I recently discovered that for 5th graders, the 100th day is actually the 1000th day of school for them! I was immensely excited about this discovery, and I couldn’t wait to make a ginormous deal about this with my students this year. Here is a list of things I enjoy doing to celebrate the 100th Day of School in 5th Grade
1. DIY T-Shirt Competition
I love to see what kiddos come up with when tasked with creating their very own 100th Day T-shirt! We do a wide range of winners… most creative, most colorful, most effort. The kids love it!
2. How long is 100 seconds?
This is probably one of my favorites in the day because it wears the kids out! haha I time the students for 100 seconds doing a wide range of tasks and they record their answers. This ranges from how many times can you write your name in 100 seconds to how many jumping jacks can you do in a hundred seconds! A whole list is included in my 100th Day Activity Packets.
3. Streamers and balloons
The first thing the students see is the door! I love to hang a sign and streamers to greet the students and fill the room with 100 balloons! I also make sure to play fun music throughout the day! Check out my classroom playlists here!
4. “100” spelled out in donuts and a swiss cake roll
In addition to greeting the students with balloons and streamers, I lay out a swiss cake roll and mini donuts to spell “100!” Although this year, I made the number “1000” without telling them why right away. They thought I was just being generous. haha
5. 100 Calorie Snacks
Keeping in line with snacks, I also like to do a late morning and afternoon snack with 100 calorie packs or snacks. You could also do a 100 piece trail mix!
6. 100% Juice
A snack wouldn’t be complete without a drink! so, I also give the students a 100% juice box to go with their snacks – bonus points if they are also 100 calories!
7. 100 Things We are Thankful For
One of the sweetest things we do is make a list throughout the day of 100 things we are thankful for on poster paper. I leave it up for the rest of the year to remind us of all the things we have to be thankful for. You can do this in different ways, but I usually let the kids come up one at a time and write one thing they are thankful for. (No repeats allowed!) Then we repeat 4-5 times throughout the day. The kids like the list too.
8. 100th Day Themed Writing Prompts
I love coming up with funny and interesting 100th Day writing prompts for kids to choose from. You never get two responses that are the same! Watching my students’ creativity come out in this way always makes me smile. Here is a sample: How do you think your neighbor would react if you gave them $100 today?
9. 100 Pennies Water Displacement Experiment
A day is not complete without a fun Science experiment! I find that a 100 pennies water displacement experiment requires few materials and really engages the students. Find this experiment in my 100th Day Activity Packet!
10. “1000th” Day Certificates for 5th Graders
Right after the kids finish their donuts in the morning, I explain how it is actually their 1000th Day of school! I make a huge deal about it, call them up, shake their hand, and present them with a fancy 1000th day certificate. They laugh about me making it such a big deal, but the students also feel very accomplished! (As they should).
11. 100 Years Ago History
100th Day is the perfect time to pull in some Social Studies! I love to have students research how much various items cost 100 years ago, important news headlines, and famous people! They find it really interesting as well.
12. 100th Day Themed Would You Rather Questions
Who doesn’t love Would You Rather Questions?! I love putting together outlandish questions to see what kids will choose. Then I have them go around to their classmates to collect tallies of who would choose the same or different thing as themselves.
13. Find as many words as you can within the words “One Hundred.”
Simply a classic! Red… deer… done… none… you get the point!
14. Make a List of 100 Things You’ve Learned Since they were born
This is pretty self-explanatory, but I give the students a list and they brainstorm a list of all they have learned! It is pretty neat to see what they come up with!
15. Give Students a 100th Day Gift
There are many ideas for little gifts for students, but these Happy 100th Day Wristbands are my go-to for 5th graders!
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All of the Activities mentioned here can be found in my Upper Elementary 100th Day Activity Packet!! Get yours here! Thank you for your support!
