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, particularly in second grade, I have celebrated the 100th day of school numerous times. This special day is traditionally marked by engaging activities and celebrations that revolve around the number 100. However, with the current circ*mstances in mind, celebrating virtually may be necessary. In this post, I will provide you with a variety of virtual 100th day of school activities and ideas on how to celebrate the 100th day on Zoom.
During a typical year, second grade students move beyond simply counting to 100 and instead focus on working within the number 100. They explore longer vocabulary words such as centenarian, retirement, and pension. Additionally, students create self-portraits and write personal narratives imagining themselves at 100 years old. However, this year calls for alternative approaches.
To adapt these activities for virtual or hybrid learning environments, you can make use of technology and digital tools. Here are some fun ways to celebrate the 100th day virtually:
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Use an aging app: Encourage students to make digital self-portraits using aging apps like Aging Booth (available on the App Store for iPad) or Oldify (for desktop use). These apps allow students to upload a clear portrait of themselves and digitally age it to resemble a centenarian. The age counter feature adds an element of excitement as it flips years, creating an engaging experience.
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Create digital 100th day Word Art: Utilize websites like ABCya to help students create word clouds related to the 100th day. Students can generate word clouds with 100 nouns, verbs, or adjectives, or even tie it into the subject they are currently studying. This activity promotes vocabulary development and can be done individually or as a collaborative project on Zoom.
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Write creative personal narratives: Encourage students to imagine themselves at 100 years old and write creative personal narratives. They can reflect on the jobs they would have had, their retirement, hobbies, family and friends, and how they would spend their days. This activity not only stimulates creativity but also provides opportunities for vocabulary growth. Students can use Google Docs or pre-designed Google Slides for their writing, allowing for easy compilation into a digital class book.
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Play "How Old Was Granny?": Incorporate math into the 100th day celebrations by playing a game called "How Old Was Granny?" Create scenarios where Granny is 100 years old, and students need to add or subtract from 100 to solve word problems. You can design your own problems or use pre-made self-checking word problems specifically designed for this purpose.
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Share 100th day read alouds on video: Explore YouTube for engaging read alouds of books related to the 100th day. Choose books that are age-appropriate and appeal to second graders. Starting the day with a read aloud sets a positive tone for the celebrations. Some recommended books include "The Night Before the 100th Day," "Jake's 100th Day," "100th Day Worries," and "The 100th Day Project."
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Have a 100 Days Smarter ceremony: Organize a virtual ceremony on Zoom to celebrate the achievements of students on their 100th day of school. Encourage students to dress up like their grandparents and take a moment to acknowledge the growth and accomplishments of each child. You can distribute certificates to recognize their progress. Simple certificates can be created or you can use digital certificates available in 100th day activities packs.
In addition to these activities, one of my favorite ideas is to create a class book called "Things We've Been Told 100 Times!". While traditionally done with printable templates, this year you can have a class discussion instead. Each student can take turns sharing something they have been told 100 times, which often leads to humorous and priceless responses.
I hope these ideas inspire you to celebrate the 100th day of school virtually, whether you are teaching remotely, in a hybrid situation, or even in your physical classroom. Embrace the power of technology and creativity to make this day special for your students. Happy 100th day!
