This is how we CELEBRATE being 100 days smarter!

I feel like we just started the new school year, how are we more than half way done? I’m so proud of my kiddos and all they’ve learned this year. At the beginning of the year, they were just babies who were unsure about mental math and writing in complete sentences. Now, they’re blowing me away adding 3 digit numbers in just seconds using their favorite strategies and doing their best to write compound sentences that sound like 2nd graders wrote them!

I had some fun things planned for our special 100th day of school. It wasn’t as grand as last year because I’m not teaching a straight second grade class. I could get away with some of the craziness last year because I was also a first grade teacher.

We wanted our kiddos to have some fun first thing in the morning so the entire group of second graders met on the field for some exercise rotations. Each teacher was in charge of one exercise. The students did that exercise ten times. I was in charge of “high knees” but my team liked telling me I was in charge of “hineys!” After my group completed 10 high knees, they ~~ran~~ walked to the next station. Luckily we have 10 teachers so by the end of all the rotations, kiddos completed 10 exercises. It was a great way to get their excited wiggles out!

Once we came inside, students worked from their 100th day of school packet.

easy teaching tools, teaching, school, 100 days of school

They absolutely loved imaging what they’d look like when they’re 100. According to my littles, grandmas wear buns and scarves and they wear slippers all day. They enjoy gardening, playing BINGO, and reading the newspaper because “old people are always reading the paper.”

I tied their writing into our money unit and had the kiddos write about what they’d do with $100.00. They had such a fun time with this! It’s amazing how much kiddos will write when there is buy-in!

1. Throughout the day, we took mini brain breaks (sorry Go Noodle) by exercising in sets of ten (just like we did this morning, but different exercises).

2. Like last year, I also used the trusty (and free) Aging Photo Booth app. Students chose glasses to enhance their photo!

3. During math, we raced writing to 100 and reinforced how to recognize odd and even numbers.

Writing is very important to me, so we spend a lot of time writing today. Kiddos came to the carpet and we brainstormed together. Here are some of my favorite thoughts from these little guys.

“I think old people will eat broccoli because I’m a kid and I don’t like it. But my parents like it so I think I will eventually like it when I’m old.”

“Old people like board games. When my grandpa was visiting, we played a lot of board games, and not the fun ones.”

“Old people like to go to BINGO night.”

I truly could’ve talked to my kiddos all day about this, but we had to move on. My friends used what we came up with during our brain storm and put it into sentences during the drafting phase of the writing process.

This last sentence just killed me, but I have to stay strong! Thank you to One Fab Teacher for the adorable certificates. My friends were so proud!

My friends went nuts over Meet Miss Parker’s Hundred Flat Race! I had them play with a partner and it was easy peasy for me! I mounted while they cheered their partner on! They begged me to play again. Luckily I had a few extra to put in pocket protectors that I’ll throw in our math centers.