Can you believe we’re already approaching the 100th day of school? It feels like just yesterday, we were greeting our students on day 1. But here we are, ready to celebrate a significant milestone. 🥳 And you know what? The 100th day of school isn’t just a big deal for our younger kiddos; it’s a golden opportunity for students in all elementary grades to grasp the significance of the number 100.
As an educator, I’ve seen firsthand how this day can be a springboard for insightful 100th Day of School Lessons. From scientists to engineers, the number 100 pops up in so many ways in the professional world. It’s our chance to show students the real-world application of what they learn.
Before diving into the rich lessons and STEM challenges, let’s talk about making this day extra memorable with fun and flair!
100th Day of School: Decor, Dress Up, and Gifts
100th Day of School Decor:
- Creating a festive atmosphere is so fun! I found some adorable 100th day decor items that are perfect for creating a photo booth. Now, I’ll explain why I have a photobooth later in this post, but for now, I’ll explain how I do it.
- Hang this Backdrop [affiliate link] on a clear classroom wall or a whiteboard. You can reuse this for another special event like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, the last day of school, etc.
- Then, hang these decoration swirls around it [affiliate link]. You can even hang these from your ceiling tiles.
- Next, give your students these Photo Booth Props [affiliate link] to take group and individual pictures. You can ask a parent volunteer to help assist with this.
- Finally, snap the photos using the camera on your phone. Create a 100th Day Album to save them and keep your photos organized.
- Eventually, you can upload the photos to Canva or Shutterfly to print them and add them to your 100th Day Time Capsule (I’ll expand on this in a bit). Another option would be to create a digital slideshow to share with families using Google Slides.
Dressing Up Like an Old Person:
- Dress-up days always bring excitement, but if I’m being honest, I despise scratchy costumes. I’ve worn a fun T-shirt for our 100th day of school, and it was a hit – comfy yet celebratory [affiliate link]. I like to order a size up because I just like my shirts to be a bit oversized. These shirts are so cute!
- And if you’re feeling adventurous, why not add a wig or some playful accessories? [affiliate link] I wore this wig on the 100th Day of School, and it survived the entire day! It wasn’t too hot or scratchy, and one of my students told me I looked like Mama from All in the Family. I love Carol Burnett, so I’ll take it as a compliment! 😄
100th Day of School Gifts & Snacks:
- Simple gifts like silicone bracelets or certificates add a special touch without being distracting. You know what I mean if you’ve tried slap bracelets or funky glasses. That’s why I like these silicone bracelets. These are affordable, and I also like that they include colored certificates, so you don’t have to print these out and use more of your colored ink. Bracelets & Certificates Affiliate Link
- And for snacks, I don’t like to do a lot of prep or touch the snacks. Instead, I focus on a unit of measurement – calories. I like these pretzel bags on the 100th day of school because they’re easy, and everyone loves them! Pretzel Packs Affiliate Link
- Another option is to have students create their 100th Day of School trail mix. To do this, you’ll need 10 of 10 different items. You can do things like:
- Pretzels
- Raisins (but if you’re like me and hate raisins, let’s do gummy bears instead)
- M&Ms
- Cheerios (or another cereal like Chex-Mix)
- Mini-marshmallows
- Popcorn
- Nuts (check for allergies first)
- Dried fruit
- Goldfish
- Sunflowers or Pumpkin Seeds
Ask families for donations since this can get costly if you do it alone. [You can grab this wishlist building guide for free here.]
100th Day of School Lessons, Activities, and Reflections
Now, let’s move on to the heart of our celebration: 100th Day of School Lessons and activities that make the day fun and meaningful. I’ve put together rich lessons and ideas that help students understand the value and milestone of the number 100 through hands-on, extraordinary experiences that make learning fun. These are more than just counting. It’s using 100 in different ways to explore how STEAM professionals use 100.
100th Day of School Time Capsule:
Do you ever look back at your Facebook status from 14 years ago and think, wow! I can’t believe I once was a virtual farmer. 😄🙋🏼♀️ Creating a time capsule is an incredible way to show students how much they’ve grown at the end of the year. Plus, it builds community!
- To start, grab a box, whether an Amazon box or a shoe box.
- If you want, decorate it with wrapping or bulletin board paper from your supply room.
- Then, collect items from the day, whether a letter from the students, a post-it with a word on it, or those adorable photos you took from the photo booth (see the top of this post).
- Finally, tuck it away in a safe place and don’t open it until the last day of school.
If I Live to be 100:
In this activity, students ponder their future and legacy. We create an “aged” version of ourselves, and it’s so funny!
Here’s how to do this:⤵️
- First, get the app. There are several apps available that can age a person’s face. Popular ones include FaceApp, AgingBooth, and Oldify. I personally use AgingBooth. It’s super easy.
- Next, make sure you have permission to capture photos of your students. Disclaimer: This may freak some students out seeing themselves aged, so I highly recommend getting their consent beforehand. If all is good, snap their photo on your phone to upload into the app or snap directly into the app.
- Then, use the interface to ‘age’ your student.
- Finally, save the photo and either print the image for a writing activity or create a digital slideshow on Google Slides.
We use this 100th Day Activity to create these accordion people. It’s so funny!
Array of Sunshine – Keeping it 100:
Let’s cultivate thankfulness with a gratitude wall. This is a powerful way to shift focus to the positives in our lives.
A gratitude wall is a fun activity for the 100th day of school. It’s super simple to create!
- First, divide your class into ten different groups.
- Next, give each group 10 Post-it or index cards and provide them with a category. We use this sheet for generating ideas.
- Then, they write one thing they are thankful for on each card.
- Finally, create a display of the gratitude wall in your classroom or out in your hallway to make an array of sunshine!
Keep this on display for the remainder of the year to practice reflecting on gratitude regularly. It’s great for getting everyone in the right mindset.
100th Day of School STEAM Challenges: Bringing Learning to Life
And, of course, we must remember the 100th Day of School STEM Challenges. These are not just fun; they’re gateways to understanding real-world applications of what we learn in class.
You can either do the following STEM activities as stations in your classroom or complete these with your grade-level team and do rotations. I didn’t number these activities, so you can pick and choose which STEAM activity works best for you and your classroom.
Each activity includes:⤵️
- Teacher pages
- Student Challenge Pages
- Math Sheets
- Reading Passages with Comprehension Questions
- Reflection Journal Prompts
- Answer Keys
Below is a summary of each STEAM Activity.
Flippin’ For 100 STEM Activity
Materials Needed:
- Water bottles (one per student)
- 100 small items to fill the bottles (beans, rice, cereal, etc.)
- Graphs from [100th Day of School Lessons & STEAM Activities]
Students bring in a water bottle filled with 100 small objects. The challenge is to flip the bottle and try to make it land upright 100 times. They will record and graph their successful and unsuccessful attempts, analyzing the probability of landing it correctly.
BONUS: This activity fits perfectly with the story 100th Day Worries [affiliate link]. I’ve also included a reading passage for this STEM activity, where students learn about encouragement and persistence.
100th Day of School Target STEM Activity
Materials Needed:
- Popsicle sticks
- Rubber bands
- Plastic spoons
- Tape
- Cotton balls
- Ruler or measuring tape
- Markers or tape to mark the floor
Students create a device to launch a cotton ball precisely 100 cm. This hands-on activity will teach them about trajectory, force, and measurement. These devices are so much fun to make, and students are thrilled when the cotton ball launches!
This lesson not only teaches students about math and science, but they also learn about perseverance and discovering new strategies with reading passages and journal prompts.
100th Day of School Domino Rally:
Materials Needed:
- Dominoes (a large set or multiple sets)
- Stopwatch or timer
- Rulers or measuring tapes (for planning and spacing)
- Graph paper (optional for design planning)
Students will team up to create a domino rally within a 100-square-inch area. The goal is to design a sequence that not only fits this length but also takes the longest time to fall.
This activity will test their skills in spatial planning, precision, and patience, as they experiment with domino spacing and patterns to slow down the rally, promoting teamwork and strategic thinking.
100 Cups Tower Challenge
Materials:
- 100 cups per group
- Rulers or measuring tapes to measure
- Space where teams can build safely
Students work in small teams to stack 100 cups to create the tallest tower possible. This activity encourages creativity, spatial awareness, engineering principles, and collaboration.
This reading passage and journal prompts teach students about the importance of communication and teamwork.
Keepin’ It 100 STEAM Activity
Materials:
- Dicut pieces of 1-0-0 for each student or 100 printable
- Construction paper
- Glue
- Scissors (if they’re cutting their pieces)
- Crayons or colored pencils
Students get creative with the numbers 1-0-0. Each student receives cutouts of these digits and transforms them into imaginative art pieces. This activity blends art with numeracy, as students explore place value while articulating their artistic process. It’s a unique way to engage with numbers, encouraging creativity, spatial awareness, and vocabulary use.
As we wrap up our exploration of the 100th Day of School festivities and learning, I hope you’re as excited as I am to bring these ideas to your classroom. From photo booths to STEAM activities, there’s something magical about marking this day in ways that ignite curiosity, foster creativity, and build a strong sense of community.
The 100 Second Challenge:
Materials:
- Recycled paper, duct tape, or other building materials from STEM Boxes
- Timer or stopwatch
- Rulers for measuring the towers
- Marble
- Tennis Ball
This activity invites students to embrace their inner engineers, using various materials to construct towers. It’s an excellent opportunity to develop an understanding of shapes and stability, along with time management. This challenge not only enhances creativity and problem-solving skills but also strengthens the prefrontal cortex, which is key to cognitive development.
Whether flipping bottles or building towering cup structures, the real joy comes from watching our students engage, learn, and grow.These activities are all in one simple download from my TPT shop.
Now, I’d love to hear from you! What are your favorite 100th day of school activities and lessons? If you’ve never celebrated this day in your classroom, which ideas from this list are you excited to try? Drop your thoughts and plans in the comments below. Let’s share and inspire each other as we make this 100th day of school one for the books!
Check out these related blog posts:
- Cultivating a Growth Mindset
- Improve Classroom Community with STEAM
- SEL Strategies
