Updated (Again): 100th Day of School Stations and a FREEBIE!

Ask and you shall receive!
Okay, admittedly that was a bit dramatic.  But seriously... I have something awesome for you! 

So since I wrote this post back in 2011 (or maybe that's when I updated the post), I have had many of you wonderful teachers ask about my station signs.  Well, I always responded with, "I don't know where I saved that document," which was the truth (I think it was on a flashdrive that ended up getting crumbled to pieces - long story).  The other part I didn't say was, "I'm too embarrassed to share such a simple, ugly document."

It was always my intent to re-create my signs and make them look cuter, but my trouble was finding the time.  Well, the time has come...

My EDITABLE 100th Day of School station signs are now available!  Check them out at my TPT store!

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I am joining the linky party over at TBA - Teaching Blog Addict:  "100th Day Ideas."  Be sure to hop over there for more great ideas from amazing teachers!

I love the 100th Day of School!  I am all about a fun-filled day when I can throw my regular lesson plans out the window and plan a day of engaging activities that feels more like a "party" than "school."  (Though we wise teachers know this "party" is certainly a learning experience they will never forget!)

I turn the 100th Day of School celebration into a parent involvement day.  If you would like a copy of our bilingual (Spanish and English) parent invitation, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store for this FREEBIE!  (I left the download as a Word document.  The formatting won't come out correctly on your end if you do not have the same font, but at least you will be able to revise the document, so you can use it.)

The majority of our morning is spent in 7 stations.  I divide my students into small groups ahead of time and I post these groups on the SmartBoard for all to read.  I always make sure I assign at least one student to each group who has a parent volunteer joining them.  The students spend 15 to 20 minutes in each station before they rotate to the next station.

Tip!  In order to keep parents "in the loop," I post the schedule or agenda on the whiteboard.  (This also encourages the parents to scoot out the door at the appropriate time.) 

Tip!  Play music when the students are working.  When you shut off the music, the students will know when it is time to start cleaning up their station.

Tip!  Use tape to mark arrows on the floor in order to visually show the students the directions in which they should rotate stations.  I have some bright green tape from JoAnn Fabrics that I will use this year.

Tip! Post "I Can" signs at each station (English and Spanish, if necessary), so the parents understand what it is the children are supposed to be doing at each station.  If you don't have time to create your own, be sure to check out the ones that I use!  They are editable and available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Anyway, here are our 7 stations:

Station #1 - "100 Days Smarter Crown," Part 1:

This activity takes the students the longest to complete, so they work on their crowns in two stations.  This idea comes from the wonderful Shari Sloane.  If you are not already familiar with her, I highly recommend that you visit her website:  Kids Count 1234.  In order to find her particular post about these crowns, click on "Math Activities."

So you (or your educational assistant, if you're lucky enough to have one, or a parent volunteer) will need to prep these crowns ahead of time.  You need to staple ten 1.5 inch x 12 inch strips to the back of a sentence strip.  Hole punch each strip at the top.  You then stick or glue a label on the sentence strip that says "100 Days Smarter!" These are also available in my pack.  (Something I do differently than Shari:  I use multi-colored strips, not just white.)



When the students come to this station, they stick (or glue) 10 of something to each strip.  This is what my students do:

- Stick 10 dot stickers.

- Stick 10 letter stickers.

- Stick 10 picture stickers.

- Stick 10 foam stickers.

- Stamp 10 fun stamps.

Station #2 - "100 Days Smarter Crown," Part 2:

The students finish their crowns at this station.

- Glue 10 little circles (from hole punchers).

- Glue 10 sequins.

- Glue 10 elbow noodles.

- Glue 10 small buttons.

- Punch out 10 holes with hole puncher. This year I have letter hole punchers! I also found some picture hole punchers at The Dollar Tree.

When the crowns are dry, help your students gather the tops of each strip so that the holes overlap.  Insert a brass fastener in the hole.  Don't forget to take a picture of the students wearing their crowns!  (We usually wait until the afternoon when they are completely dry.)

I was super disappointed when I took my "100 Days Smarter Crown" out of storage today.  It flattened!  :(  But you get the idea.

Station #3 - "100 Gumballs"

Each student takes a paper that has a picture of a gumball jar and 100 gumballs inside.  Students find the numbers in chronological order from 1 - 100.  They mark each "gumball" with a Bingo marker / paint dabber after they find and say the number.  The students then pick up the paper without numbers and they write the numbers from 1 - 100.  These printables (both with and without numbers) are also available in my pack.

Tip! I enlarge this image using our photocopy machine, so it is twice the normal size.

Tip!  Provide the students with scrap paper to slide under their gumball papers.  The Bingo dabbers have a tendency to leak through the gumball papers...at least when little hands are dabbing too much or too hard.

Station #4 - "Count to 100"

If you read through my parent invitation, you noticed that I ask the students to bring 100 of the same object (nothing edible).  The objects must be small enough to fit inside a paper lunch bag, which I provide.  Students bring things like paperclips, pennies, small Legos, small plastic toys, etc.  The students take a laminated hundreds chart and practice counting to 100 as they place one object on each number.  (I have included a cuter 100s chart than the once you see below in my pack, in case you don't have any readily available in your classroom already.)

Tip!  Print the 100s chart on colorful cardstock and laminate them so you can use them year after year.

Station #5 - "100 Piece Puzzle"

This activity is a group effort.  In other words, when the students transition to the next station, they do NOT clean up.  They leave the puzzle as is.  A 100 piece puzzle has proven challenging for my young ones, but with the help of the parent volunteers, they get it done...and boy, are they proud of themselves when it is complete!  If you do not already have a 100 piece puzzle in your classroom, visit your local Dollar Tree or Dollar General.  They usually are stocked with them.

Tip!  Provide the students with a solid work surface.  If this station is on the ground, like in my classroom (on the carpet), lay down a tarp or something of the sort, so it can be moved.  That way, the students can finish at a later time, if needed.

Station #6 - "Towers 100"

This station is simple to prepare and simple to do, but my kids LOVE it!  They just count and stack 100 objects...or that is the goal, anyway.  Here are some suggestions of objects that are good for stacking:  applesauce or fruit cups, Legos, connecting cubes, pennies, poker chips, and two-sided round, flat math manips (if you have them in your classroom).

Station #7 - "100 Loops Necklace"

This station is not assigned to anyone.  Instead, students go to this station, if they finish their assigned station early.  Your early finishers might visit this extra station several times, in which case they may actually finish their necklaces.  Anyway, they just loop Fruit Loops cereal on to a string of yarn, while counting of course.

(I do not have a picture to show you, but thanks to Mrs. Lee, here is a photo for you visual learners out there.  If you would like to read more about how Mrs. Lee celebrates the 100th Day of School, click HERE!)

Tip!  Wrap a small piece of masking or painters tape around one end of the yarn.  This harder, pointier tip makes it easier for the kids to get the cereal on there.

Tip!  If you have the students count 10 orange, 10 red, 10 blue, etc. it will be easier for them to stay on track with their counting.

So that's it!  If I am leaving out any logistical details that you would like to know more about or if you have any questions, please be sure to leave a comment and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

I am planning on writing a second post about the 100th Day of School on another day (my brain is fried at this point and  I have dirty dishes waiting to be washed...boo).  My next post will detail what we do in the afternoon on this special day.  So check back later!

Thanks for stopping by.  :)