold 100 origami projects
- Brainstorm 100 words (can add constraints like begin with the letter “B”)
- Complete 10 sets of 10 exercises to equal 100
- Create a structure with 100 red plastic cups
- Race to 100 on a hundreds chart by rolling dice and moving a chip forward
- Adorn a 100 Days Smarter template with 100 stickers, paint dots, or cut squares
- List 100 algorithms that equal 100
- Decorate and assemble a face mask in the shape of 100 (free printable)
- Write a short piece with sentence starters like: 100 days ago I didn’t know … or If I had $100 dollars … (cue a classroom remix of If I had A Million Dollars by the Barenaked Ladies).
And celebrations can happen whether you are in person or afar. For the ultimate school challenge, if schools are in session, have each class decorate their classroom doors to celebrate the 100th day. For students still in remote learning situations, challenge them to create a 100-themed Zoom background using Canva or Adobe to turn a photo into a multimedia creation.
So many ways to celebrate 100 days of school! Share your kids’ accomplishments with us at @ClassroomChamps on Twitter or @ClassroomChampions on Facebook and Instagram. And CONGRATULATIONS to you and your kids!
Find more ideas on Classroom Champions’ PINTEREST.
