Move Over 100th Day!It's the 101st Day of School!
Can you believe it?! You and your students have made it 101 days into this school year. (Are you calculating 180-101 in your head right now? 😉)
I love celebrating the 101st day of school with my students because the day has such potential for fun learning opportunities! I know kids who have left elementary school and are STILL talking about their 101st day celebrations years later.
Let’s look at ideas for your 101 Days of Fun! It’s an entire day full of 101st day activities, snacks, games, STEM, and more!
101st Day of School Schedule
I want my 101st day celebration to feel like an exciting day for my students, but I also know that there are many learning opportunities, too! I created a schedule that we follow that is jam-packed with math, reading, writing, problem-solving, STEM, art, and more. Most importantly, I chose activities that I could use year after year, regardless of my schedule or learners.
The sample schedule above has been my outline each year. My precious pups love the Dalmatian theme, and this order of events is perfect for engagement.
101st Day of School Invitation
To get my students and families engaged and excited, I send home a note in advance inviting the students to dress up as Dalmatians to match our theme. You’ll be surprised at their creativity! They can participate if they want and decide on the extent of their costumes!
If you choose to make shirts as part of your classroom activities, simply ask families to send in a plain white t-shirt and use a black permanent marker to make the dots.
To save you some time, I’ve created theseeditable themed invitationswhere you can add your own details and information!
101st Day of School Room Transformation
Here are a couple of quick ideas to make your room a cool celebration spot!
🐾 Cover the tables with white paper or a white plastic tablecloth. Cut out spots using black construction paper and tape them to the top!
🐾 Put student supplies in plastic dog dishes from the Dollar Tree.
🐾 Blow up balloons for 1-0-1!
🐾 Add a plush or inflatable Dalmatian for fun photos!
However, if the thought of dragging desks and tables around your room like a makeover episode on HGTV has you saying, “no, ma’am,” I get it! This part is totally optional. 😉
101 Day Hat
For a special morning job, we make 101 days of fun hats! These work well for kids who didn’t dress up but want to participate by wearing something fun! As students come in, I have drawing materials on tables so they can get straight to work.
💡 Teacher Tip: Pre-staple the hats to sentence strips or old border pieces to make assembly quicker!
101st Day of School Games and Math Activities
The 101st day of school is the best day for math practice that doesn’t feel like work! Our favorite game in my classroom is “Top Dog!”
Here’s how you play:
• This game is very similar to the card game “War.” First, each player flips a card over.
• Next, the students compare the two numbers.
• At this time, the person with the greater number is the TOP DOG for the round and takes both cards.
• In the end, the player with the most cards is the TOP DOG for the game.
⭐️ For a challenge, players can flip 2 cards and compare the sums!
For additional math activities, we also write numbers 1-101, add numbers with sums to 101, and show different ways to represent the number 101!Who says math can’t be pawsitively engaging?!
101 Dots On a Dog Art Activity
My kids love this 101 Dots on a Dog art activity! If you want to paint, kids can use their fingers or cotton swabs to make dots. For a totally mess-free option, markers and crayons look great too!
Included in my freebie below is a chart to help kids keep track of how many dots they make! You can also practice counting by one and by tens.
To get this ✨FREE✨ activity sent right to your inbox, add your email below! ⤵️
101st Day of School Literacy Activities
It’s impressive for both you and your students to think about how far they have come since the first day of school! These reading and writing activities help everyone to recognize and celebrate their incredible progress.
I love to use the 101 Words are Fun page for a write-the-room activity. If you’ve never done a write-the-room, students can walk around the room and fill up their paper with words from the classroom posters, books, and more!
Other writing options are to write about their favorite school activities or what they would do with 101 dogs!
Dalmatian Dots 101 Days of School Snack
Dalmation Dots are the perfect snacks to celebrate in the classroom or as a take-home treat. Fill a snack bag with Oreos or Mini Oreos. Fold the top of the bag over and staple the cute label over the top! Believe me, Dalmation Dots are a delicious hit with the entire classroom!
101st Day of School STEM
Kids easily fall in love with the Doghouse Designer activity. They love the importance of figuring out a doghouse that is just right!
The best thing about this STEM activity is that you can use anything in your classroom for materials! My class used notecards, pipe cleaners, paper clips, craft sticks, and tape. If you wanted to use paper and tape to keep things simple, you could easily do that.
If you’re a teacher who uses morning tubs, those would also be great for doghouse designers. Materials like Legos, magnetic tiles, and blocks are perfect for this STEM activity.
STEM Project Directions
Kids can work independently, in partners, or in small groups for the Doghouse Designer STEM project. Use the planning page above to prepare your ideas and allow the students to guide their project.
When your students complete their doghouse, they should test the design using the paper dogs, or small plush dogs. Based on that outcome, they should revisit their strategy to improve their design!
Allow them time to share their finished project with the class and to explain their design ideas!
101st Day of School Certificates
I love celebrating with student certificates at the end of the 101st day of school celebration! If you’d like to save on prep,you can personalize thesewith names, dates, teachers, and school information! There are also color and black-and-white options to fit your needs. These photos are also ideal for sending to families via your classroom app.
Ready to Celebrate 101 Days of School?
I hope your 101st Day of School is a doggone good one! 🐶 I’ve done all the prep work for you, so you can save time on activities that fit any classroom or schedule. Have a ball and don’t forget to tag me to show me all of your final projects. I love to see your classrooms in action!
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Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
As an expert and enthusiast, I have a vast amount of knowledge on various topics, including education and classroom activities. While I have personal experiences or emotions like humans do, I can provide you with information and ideas related to the concepts mentioned in this article.
101st Day of School Celebrations
The 101st day of school is often celebrated in elementary schools as a milestone in the academic year. It provides an opportunity for fun learning activities and engagement with students. Many teachers plan special activities, snacks, games, STEM projects, and more to make the day memorable for their students.
Schedule and Activities
Teachers often create a schedule for the 101st day of school that includes a variety of subjects and learning opportunities. This may include math, reading, writing, problem-solving, STEM, art, and more. The activities chosen can be used year after year, regardless of the schedule or learners.
Dressing Up as Dalmatians
To engage students and families, teachers may send home an invitation in advance, inviting students to dress up as Dalmatians to match the theme of the day. This can spark creativity and excitement among students. Families can be asked to send in plain white t-shirts, which can be decorated with black permanent markers to create the Dalmatian spots.
Room Transformation
Teachers can transform the classroom into a celebration spot for the 101st day of school. Some ideas include covering tables with white paper or a white plastic tablecloth and adding black construction paper spots, using plastic dog dishes from the Dollar Tree for student supplies, blowing up balloons to form the numbers 1-0-1, and adding a plush or inflatable Dalmatian for fun photos.
101 Day Hat
As a special morning activity, teachers can have students create 101 Days of Fun hats. These hats can be made using drawing materials and can be pre-stapled to sentence strips or old border pieces to make assembly quicker.
Games and Math Activities
The 101st day of school provides an opportunity for math practice that doesn't feel like work. One popular game is "Top Dog," which is similar to the card game "War." Students compare numbers and the person with the greater number becomes the top dog for the round. The player with the most cards at the end of the game becomes the top dog for the game. For a challenge, players can flip two cards and compare the sums.
In addition to games, teachers can engage students in other math activities such as writing numbers 1-101, adding numbers with sums to 101, and showing different ways to represent the number 101.
Dots On a Dog Art Activity
The 101 Dots on a Dog art activity is a popular choice among students. They can use their fingers or cotton swabs to make dots on a dog picture. Alternatively, markers and crayons can be used for a mess-free option. Teachers can provide a chart to help students keep track of how many dots they make and practice counting by one and by tens.
Literacy Activities
The 101st day of school is also an opportunity to celebrate literacy and recognize students' progress. Teachers can engage students in reading and writing activities such as write-the-room, where students walk around the room and fill up their paper with words from classroom posters and books. Other writing options include writing about favorite school activities or what they would do with 101 dogs.
Dalmatian Dots Snack
Dalmatian Dots are a popular snack for the 101st day of school celebration. Teachers can fill snack bags with Oreos or Mini Oreos and attach a cute label over the top. This snack is enjoyed by the entire classroom.
STEM Activities
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities can be incorporated into the 101st day of school celebration. One popular activity is the Doghouse Designer, where students design and build doghouses using various materials. Materials can include notecards, pipe cleaners, paper clips, craft sticks, tape, Legos, magnetic tiles, and blocks. Students can work independently, in partners, or in small groups, and they can test and improve their designs based on the outcome.
Certificates
At the end of the 101st day of school celebration, teachers often award students with certificates to recognize their participation and achievements. These certificates can be personalized with names, dates, teachers, and school information. They can also be shared with families via a classroom app.
I hope these ideas and activities help you plan a memorable and engaging 101st day of school celebration!
