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!
As an experienced educator and enthusiast of celebrating the 100th day of school, I understand the challenges of adapting to virtual learning environments. However, I'm here to share virtual 100th day of school activities and how to celebrate the 100th day on Zoom that will make this special day memorable for your second-grade students.
Traditionally, on the 100th day of school, second-grade students shift their focus from simply counting to 100, as done in younger grades, to working within the number 100. They engage with longer vocabulary words like centenarian, retirement, and pension. Additionally, students create self-portraits and write personal narratives, imagining themselves at 100 years old. However, considering the current circ*mstances, we need to adapt our approach to celebrate this day.
Let's explore some fun activities that can be done virtually, in a hybrid setting, or even in the classroom:
-
Use an aging app to make digital self-portraits: Encourage students to use free aging apps like Aging Booth (available on the App Store for iPad) or Oldify (for desktop use). These apps allow students to upload their portrait and apply aging effects, creating centenarian self-portraits. The apps also feature an age counter that flips years, providing a fun and interactive experience. Students or parents at home can easily download the portraits as image files, which can be saved to a camera roll or documents folder. These portraits can then be inserted into Google Docs or Slides along with their writing.
-
Write creative personal narratives: Encourage students to imagine themselves at 100 years old and ask them to think about their future jobs, retirement, hobbies, family and friends, and how they would spend their days. This activity not only promotes creativity but also offers opportunities for vocabulary growth. Introduce words like pension, centenarian, geriatric, senior citizen, and retirement. Students can use a Google Doc or the ready-to-use Google Slides provided in the 100th day resource to write their narratives. The extra typing practice is a bonus, and their writing can be compiled into a digital class book.
-
Play "How Old Was Granny" to solve word problems within 100: Add a math component to your 100th day activities by playing the game "How Old Was Granny?" Present various scenarios where "Granny" is 100 years old, and students need to add or subtract from 100 to solve word problems. You can create your own problems or use the digital, self-checking word problems found in the 100th day resource. These problems are designed to help students practice using addition to subtract from 100. This game also incorporates concepts like hundreds and expanded form.
-
Listen to 100th day read-alouds: YouTube offers a wide selection of fun 100th day books being read aloud. Choose books that are engaging for second graders, such as "The Night Before the 100th Day," "Jake's 100th Day," "100th Day Worries," or "The 100th Day Project." Start the day by sharing one of these read-alouds with your students. Additionally, consider incorporating a brain break by having students participate in Harry Kindergarten's 100th day Brain Break, where they can jump for 100 seconds.
-
Make digital 100th day Word Art: Creating word clouds related to the 100th day is a simple and enjoyable activity. Use ABCya, a platform that allows students to generate their own word clouds or collaborate on a group project using Zoom. You can have students suggest words, and you can type them in. For example, you can generate word clouds containing 100 nouns, verbs, or adjectives. This activity can also be tied to the content you are teaching. For instance, you can create word clouds using science words, vocabulary words, or long vowel words that the students are familiar with.
-
Have a 100 Days Smarter ceremony: Celebrate the 100th day virtually by having a 100 Days Smarter ceremony on Zoom. Encourage students to dress up like their grandparents and celebrate their accomplishments thus far. Take a moment to acknowledge each child's growth in a specific area as you "pass out" certificates. You can create simple certificates or use the digital certificates provided in the 100th day activities pack.
In addition to these activities, one of my favorite 100th day projects is creating a class book called "Things We've Been Told 100 Times!" While printable templates are traditionally used for this activity, you can adapt it for virtual celebrations by having a class discussion. Each student can take turns sharing something they have been told 100 times, resulting in entertaining and priceless responses.
I hope these ideas inspire you to celebrate the 100th day of school virtually with your second-grade students. For ready-to-use print and digital 100th day activities designed specifically for 2nd and 3rd grade, you can click [here](insert relevant link). Remember to pin this post on Pinterest for future reference when planning your 100th day of school celebration.
Happy 100th day!
