100 Days of School -- Seven Great Ways to Celebrate!
The 100th day of school is a BIG milestone for elementary school students, marked with special activities, snacks, books and crafts. This milestone provides a morale boost in the middle of the school year, right before standardized testing periods and provides some unique learning opportunities. Here are seven great ways to celebrate!
1. 100 activities! Burn off some 100 Day energy by having your students take 100 steps or jump 100 times, bounce a ball 100 times or touch their toes 100 times. During recess, have them run 100 yard sprints! 100 Jumping Jacks, anyone?
2. Collections of 100! It's probably not practical for each child to bring in 100 of any item but you could separate the class into groups, with each group responsible for having a collection of 100 things based on a specific theme. For example, have four kids each bring in 25 pennies, or 25 paper clips or marshmallows.
3. 100 Hearts! Have the class write out 100 reasons why they love their school on cut-out paper hearts. Using tape, hang these in a giant heart shape in the hall. After a week, paste them into a scrapbook and use as a year-end gift for your Principal or Room Parent.
4. 100 Predictions! Ask students to try to think of 100 things that didn’t exist 100 years ago and then brainstorm 100 things they imagine will be invented in the next 100 years. Illustrate them.
5. 100 Snacks! Have kids wash hands and then count snacks—100 raisins, 100 goldfish crackers, 100 Cheerios, etc., and then enjoy snack time together while reading a 100-themed book such as I'll Teach My Dog 100 Words, by Michael Frith. Enlist the help of parent to send in packages of small snack pieces by creating a SignUp sheet on SignUp.com. Automated reminders mean you don’t have to get on the phone to remind parents!
6. 100 Years! Have students draw pictures of themselves today and predict what they’ll look like 100 years from now. Have them describe themselves in 100 years and imagine what their lives will be like.
7. 100 Dollars! Ask your students to imagine what they would do if they were unexpectedly given $100. Then have them brainstorm how to buy 100 items with the money, or how to do 100 acts of kindness for a friend or loved one. Illustrate!
Bonus tip: Tap into the creative power of your class parents! Create a SignUp and throw a 100 Day party. Post links to the SignUp on social media and through email to spread the word. Parents can sign up to bring items right from their smart phone or computers 24/7.
