If you have young children that are school age, you are beginning to hear rumblings around

this time of year about the 100th day of school.

Even if your children are older and the days of elementary school are long gone, I am sure
you have fond memories of supplying a collection of 100 things, sending in food for a 100
days snack, or volunteering to run a small group in your child’s classroom on that special
day.
All the while, were you thinking, “What is the big deal about the
100th day of school?!”
This school celebration has become very popular in the last 10 years. Years ago, when I
began teaching there were a few picture books written for young children about the topic
– Miss Bindergarten’s Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten and Emily’s First 100 Days of
School were among them, but now there are a plethora of literature for my kindergarten
classroom including, but not limited to:

What is the big deal about this day?

Why as teachers do we ask you to provide all of this stuff and then come in and help us
out? Now that I am both a teacher AND a parent. I am both asking other families for a 100
collection and helping my son with his 100th day collection. And, in case you were
wondering what the teacher’s kid brings, he picked 100 pieces of dog food. His
reasoning? So he wouldn’t be tempted to eat them. I can’t argue with that logic! But I
digress…

Ideas for 100 Collections – photo courtesy of www.creeksidelearning.com

So why do we celebrate this day in such a huge fashion? Here are the top five reasons:
1. It’s a milestone for children (and teachers!):
Think about it… for children, especially young children and those in school full days for the
first time, 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, anyone?) 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 kindergarten, we focus on counting by 1s and
10s. Other grades spend time on 2s and 5s. As the children become older, they are adding
and subtracting three digit numbers, and beginning multiplicative reasoning. 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… you name it, and the concept can be utilized during
this day.

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. We incorporate reading, writing, science,
and social studies throughout the week leading up to and including the actual day itself. 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 play games, make pictures of ourselves at 100 years of
age, eat snacks, create necklaces, glue 100 collections, and much, much more. The
children and adults greatly enjoy this day, which combines a lot of fun with a lot of learning.
So there you have it, the reasons why the 100th day of school is important! I hope you have
fun helping your child with their collection or figuring out the many ways to count to 100!

The 100th day of school is an exciting milestone to reach in every preschool

classroom. It is a great way for preschool teachers to celebrate the various
mathematical concepts that can be taught using the number 100. From the
very first day of school, 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, as the days are often marked using coffee
stirrers or Popsicle sticks, ten of which become a "ten bundle," paving the way
to counting by tens and ones. It also signifies that the halfway point of the year
has been passed and the finish line is coming into sight
But more importantly, it presents a special opportunity to help students reflect
upon the hard work they’ve completed so far, and celebrate the progress
they’ve made. After all, you’ve packed a lot of amazing learning into those first
100 days!

So, make the 100th day of school a true event in your classroom! We’ve put
together our favorite activities across all subject areas (plus some just-for-fun
additions) to help you and your students enjoy this special day!