Every year in my second grade classroom, we celebrate the 100th day of school. But of course this year is not like every other year, so how do you celebrate virtually? In this post I’ll share virtual 100th day of school activities and how to celebrate the 100th day on Zoom!
Virtual 100th Day of School Activities
During a typical year on the 100th day in second grade, we work within 100 rather than counting to 100 as students did in the younger grades. We work with longer vocabulary words like centenarian, retirement, and pension. Students make self-portraits and write personal narratives imagining ourselves at 100 years old. But of course, this is not a typical year.
In this post, I’ll share ways you can still do all of those things whether you are teaching virtually, in a hybrid situation, or even in your classroom. Read on to learn fun ways to:
- Use an aging app to make digital self-portraits
- Make digital 100th day Word Art
- Write a creative personal narrative using digital templates
- Play “How Old Was Granny” to solve word problems within 100
- Determine the value of a 100th day pizza
- Share 100th day read alouds on video
- Have a costume day
- Hold a 100 Days Smarter ceremony
Things We’ve Been Told 100 Times
One of my favorite 100th day activities is to make a class book called, “Things We’ve Been Told 100 Times!”. Normally I use the printable templates in this 100th day unit, but for a virtual celebration have a class discussion instead. Take turns having students tell something they have been told 100 times. Get ready to giggle because the responses are always priceless! You can see examples of some of the things my students have been told 100 times in this post.
Write Creative Narratives
Imagining themselves at 100 years old makes for some very creative writing! Ask students to think about the jobs they would have had, their retirement, their hobbies, their family and friends, and what they spend their days doing. This topic is loaded with opportunities for vocabulary growth. Introduce words like pension, centenarian, geriatric, senior citizen, and retirement.
Students can open a Google Doc to do their writing or assign the ready to use Google Slides in this 100th day resource. The extra typing practice is always a bonus and you can easily compile your students writing into a digital class book!
Use Aging Apps to Make Digital Self-Portraits
A great starting point for writing, that is also a lot of fun, is making centenarian self-portraits! See examples of our portraits from past years, in this post. Use free aging apps like Aging Booth (in the App Store) for iPad or for desktop use Oldify.
The apps are simple to use. You just upload a large, clear portrait of the student. You then line up the eyes, nose, mouth and chin. Another fun feature of this app is the age counter that flips years as the app “ages” the image. Students or parents at home can then download the portraits as an image file that can be saved to a camera roll or documents folder.
Parents can help students do this at home or another easy way for the teacher to do it virtually, is to grab a screen shot of each child during a class meeting. You can then upload each picture to the app and age them. It only takes about a minute per student so you can do the whole class in a relatively short time. Next, insert them into the Google Doc or Slide with their writing.
Add 100th Day Math
Add math to your 100th day activities by playing “How Old Was Granny?”. Present various scenarios where “Granny” is 100 years old and students need to add or subtract from 100 to solve a word problem. Make up your own or use the digital, ready to go, self-checking word problems in this resource. I designed the problems for students to practice the skill of using addition to subtract from 100.
In this game, students work with hundreds and expanded form to determine the value of a pizza.
Listen to 100th Day Read Alouds
YouTube has a lot of fun 100th day books being read aloud. I’ve chosen a few that aren’t too young and will appeal to 2nd graders. You might start the day with one of these:
Harry Kindergarten music has a fun 100th day Brain Break to have students jump for 100 seconds!
Make Word Art for Any Subject
Making 100th day word clouds is super easy with ABCya. Students can make their own or it’s also is a fun group project that can easily be done together on Zoom by sharing your screen and having students give you words. You can even tie it into the content you are teaching! For example generate 100 nouns, verbs, or adjectives. Type in science words, vocabulary words, or long vowel words students know.
I made an example with some of our science vocabulary.
You can choose word counts up to 1000 and even pick fonts, colors, and designs. Click here to make word clouds with ABCya.
Have students make as many new words as they can out of the words “one hundred”. You will be surprised at how many you can actually make!
To practice parts of speech, have students list all the people, places, and things they would like to do before they are 100 years old!
Have a 100 Days Smarter Ceremony
Celebrate over Zoom with a 100 Days Smarter ceremony! Have students dress up like their grandparents and celebrate all of their accomplishments so far. Take a moment to acknowledge an area where each child has grown as you “pass out” certificates. Make simple certificates or use the digital certificates in this 100th day activities pack.
I hope you’ve found some ideas you can use to celebrate your 100th day virtually!
Find ready to use print + digital 100th day activities designed for 2nd and 3rd grade CLICK HERE.
Be sure to pin this post on Pinterest so you have it when you plan your 100th day of school!
Happy 100th day!
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
As an expert in elementary education and a teacher with years of experience, I am well-versed in the concept of the 100th day of school celebration. This special milestone is typically celebrated in second grade classrooms, where students engage in various activities to mark the occasion. However, in light of the current virtual learning situation, celebrating the 100th day of school has required some creativity and adaptation.
During a typical year, second-grade students move beyond simply counting to 100 and instead focus on working within the number 100. Vocabulary words such as "centenarian," "retirement," and "pension" are introduced, and students create self-portraits and write personal narratives imagining themselves at 100 years old. While this year presents unique challenges, there are still ways to engage students in these activities, whether they are learning virtually, in a hybrid setting, or in the physical classroom.
One idea is to use aging apps to create digital self-portraits. Apps like Aging Booth for iPad or Oldify for desktop can be used to transform students' portraits to make them look like centenarians. This activity not only sparks creativity but also serves as a great starting point for writing.
Another activity is to write creative personal narratives imagining what life would be like at 100 years old. Students can explore various aspects such as their careers, retirement, hobbies, family and friends, and daily routines. This topic provides ample opportunities for vocabulary growth, introducing words like "pension," "centenarian," "geriatric," "senior citizen," and "retirement." Students can write their narratives using Google Docs or Google Slides, and their work can be compiled into a digital class book.
To incorporate math into the celebration, the game "How Old Was Granny?" can be played. Students are presented with scenarios where "Granny" is 100 years old, and they need to add or subtract from 100 to solve word problems. This game helps students practice using addition to subtract from 100 and also introduces concepts like hundreds and expanded form.
Additionally, listening to 100th day read-alouds on platforms like YouTube can be a fun and engaging activity. Selecting books that are age-appropriate and relatable to second graders, such as "The Night Before the 100th Day" or "Jake's 100th Day," can set the tone for the celebration.
Creating word art is another exciting activity that can be done virtually. Using websites like ABCya, students can generate word clouds related to the 100th day using various themes or content they are studying. For example, students can generate word clouds with 100 nouns, verbs, or adjectives, or they can focus on science vocabulary, vocabulary words, or long vowel words.
Furthermore, a 100 Days Smarter ceremony can be held over Zoom, where students dress up like their grandparents and celebrate their growth and accomplishments. Certificates can be awarded to acknowledge each child's progress, and these certificates can be created digitally or printed from available resources.
By embracing virtual platforms and utilizing creativity, teachers can make the 100th day of school celebration a memorable and engaging experience, even in a virtual or hybrid learning environment. These activities not only foster a sense of connection and excitement but also promote learning and engagement in various subject areas. Happy 100th day of school!
