How to Have the Easiest 100th Day of School EVER!
I have to be honest. After January 1st I am completely over school celebrations and holidays. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas? Sure! I can integrate those with the learning and have a good time along with the kids, but after New Years? Nope. Maybe it's the cold and the dark, but I am not in the mood for celebrating.
That's why a few years ago when the 100th day of school rolled around I pulled out all of my resources and just stared at them for a while. I didn't want to do it. Then I had a thought: Why not put out these activities as choices and then let the kids explore them on their own? Instead of trying to control what got accomplished on 100th day, why not just let the kids play with the concept of 100 by themselves?
So before the kids arrived I set up some stations using the 100th Day materials I already had on hand. Then when the kids arrived I explained each station and told them our rules for the day. First, when you are at a station you need to follow the directions and use the materials as directed. Second, you can move from station to station as you please, you don't need to wait for the teacher, but you cannot go to a station that already is full (my limit was 5 kids). If the station already has 5 kids you need to wait until someone leaves. Third, when you leave a station, you need to clean up your spot. Then I let them go for it. Here were some of the things we tried:
1. Take a sucker. How small do you think it will be after 100 licks? Lick your sucker 100 times. How small is it?
2. Listen to the song "Let's Get Fit!" by Jack Hartman. Can you do 100 exercises?
3. Take a baggie with 100 Legos. What can you build?
4. Make a paper hat. Decorate it with 100 things.
5. Trace the numbers 1 to 100.
6. Roll a die, make that many x's on a paper with 100 squares. Can you put an x in all 100 squares?
7. Read and color a 100th day story book.
8. Make a 100th day treat out of 1 rectangular cookie and 2 mini donuts.
9. Draw a picture of what you think you will look like when you are 100.
10. Take a picture of yourself with an app like AgingBooth to see what you will look like when you're 100 years old.
A picture taken with Aging Booth. This makes a fun portfolio page if you save the pictures and have the kids write about what the world will be like when they're 100 underneath the photo.
11. Color a paper with 100 shapes.
12. Write a story about what you would do if you had 100 dollars.
13. Make a necklace out of 100 pieces of cereal.
I must admit that I was nervous that this plan was going to backfire on me and devolve into complete chaos, but it went great! The kids were enjoying themselves and so they followed the rules and were very orderly (they didn't want to miss out by misbehaving). They revisited activities they enjoyed (the exercise activity was very popular--some kids spent the whole time there) and skipped the activities they were not interested in. I was able to spend the time rotating around the classroom, helping individual children, taking pictures with Aging Booth, and having the most stress free 100th day morning ever! After free choice I sent the kids out to recess and when they returned they were ready to participate in whole group activities. I've never had such a well behaved class on a holiday!
If you want to try this out with your class, we've made a packet of signs to help your kiddos remember what to do at each station. You can find it here and its free! Just enter the code: day100
So what do you think? Think this would work with your class? Got any more 100th day station ideas to share? Do you think this would work on other holidays, because I tried it on Valentines Day, and for some reason it did not work on that day! And what is your favorite school holiday and how do you keep it stress free?
Want more ideas for the 100th day of school? Try out our 100 Days of School thematic unit and use the code 100Day to get 20% off during February!