I know celebrating the 100th day
of school is a really big deal in kindergarten and 1st grade.
However, the older students out there can also benefit from a little 100th day
celebration!
Instead of the usual, "What
would you do with $100?" or "How will you look when you're 100
years old?" that is usually done in the younger grades, I focus
on an "I Survived 100 Days of School" theme that combines cooperative
learning, team building, and "Survivor" type challenges to mark
the big day.
First, a parent letter is
sent home encouraging students to dress in camouflage - some students go all
out!!!! I also have black face paint available so students can rub some
"dirt" on their face! They LOVE it! I buy some greenery
from The Dollar Tree and hang it from the ceiling and in the hallway:
She used REAL Tiki Torches with
tissue paper flames---how cool is that?!?! Tiki torches were found in the spring at The Dollar Tree.
And, take a look at her hallway
decorations...it definitely looks like a
jungle in there!!
Her lucky students must have gone crazy when they
walked in that morning!
You could also make
"flames" out of construction paper to represent each tribe
and play the Survivor theme song before starting the challenges. Click
here for a link for the theme song on You
Tube.
To get your day started, first break your students up
into tribes. Give each child a colored bandana to wear (bought at Hobby
Lobby for approximately 60 cents each):
Then, before we started the
challenges, I played the song Eye of the Tiger (by Survivor--how
fitting!!). I thought this would be a good song to pump them up.
Instead, it cracked me up!! They started doing one-armed push ups, jumping
jacks, and muscle flexes...you'd think they were in bootcamp! Even with
their face paint and camo gear they looked so sweet and innocent!!
Then
the groups decide on a tribe name and create a poster for their
tribal area:
Next, they work in cooperative
groups to complete challenges such as
USA Rocks: social studies/mapping
Chain Reaction: cooperative
working, critical thinking
Super Sundae: cooperative
working, math
and Marshmallow
Madness: math, cooperative working
(100 marshmallows are
hidden around the room and students have to "walk" on their
knees, can only find one marshmallow at a time, and have to place it on a 100's
chart)
Here are some pictures of Mrs.
Flickinger's Super Second Grade Survivors doing some of their challenges.
Thanks for sharing the pictures with me! I loved seeing your students
work together!
Click here to
check out this unique twist on celebrating the 100th day of school.
This 10-page file includes 4 challenges, parent note, reflection sheet, photos,
and detailed directions and sells for $3.
