100th Day of School

Hurray for the 100th day of school!
The first graders were eagerly waiting the 100th day of school. We brought in our 100 day collections and prayed that no more snow days delayed our celebration. Finally, the 100th day arrived on February 12th.  It was a day filled with activities and fun. So, What is the Big Deal About the 100th Day of School In First Grade?
1.  It’s a milestone for children (and teachers!):  Think about it…reaching the milestone of 100 days of school is a big deal.  We talk about all of the learning we have done, and the learning yet to come.  We discuss our favorite parts of school so far (recess) and what we are looking forward to.  We re-visit our hopes and dreams from the beginning of the year and see if we are on our way to meeting those goals.  
2.  It’s a way to practice all of the ways to count to 100: How many ways can you count to 100?  In first grade, we focus on counting by 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s.  100 is a good, round number to focus on.
3.  It’s a day that incorporates a number of math concepts: Patterns, counting, sorting, measuring, graphing… you name it.
4.  It’s a way to combine all aspects of curriculum into a focused activity: The 100th day of school is not only about math. It’s a whole curriculum approach to learning, including the social piece of partner work and sharing collections.  
5.  And finally, it’s a lot of fun!  During our 100th day celebration, we played games, made pictures of a butterfly using the number 100, ate a 100th day snack, created crowns and glasses, weighed and compared our 100 day collections, graphed smarties, and built a 100 cup structure.  

The first graders and adults enjoyed the 100th day of school. Our 100 th day of school was a lot of fun with a lot of learning.