100th Day, Survivor Style!!

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:

         Check out how Mrs. Flickinger decorated her classroom!

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.