Make the Most of the 100th Day (Tips and Free Activities)

It's hard to believe that it is time to start planning for the 100th Day of School.  It's a big milestone and a perfect time to have fun with the number 100.
Last year, I ran out of time to share about our 100th Day.  Luckily I didn't delete my pics.  So here's a run down, complete with lots of freebies, of last year's 100th Day of School.
Let's start with the door banner.  I've made one for the past three or four years.  The kids LOVE going through the streamers.  And bonus, last year I used it as a picture backdrop, when I took individual picture of my firsties in their 100th Day shirts.
Here's how I put together my banner...
First, I printed some festive clip art (these are from Graphics from the Pond) and text.  I cut all of the clips and the text apart.

Using butcher paper, I staggered the paper that I would later cut into streamers.

I glued the clip art and text onto the top portion of the banner.

Next, I stapled all of the butcher paper together.

Finally, I measured and cut all of the streamers.

And voila, a colorful way to welcome your students on the 100th Day of School.

After making their way through the oh-so-fun banner streamers, students started their day with the 100th Day Scavenger Hunt (a 100th Day version of write the room).

To prep for this activity, I printed numbers 1-100 on two different colors of paper.  I used our school colors, but it really doesn't matter what two colors you choose.

I randomly placed the number cards around the room.  Students colored in their 100 chart with the colors that corresponded with the number cards.

When they finished, a 100th Day hidden picture was revealed.
Click here if you would like a FREE copy of my 100th Day Scavenger Hunt to use with your class.

We also made these cutie 100th Day Kids.  I created this pattern a few years ago and have used it ever since.
This craftivity includes paper for a writing piece or paper for spelling word practice.  We used the spelling practice option.
Here are a few of our 100th Day Kids...

For a FREE copy of this 100th Day craftivity, just click here.


Another little craft we made is our 100th Day Hats.  The hats coordinated perfectly with students' 100th Day shirts (an at home project).
These hat were super simple.  I just let students color them however they wanted.
For a FREE copy of my 100th Day Hat, click here.

A perennial favorite for the 100th Day is our 100th Day Sort and Graph.  There are all sorts of things you can sort and graph on the 100th Day.  My favorite is chocolate.  We use M & M's.
Students each got a baggy containing 100 M & M's.  (A parent volunteer to counted and bagged up the M & M's before the 100th Day.)
They sorted the M & M's by color and then completed their graph.

I've had several requests for copies of the M & M graph that we use, so here it is.  Click here for a FREE copy of my 100th Day Sort and Graph printables.


To wrap up the day, students participated in the 100th Day Kids' Challenge.  Students had 100 seconds to complete a variety of tasks that included physical, academic, and creative challenges.  Student wrote their results on a recording sheet and I kept time as students rotated to all the challenge stations.
Here are a few pics from our 100th Day Kids' Challenge...

 Lego Creations

Ordering Numbers by 5's

 ABC Order 

 Word Writing

 100 Cup Tower

 Memory Game

 Pattern Block Design

The 100th Day Kids' Challenge is a wonderful way to get students up and moving.  My group last year had a blast with it.  

If you would like to use it with your students, click on the picture below for a FREE copy.

To make the most of the 100th Day of school, it's important to start planning ahead.  I hope some of these ideas and freebies will be helpful as you start getting ready for your 100th Day of School. 

Best.

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Let's Celebrate the 100th Day! (Fun Freebies and Ideas)

The 100th Day of School.  Just about every year I think to myself, "I cannot believe it is already the 100th Day."  But here we are again.  

I really enjoy celebrating the 100th Day with my students.  There are so many ways to use the number 100 in the classroom.  Here are some of the ways we used it this year . . .

I made this 100th Day streamer banner to welcome the kids on the big day.  It may seem like a small thing, but they love going through the streamers.  One of my girls said she felt like she was going through a rainbow.  So sweet. :)

To make it I used butcher paper for the banner and streamers.  I printed whatever I want it to say and some cute clip art.  Then I measured, cut, and glued everything together.  Totally worth the time.

We made our 100th Day Kids to practice our spelling words.  They look adorable hanging together in the hall outside our classroom.  

You can have a free copy of this craftivity by clicking on one of the pictures below.  Included in this pattern are two different recording sheets.  One can be used like we did here, for spelling practice.  The other can be used to go along with a writing prompt.

Our first graders made t shirts to wear on the 100th Day.  They were so excited to share what they made.  I glued 100 pictures of my students on my shirt this year.  They were all about pointing out where they were on my shirt.

Wearing something special really seems to set the tone for the day.

We used our 100th Day shirts as a writing topic.  Students wrote all about how they made their shirts and illustrated them.  It was an easy way to extend the shirt projects.

We did have a "formal" math lesson covering adding multiples of 10.  To practice we used my 100th Day Yes or No Way math center.  With this center, students sorted equations based on whether or not the equation was correct (Yes) or incorrect (No Way).  After sorting the equations, they wrote their answers on a recording sheet.

For a FREE copy of 100th Day Yes or No Way, click on the picture below.

We also did a little sorting and graphing with 100 M & M's.  Earlier in the week a couple of my sweet moms counted out 100 M & M's for each student and bagged them up.  (A big help)  Of course, after completing the graph, students could eat their M & M's.  This activity is always a hit.

After eating all of that candy, we had to get up and move.  We did just that with our 100th Day Kids' Challenge.  I set up various stations around the room and partnered the students.  Each set of partners had 100 seconds at each station do a given task.  After the 100 seconds were up, students wrote down their achievements on their recording sheets.  Then, when I gave the signal, students rotated to the next station.

I tried to make these stations simple to set up and fun for the kids.  The outside materials needed can be found in most primary classrooms (pattern blocks, unifix cubes, legos).  The printable materials for the stations are included in the packet below.  

If you would like a FREE copy my 100th Day Kid's Challenge to use with your students, click on the picture.  

The 100th Day Kids' Challenge was a fabulous way to wrap up a day filled to the brim with excitement and learning.  I hope some of these activities will be helpful as you plan for you 100th Day this year.
Have a great week.

100th Day 2014 (Done and Done)

Hi All.  Hope you had a nice week.  We wrapped ours up with our 100th Day of School celebration.  This year we had a great day of learning and my firsties were really engaged.  I tried to snag some pictures of some of our activities.  Here are some of the highlights . . .

We made a little 100th Day craftivity to practice our spelling words. 

You can have a copy of this pattern by clicking here.  (There is also a writing recording sheet option.)

Students completed 100th Day mini books, counting to 100 different ways & 100 words.  We started our 100 Words book a couple of days early for morning work and that worked out really well.

Throughout the day we would gather together for 100th Day read alouds.  There are so many cute 100th Day books, it is hard to fit them all in.

Students also worked with partners completing a 100th Day center (adding multiples of 10 to get to 100).  You can click here if you would like a free copy of this center.  The clip art in this center from Melonheadz.

We all made 100th Day t shirts to wear and tell about on the big day.  The kids used buttons, stickers, yarn, markers, paint, glitter, and pom poms.  They all looked great.  My shirt had 100 pictures of my daughter on it.  Sweet.

Please excuse the bags under my eyes.  I was up late finishing my shirt. :)

We, of course, had to have a little fun with food.  We sorted and graphed 100 M & Ms.  Not an original idea, but always a hit with the kids.

Finally, check out our door.  I saw some cute ideas on Pinterest and thought I'd spruce ours up a bit.  The kids loved going in and out of the streamers.  I think bathroom break and drink break frequency went up 100% on the 100th Day.

This year was the first time I did not over plan for the 100th Day.  Everything went really smoothly, but I was still exhausted at the end of the day.  I am extra grateful for a three day weekend.  I hope you enjoy yours as well.

Best.

100th Day Yes or No Way (A Math FREEBIE)

While I was sitting at  A's  gymnastics class this afternoon going through my school bag, I pulled out my common core standards checklist.  A standard that I have not fully taught is the one that requires students to add two-digit numbers within 100 with a multiple of 10.  Although we have worked quite a bit finding ten more and ten less of a given number, I haven't taught adding multiples of 10.  Since this standard focuses on numbers within 100, I thought this skill would be a perfect addition (no pun intended) to our 100th Day learning.
So I came up with a little activity to practice this skill.  I plan for my firsties to complete it with a partner on the 100th Day of School.  However, you really could use it any other day you are working with this standard.  It also doesn't have to be a partner activity.  It can be a math box or it can work as part of a whole group lesson.
The activity includes sorting mats, equation cards, and a recording sheet.  The clip art is from Melonheadz.

You can have a free copy by clicking on the picture below.

I use the Yes/No Way line of questioning with my sweeties as an informal assessment during whole group lessons.  It is a simple part of Whole Brain Teaching that I really like during instruction time, as well as carrying it through in various sorting activities like this one.  (If you would like my FREE Easter themed activity that practices this same skill click here.)

I hope you can find a use for it.  Questions, let me know.

Just a quick pic update from the 100th Day.  Old Granny Monroe had a surprise visitor.  My sweet mom and  A  made a 100 stamp shirt and arrived for lunch and stayed on for a couple of our 100th Day activities.  I think my firsties get just as much of a kick out of her stopping by as I do.

100 Days Smarter FREE Craftivity

Our first grade celebration of the 100th day of School is just a few days away.  I think I have too many activities planned.  But better to have too many than too few,  r i g h t ?

Hopefully my sweet students are working on their projects to show and share on that day.  They have to make a 100th Day t-shirts.  If you're not familiar, students can paint, draw, glue, stick, stitch (with help), pin (you get the picture) anything to their shirts to represent 100.  It's always pretty fun to see what they come up with each year.

I wanted to share one activity we will be using during the week leading up to the 100th Day.  Students will be making a little 100th Day cutie to help them practice their spelling words.

If you click on the picture below you can have your own copy of this craftivity for free.

The pattern also includes a recording sheet for a 100th Day writing assignment.

It will be best if you use construction paper colors to match the features of the each student in your class.  I used scrapbook paper for the arms of my samples.  But, plain construction paper will work just as well.  You may also want to play around with the positioning of the arms.  The clip art on the recording sheets is from Melonheadz.

*Please note, this pattern has been updated with legs and feet.  However, you can still make it the same as pictured above even with the updates)

I hope you and your class have a fun day of learning on your 100th Day of School.  Let me know if you have any questions about this project.

Have a great week.