100th Day Hacks - My top 3 tips for a smoother 100th day of school

This week I had hands down the most successful 100th day of school celebration in my classroom to date! 

Like most teachers, how I teach looks a little different from year to year. There are lots of reasons for this and while it  mostly depends on the group of kids I have, learning from past experiences plays a big factor! I keep what works, throw out what doesn't, and try a few new things in between! 

Here are a few things I have learned over the past few years when it comes to  celebrating the 100th day of school! 

I let kids choose how the want to dress. 

Want to hot glue 100 small objects to a t-shit? FABULOUS! Want to dress up like you are 100 years old? HILARIOUS!  I really don't care how they are dressed just as long as they wearing something fun to celebrate the 100th day of school! 

About 2 weeks before the big day, I send home a letter that looks like this: 

(aaaand I just saw that it says 2018! lol Glad all the parents knew what I meant ;/)

I have found that when given a choice, I have had much better participation.

Pony beads instead of cereal necklaces. 

I think students making 100th day necklaces is a great activity! It helps them practice fine motor and they count to 100 twice! (One on a mat and once while stringing the necklace)

So what's not to love you ask? 

I really DO NOT like it when the kids chew on their necklaces all day and are just left with a soaking wet string around their neck at the end of the day. 

If that doesn't bother you then by all means, Fruit Loop it up! But if you are like me, pony beads are pretty cheap, the kids don't put them in their mouth, and they really really like them!! I have lots of kids wear their 100th day necklaces to school for weeks after they made them!

*Bonus hacks for this activity*

 Put out a mat for them to count on (this freebie works great)

TAPE ONE END TO THE TABLE! I cannot stress this enough. If you do not tape the end that the students are not stringing the beads on to the table, they are likely to string on 95 beads before the other end slips off the table and the beads go EVERYWHERE! (voice of experience here) 

It is a FUN day! Learning should definitely still be taking place but make it flexible! 

I always plan WAY more activities on special days like this than the kids can possible get done. I plan lots of fun and engaging stations and have the students rotate through them in about 15 minute increments. Sounds well thought out and organized right? Welllll....

The biggest problem with that is not all 100th day activities are created equal. One student might LOVE the 100 cup challenge while another student can't wait to move on to the 100 pattern blocks. A hat doesn't take the same amount of time to make as trail mix. NOTHING takes as long to make as the 100th day necklaces! 

So here is what I did differently this year and it worked like a charm!

Set up a variety of stations around the room. Brooke Brown's STEM for the 100th Day of School challenge pack has great ideas for hands-on activities for students that is essentially little to no prep for the teacher, and it is FREE! 

On activities you want to make sure everyone gets to (hats, this is me when I am 100, necklaces, trail mix, etc) print off several class lists and put one at each table. As students complete the activity, they can cross their name off the list and move to another station that is open. 

This gives students the freedom of choice, you the freedom to walk around and help those who need it, and most importantly, lets you know who has done what!

*I also made sure to end things about 10 minutes early so that as a class we could clean up the whole room since everyone was EVERYWHERE today!*

Have you already celebrated the 100th day of school? What are some of your favorite activities to do?