Acknowledging the 100th day is a great way for elementary school teachers to celebrate math concepts that can be taught using the number 100. Asking students to collect and bring in items to be used for these lessons also encourages class participation.

Developmental Math Concepts

From the very first day, many 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. The days are often marked using objects like coffee stirrers or Popsicle sticks. Ten of these sticks become a “10 bundle” that will pave the way to counting by tens and ones. Any 100th-day math activities should be appropriate for the developmental stage of the children in the class. Preschoolers and kindergartners generally don’t count past 20, so collections of 100 should focus on bundles or groups of five or 10. In first grade, children can count to 100. Doing a count-up or count-down is appropriate. By second grade, they can usually count to 100 by twos, fives, or tens, so items can be bundled in different number groupings. By third grade, kids can often do multiplication and division. But for numbers as large as 100, more complex math problems may not be appropriate until fourth grade.

Class Collections for the 100th Day of School

If the class is planning a 100 Day celebration, your child may be asked to bring in some items to add to the class collection. It’s not always practical for each child to bring in 100 of any item. Try to get a sense from your child’s teacher of what they have planned. Students will often be separated into groups, with each group responsible for having a collection of 100 things based on a specific theme. For instance, one group may be asked to bring in 100 things from the kitchen, which could be foods like dried beans or Cheerios, items like spoons or forks, or a variety of other things. Another group idea could be 100 coins or 100 different office supply items (such as paper clips, pens, and staples). Whichever way your child’s class decides to mark its 100th day of school, be sure you know what the teacher expects and how the items will be used.

Ideas for Individual 100th School Day Collections

Alternatively, your child may be responsible for their own collection of 100 items. They may need to bring them as a display (such as glued onto a board) or they may do a project with them in the classroom. Options include:

  1. Coins2. M&M’s3. Cereal (Cheerios and Fruit Loops work well)4. Jelly beans5. Paper clips6. Rocks7. Bottle caps8. Popsicle sticks9. Beads10. Dried beans11. Sunflower seeds12. Legos13. Straws14. Popcorn kernels15. Cotton balls16. Buttons17. Rubber bands18. Stickers19. Markers20. Crayons21. Decorative stamps22. Playing cards23. Collectible cards, such as Pokemon, Bakugan, etc.24. A list of books they’ve read25. A list of words they can write/read26. Toothpicks27. Deflated balloons (the class can inflate them later)28. A list of animals29. Photographs (organized in an album)30. Tally marks31. Pieces of macaroni32. Smarties33. Marshmallows34. Feathers35. Birthday candles36. Fingers (trace your hands 10 times)37. Toes (trace your feet 10 times)38. Fingerprints39. Pretzels40. Googly eyes41. Nails42. Screws43. Washers44. Shoelaces45. Hair clips46. Puzzle pieces47. Raisins48. Pipe cleaners49. Craft pom poms50. Marbles51. Golf pencils52. Eraser toppers53. Postcards54. Goldfish crackers55. Cotton swabs56. Ziploc bags57. Index cards58. Pieces of paper59. Paper snowflakes60. Hole punches61. Names for boys62. Names for girls63. Golf tees64. A collection of signatures (this idea will take some planning and isn’t one to be done last minute!)65. Stars (hand-drawn)66. Hearts (hand-drawn)67. Names of songs you know68. Seashells69. Collectible pins/buttons70. Keys71. Dominoes72. Hershey’s Kisses73. Grains of rice74. Lipstick kisses (on paper, not on people!)75. Action figures (a photo is probably more manageable than bringing them all to school)76. Little plastic animals77. Twist ties78. Chocolate chips79. Sequins80. Packing peanuts81. Paper cups82. Paper plates83. Matchbox cars84. State quarters85. Glow sticks86. Dice

Ideas for Classroom 100th Day Celebrations

Some teachers may organize a special collection that can be used as part of a 100th day observance or even a charitable effort. 87. Box Tops for Education88. Cans of food for charity89. Food labels90. Recipes91. Goals92. Valentine’s cards (a class’s 100th day and Valentine’s Day often occur during the same week)93. Children’s books (for donation or just to read)94. Creation made of 100 blocks95. Stuffed animals96. Addition problems (third grade and above)97. Subtraction problems (third grade and above)98. Multiplication problems (fourth grade and above)99. Division problems (fourth grade and above)100. Bubbles