Celebrating the 100th Day of School!

The 100th Day of School is such a fun day in a primary classroom. It's an excellent opportunity to incorporate lots of math skills in a fun and playful way. Here are just a few of the things I have done with my first graders on the 100th Day!

Our 100th day usually falls around Valentine's, so it is always a week of celebration and excitement. Some times I have even rolled the two days together for one big day of chaos. Lesson learned! It may sound good, but in reality, it is TOO MUCH! It is far better to give each day its own day of celebration and start fresh the following week!

Here are a few of my go-to activities:

1. Collections

Students arrived excited and eager to share their 100-day collections. The first task is to ensure that the collection does, in fact, contain 100 things! Students use a counting mat to count their collection into groups of 10.

You can grab this free one to use if you don't have one.

2. 100th Day Hats

What celebration is complete without a fancy hat. My students make these hats/crowns right after counting out their collections. They are part of my 100th Day of School Pack.

3. Measuring Collections

I always ensure that we have either completed or are in the middle of our linear measurement unit around this time of the year. Measuring collections is the perfect authentic task to see how students do with measuring with non-standard and standard units. This is an excellent opportunity for some assessment for you! You can find this booklet that provides lots of opportunities to measure and compare with non-standard units in my 100th Day of School Pack.

Don't forget to incorporate mass too. I have had students use balance scales to compare the weight of their collection to mine or other students. It is a perfect opportunity to introduce mass and capacity if you haven't discussed it yet. I had a collection of mini cubes (centicubes), and the students first had to predict if their collection was heavier/lighter or the same weight as mine, and then they used the scales to find out exactly how their collection measured up.

4. Exploring What 100 Looks Like.

The 100th day is a great day to see what 100 looks like and to be creative with showing 100. I set out bins with 100 of an item all around my classroom and have students visit different stations and think about what they can do with the 100 items. Some of our favourites are pattern blocks, popsicle sticks, glass gems, plastic cups, mini erasers and more. The love to create pictures with them or group them and count.

5. Scavenger Hunt!

Last year I hid 100 candy hearts around the room, and the kids had to find them and then put them in the right pocket of our pocket chart. It was fun for them to search for them and a good exercise to find all of the numbers in the 100's chart.

I have also heard about putting number stickers on the bottom of Hershey's kisses or directly on a letter tile. These are also great ideas.

6. Dress Up Like You are 100 Years Old

I have never done this with my class, but our Kindergarten team did one year, and the kids were super cute with their wigs, powdered hair and canes!

7. Read and Write 100

There are so many great pictures books to read on the 100th Day. Click below to be taken to a great collection of books.

You can also incorporate writing and have your students write 100 words. This is probably best done collaboratively with younger students. Each team of 4 each is tasked with finding 25 words. Doing it this way is much more fun and manageable.

8. Exercise!

Can you do 100 jumping jacks? 100 toe touches? GoNoodle has some great videos that get kids moving and counting to 100. Check them out below.

9. 100th Day Crafts

What's a celebration without a craft! I have pinned some great crafts. You can find them on this Pinterest board:

10. A 100's Day Snack

End your celebration with a snack. 100s Day trail mix is a great option. I ask families to provide 1 food item out of a list of 10 choices. Some families send in a baggie of the item and others send in a whole box or container. Some of the things I ask for are:

mini marshmallows
pretzel sticks
raisins
cheerios
goldfish crackers
square crackers
M&Ms or Smarties
chocolate chips
popcorn
another brand of cereal

Be sure to check on your school's policies regarding serving food in your classroom as well as being fully aware of any food allergies your students may have.

There you have it! 10 ways to celebrate your 100th day of school! Enjoy

Are you looking for a bit more inspiration? Check out this related post.