In elementary school, the 100th day of school is often a day of great celebration, marked with special activities and lessons.
Acknowledging the 100th day is a great way for elementary school teachers to celebrate math concepts that can be taughtusing the number 100. Asking students to collect and bring in items to be used for these lessons also encourages class participation.
Developmental Math Concepts
From the very first day, many classes begin keeping track of the number of days they've been in school in anticipation of the 100th day. It's this anticipation that is actually the first math lesson.
The days are often marked using objects like coffee stirrers or Popsicle sticks. Ten of these sticks become a "10 bundle" that will pave the way to counting by tens and ones.
Any 100th-day math activities should be appropriate for the developmental stage of the children in the class. Preschoolers and kindergartners generally don't count past 20, so collections of 100 should focus on bundles or groups of five or 10.
In first grade, children can count to 100. Doing a count-up or count-down is appropriate. By second grade, they can usually count to 100 by twos, fives, or tens, so items can be bundled in different number groupings.
By third grade, kids can often do multiplication and division. But for numbers as large as 100, more complex math problems may not be appropriate until fourth grade.
100th Day of School Concepts and Celebrations
Class Collections for the 100th Day of School
If the class is planning a 100 Day celebration, your child may be asked to bring in some items to add to the class collection. It's not always practical for each child to bring in 100 of any item. Try to get a sense from your child's teacher of what they have planned.
Students will often be separated into groups, with each group responsible for having a collection of 100 things based on a specific theme.
For instance, one group may be asked to bring in 100 things from the kitchen, which could be foods like dried beans or Cheerios, items like spoons or forks, or a variety of other things. Another group idea could be 100 coins or 100 different office supply items (such as paper clips, pens, and staples).
Whichever way your child's class decides to mark its 100th day of school, be sure you know what the teacher expects and how the items will be used.
Ideas for Individual 100th School Day Collections
Alternatively, your child may be responsible for their own collection of 100 items. They may need to bring them as a display (such as glued onto a board) or they may do a project with them in the classroom. Options include:
1. Coins
2. M&M's
3. Cereal (Cheerios and Fruit Loops work well)
4. Jelly beans
5. Paper clips
6. Rocks
7. Bottle caps
8. Popsicle sticks
9. Beads
10. Dried beans
11. Sunflower seeds
12. Legos
13. Straws
14. Popcorn kernels
15. Cotton balls
16. Buttons
17. Rubber bands
18. Stickers
19. Markers
20. Crayons
21. Decorative stamps
22. Playing cards
23. Collectible cards, such as Pokemon, Bakugan, etc.
24. A list of books they've read
25. A list of words they can write/read
26. Toothpicks
27. Deflated balloons (the class can inflate them later)
28. A list of animals
29. Photographs (organized in an album)
30. Tally marks
31. Pieces of macaroni
32. Smarties
33. Marshmallows
34. Feathers
35. Birthday candles
36. Fingers (trace your hands 10 times)
37. Toes (trace your feet 10 times)
38. Fingerprints
39. Pretzels
40. Googly eyes
41. Nails
42. Screws
43. Washers
44. Shoelaces
45. Hair clips
46. Puzzle pieces
47. Raisins
48. Pipe cleaners
49. Craft pom poms
50. Marbles
51. Golf pencils
52. Eraser toppers
53. Postcards
54. Goldfish crackers
55. Cotton swabs
56. Ziploc bags
57. Index cards
58. Pieces of paper
59. Paper snowflakes
60. Hole punches
61. Names for boys
62. Names for girls
63. Golf tees
64. A collection of signatures (this idea will take some planning and isn't one to be done last minute!)
65. Stars (hand-drawn)
66. Hearts (hand-drawn)
67. Names of songs you know
68. Seashells
69. Collectible pins/buttons
70. Keys
71. Dominoes
72. Hershey's Kisses
73. Grains of rice
74. Lipstick kisses (on paper, not on people!)
75. Action figures (a photo is probably more manageable than bringing them all to school)
76. Little plastic animals
77. Twist ties
78. Chocolate chips
79. Sequins
80. Packing peanuts
81. Paper cups
82. Paper plates
83. Matchbox cars
84. State quarters
85. Glow sticks
86. Dice
Ideas for Classroom 100th Day Celebrations
Some teachers may organize a special collection that can be used as part of a 100th day observance or even a charitable effort.
87. Box Tops for Education
88. Cans of food for charity
89. Food labels
90. Recipes
91. Goals
92. Valentine's cards (a class's 100th day and Valentine's Day often occur during the same week)
93. Children's books (for donation or just to read)
94. Creation made of 100 blocks
95. Stuffed animals
96. Addition problems (third grade and above)
97. Subtraction problems (third grade and above)
98. Multiplication problems (fourth grade and above)
99. Division problems (fourth grade and above)
100. Bubbles
