• To get your students “wiggles” out and to introduce these activities, tell them they need to wiggle the ants out of their pants for 100 seconds.

• Put on some jazzy music and have them get those ants out while you watch the clock.

Click on the link for a You Tube video of a teenager dancing to a remix of The Ants Go Marching  for the perfect music to jump and wiggle to.

• Later, using a black marker, have students make 10 ant dots in each pocket or patch on the blue jeans for a total of 100 ants on their pants.
• Read Elinor J. Pinczes’ book, One Hundred Hungry Ants. {amazonWS:itemId=0395971233}
• Have your students march down the hall 1-by-1, 2-by-2, 3-by-3, 5-by-5 and finally 10-by-10.

• Ask for their predictions of which way they think will take the longest, shortest or be the easiest or most fun?
• Time how long it takes them.
• A fun song to sing while they accomplish this feat is, “The Ants Go Marching”

You Tube video #1 has this song up to the #3 with really catchy music; I wish they would have done the entire song instead of only 1 minutes worth. Click on the link to check it out.

You Tube video #2 goes through the #5 with children at a playground marching. Count by 1’s, 2’s, 3’s, 5’s, and 10’s to whatever number your students are able.

•  Inform your students that eating insects is a delicacy in some countries and that even here in the United States some people eat chocolate covered ants!
  
•  Graph the question: Would you eat a chocolate covered ant?
  
• Pass out a name label to each of your students.

•  Using raisins, have them guesstimate how long they think a line of raisin ants will be, and have them put their name label on the floor.
  
•  Give each student 5 raisins (if you have 20 in your class) and have them begin to lay them down in a line.

•  The student that comes closest to where the 100th raisin ant ended, receives my certificate or whatever you deem appropriate.

•  Pass out the Trace & Write ant worksheets and have students complete them with a variety of colored markers.

•  I’ve also included number cards by 10’s and 5’s that they can trace, cut, and sequence and then turn into Itty Bitty Books.

•  You could also make these into memory match games by printing sets on different colors and having students play with a partner or in a group of 3.

• There’s also a Secret Code 100’s chart for them to figure out the picture by coloring in the appropriate numbers.

• At the end of the day give them an "I survived 100 Day! badge to wear home.
• You could turn these into necklaces by punching a hole in either corner, putting a piece of yarn through and having students string some pony beads on either end.I also have certificates of participation for everyone.

•  Click on the link to view/print 100 Day Ant Activities

I hope your 100 Day celebration is more fun than a summer picnic, simply fANTastic! Thank you for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything that you think others may find helpful. 

"O-fish-ally" 100 Days Smarter!

I LOVE play on words, not that younger students always “get it” but hopefully their parents will, and appreciate a teacher’s efforts at creating special things to make their child’s days at school extra fun.

I was inspired by Mary Beth’s “O-fish-ally” play on words on her Nothing But Country site, where she attached a die cut fish to bags of cinnamon cookie fish, as gifts for Teacher Appreciation Week. Click on the link to see this cute idea.

I revamped this concept for a quick and inexpensive thing teachers can whip together for their students for 100 Day. I chose the colored Goldfish and put 20 in netting.  These tulle circles are sold at The Dollar Store (20 in a pack).

I’ve included a graphing extension that you can do if you want, as there are 4 colors of fish. Tie shut with curling ribbon or yarn and you are done in a jiffy!

I made a poem to go with it, so students can practice their rhyming skills.  There’s one for August as well as September.  Here in Michigan we don’t start ‘til after Labor Day.

I loved this play on words so much that I also made a matching 100 Day certificate.

Many teachers also have 100 Day counting mats where students put 10 things in each one of the circles and then count by 10’s.  Students could munch down 10 goldfish and then use the other 10 fishy crackers for one of their counters on the mat.

Click on the link to print my 100 Day circle counting mat.

Click on the link to print the “O-fish-ally” 100 Days smarter stuff.

Click on the link for other 100 Day freebies including art projects, center activities, bulletin board ideas + an 85-page unit.  Be sure and check back tomorrow for yet another 100 Day idea!

 Whatever you’ve planned for your 100 Day, I hope it’s “golden!”

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"There's a way to do it better! Find it." -Thomas Edison

I give credit for using reinforcement holes to construct a snowman to my fellow teacher Anita.  Mrs. Kosack's has lots of cute ideas for her kindergartners.  I've used reinforcement holes in the past for the various shapes, but this is just too cute. I revamped her concept with this idea just in time for 100 Day!

• Run off the 5x7 circle template on blue construction paper, or if you want your picture’s background bigger like mine, make circle templates from a file folder and students can trace larger banner-size backgrounds, or a room helper can have these traced for younger students.  Make sure to remind students if they are tracing that they need to leave a gap in between the circles.

• Students or a room helper can punch the mini dots or you can use micro sticker dots for this part.

• If you opt to use the hole punched dots, put a dollop of glue on a paper plate.  Using a toothpick, students put tiny dots of glue on their picture.  Using a different toothpick, they put the smallest dot of glue on the tip, to pick up their mini dots on the edge of the circle, and then press them on the little glue specks.

• You can keep things simple for younger students and have them just follow the circle outlines and make only a reinforcement hole snowman. They can then add details with colored chalk.

• You can also stop with the micro dots as shown in the photo, or turn this into a 100-Day activity, and have students dip the end of their pencil into a tiny amount of white paint. Press the eraser on the blue background to make 26 snowflakes. 
• If you’ve followed the amount of dots and reinforcement holes used on my picture they will equal 74.  74 + 26 snowflakes will give students 100 dots to spot!

• These look nice hung on an aluminum foil background on your bulletin board, or punch a hole in either corner, add a yarn tie and hang back-to-back from the ceiling or in a row along the top wall in your hallway.  Brrr-illiant!

Click on the link to view/print the 100 Day Reinforcement Hole snowman patterns, pix and directions from this article.  Would love a comment if you print or download my freebies.  I truly enjoy hearing from you! diane@teachwithme.com

Be sure and pop back tomorrow for another 100 Day idea!   Click on the link to view other 100-Day Freebies!

Punched 100 Day Banners

I wanted to give you plenty of time to dash off to the store to get some cool metal punches or track down the teacher or scrapbook queen who has a great collection, so that you can borrow them for 100 Day, so I’m posting this 100 Day idea a bit early for some of you, others may be celebrating in January all-to-soon!

This quick and easy center makes an awesome bulletin board, or punch a hole in the top corners, slide a piece of yarn through and you’ve got lovely banners to hang back-to-back from the ceiling or as a border along the top wall of your hallway.

Simply set up a table with a variety of punches, this could also be done with stamps or stickers.  Add a student's picture in the top corner and you've made a nice keepsake.

Inform your students that the things they cut out or stamp will take the place of zeros, and that they will also need to make a 1 to go in front.

Since my punches are large, I cut construction paper banners that were 5 ½ x 11 ½.  Make yours smaller if you’re using stamps or stickers.   These will make cute bookmarks.

To expedite things and make the banners pop, I made up labels.  You could also have your students practice their writing skills and have them write at the top and bottom of their banners.

I’m posting the label templates in DOC format so that you can simply type in something else if you want.

Highlight my name and type in your students’ names.  Put Avery labels in your printer (my printer has them face-down) and click print.  I do ONE sheet at a time. Click on the links to view/print the 100 Day, name label #1 and 100 days smarter label #2 

Put your labels at your table top center.  Students find their name, peel and stick!  Click on the link to view/print the article's directions & pix, 100-Day Banner idea.   Click on the link to zoom to my other 100-Day FREEBIES.

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"It is a happy talent to know how to play." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

100 Words For 100 Day!

I know it's a bit early, but for some of you who started school in August, 100 Day will soon be here.  I wanted to whip this 100 Day idea off so that it's in plenty of time for you to make these 100 Day booklets so you can start this activity 10 days BEFORE you celebrate 100 Day or 9 days if you want to write the last 10 words to = 100 words on 100 Day!

Challenge your students to try and learn 10 new words each day before the big day and by 100 Day they will have learned 100 new words!  Wow.

Or...  you could choose to review 10 words each day that you’ve been working on since whenever.  This is great for word wall words, CVC words, or spelling words.

Run off my cover, or have students create their own “My Word Book” covers by stamping letters with your letter stamps or cutting out letters from magazines, like a ransome note and then spelling out the title on their favorite half sheet of colored construction paper.

Staple their cover along with 10 sheets of writing paper and the other ½ of their construction paper for a back, and you’ve got a nifty word book in a jiffy!

When your students have completed their 100 words for 100 Day booklets, reward their worderful word work with a special 100 Day Whiz Kid Word certificate.  I have 2 to choose from. They can glue it as the last page of their booklet. 

Click on the link to view/print the 100 Day word certificates.

Click on the link to view/print the article's directions, pix, cover & certificates. 100 Day Word Booklet. Read Michael Frith’s I’ll Teach My Dog 100 Words as the perfect introduction to this activity. 

I LOVE this book.  It’s a Cat in the Hat “Bright and Early” reader for the “youngest of the young.”

These stories are “brief and funny” the words are “few and easy” and have a “happy catchy rhythm”.  This one rhymes.  The pictures are colorful and perfect clues for your emergent readers!

Happy soon-to-be 100 Day!  For more fun activities to celebrate this great day check out my FREE 100 Day bulletin board ideas and my FREE 85-page 100 Day Unit.

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"There are 3 choices in life: give up, give in, or give it all you've got!"

100-Day Bulletin Board Ideas    

100 Day is coming up and it’s nice to have a bulletin board up a few days before your celebration, or to do on your 100^th Day.  Here are a few ideas that I dreamed up, that I thought you might enjoy doing with your students.  For your convenience, click on the 100 Day Bulletin Board templates at the end to view/print them.

 Happy 100 Day To Us! (Sung to the tune of Happy Birthday.)

• Using an overhead projector, enlarge my picture of a birthday cake, so that it is large enough to hold 100 candles if you want it to, or at least take up the center of your b. board.
• Use light brown paper for a chocolate cake, light yellow for a lemon cake, or  pink for a strawberry cake.  (The top is white for the frosting.)
• Cut multi-colored strips of construction paper for the candles.
• Brainstorm with your students all of the things they have learned in the past 100 Days.
• Write these on the board.
• Have children choose a DIFFERENT thing that they have learned (cross them out as they choose) and write it on their candle.

• Pre-cut candle flames.
• Make a copy of your class composite photo and cut your student’s individual pictures into ovals.
• Give children a flame to glue on top of their candle.
• Have them glue their photo to the middle of the flame.

• Children help color the bottom of the cake, or you can decorate it with cut out scraps of construction paper, glitter, etc.
• To give the frosting a real 3-D textured effect, mix equal parts Elmer’s glue with non-menthol shaving cream and whip together.
• Have students help you frost the top of the cake with Popsicle sticks.
• (Call a few to your workspace at a time to give them a turn.)
• This needs to dry 24 hours so plan ahead.
• Insert the candles into the frosting.
• For the caption, die cut letters using an Ellison die-cut machine.
• Black letters stand out, but you could also make each word a color of the rainbow, to make your b. board more colorful.  I also die-cut musical notes.  “Happy 100 Day to us, Happy 100 Day to us, Happy 100 Day to us, Look at that we’ve learned!”
  

We’ve Rocketed Our Way To 100 Day!

• Run off the triangular-rocket top master on a variety of colored construction paper.
• Print a copy of your class composite on the photo setting of your copier.
• Cut each student’s photo into an oval.
• Students choose a color and cut out their rocket top.
• Give each student a toilet paper roll to wrap with aluminum foil.
• Students glue their rocket top to the top of their t.p. roll.
• Using a black marker, students write their name at the end of their rocket. This is a bit difficult, so teachers might want to do this for uniformity.
• Students cut some red, orange and yellow (fire) strips and glue them to the inside of the end of their rocket so that it looks like they have fire shooting out of it.

• Hang up a navy blue background on your b. board.
• Sprinkle on some yellow stars. (You could die-cut 100 and write all of the numbers on them if you have the time.)
• Cut rainbow-colored letters from an Ellison die-cut machine that say: “We’ve Rocketed Our Way To 100 Day!
• Use thumbtacks, tacked inside the t.p. rolls to hang them on your b. board.
• You could add a moon in the corner and make it 3-D by gently scrunching up white tissue paper.
• Add a bit more pizzazz by dangling pictures of the planets from the ceiling, hung with fish line so they seem to float just above your bulletin board.

 Learning Is “Snow” Much Fun!

• Buy some snowflake bulletin board boarder so that you have 100 snowflakes.
• Cut them apart and number them 1-100.
• Staple them around your bulletin board as a boarder.
• Make a copy of your class composite on the photo setting of your copier.
• Cut each student’s photo into an oval.
• Enlarge your student’s photo so that it fits in the middle of a coffee-filter size snowflake.
• Pre-fold coffee filters, or demonstrate how to do this with your students.
• Children cut out shapes to make a snowflake.
• Students glue their photo in the middle of their snowflake.
•   Brainstorm with your students about all of the things they learned in the past 100 days of school.

• Write these on the board.
• Have students decide which was their favorite thing that they learned.
• Have students cut out red construction paper hearts  and have each student write what their favorite thing was that they learned in the past 100 days of school, and copy it from the board onto their red heart.
• Students glue one corner of their red heart somewhere on their snowflake.
• Cover the bulletin board with light or dark blue paper.
• Die cut black letters from an Ellison die-cut machine. Your caption will say: Learning is “snow” much fun!
•  
• Make a large white snowball for the center of your board.  Type up the list of things you’ve learned on a white sheet of paper and staple it to the middle of your snowball.
• Write or type a caption that goes around the top of the snowball that says:  “Look what we’ve learned in 100 Days!”
• Staple your students’ snowflakes around the snowball so that they fill up the entire bulletin board.
• You can add a bit more interest by hanging plastic, foam, 3-D tissue, or larger tag board snowflakes from the ceiling so they dangle and twirl in the air.   Hang them from fish line so they seem to float just above your board.

Look Whooooooo’s 100 Days Wiser! What’s your favorite thing that you’ve learned?

• Run off copies of the owl on appropriate-colored construction paper.
• Have students cut out their pieces and glue them together.
• They look cute if you can add wiggle eyes.
• I have my students attach the wings with brass brads for an extra bit of pizzazz.  They can also be glued on if you want to expedite things.
• Brain storm with students what things they learned in the past 100 days.
• Write them on the board.

• Children write their name on the owl’s tummy.
• Hang up a light blue paper for the background of your b. board.
• Make a partial drawing of a tree trunk on brown paper, cut it out and staple it on the right side of the board.  Cut slimmer pieces of brown paper to look like branches and staple them to the tree.
• Hang your student owls on the branches.
• Cut your caption letters from an Ellison die-cut machine: Look Whoooooo’s 100 Days Wiser!
• You could have your students glue their photo on the heart if you’d like to make things more personal, and add a bit of pizzazz.

We’re Writing Away On 100 Day!

• Cut this caption out on an Ellison die-cut machine, and staple it onto a bright yellow sheet of b. board background paper.
• Have your students do any of the writing prompts for 100 Day.  Click on the link for February Writing Article.  Scroll down the page 'til you get to 100 Day Class Book ideas, then click on that link to view/print those pages. 
• Have students glue their papers on a rainbow-colored assortment of construction paper and staple them to the bulletin board.
•  
• Another writing prompt I gave in the 100 Day Idea Article was: I’d walk 100 miles for… If you’d like to do this as a bulletin board, trace your students foot, with their shoe on, have them cut it out, make a copy of their school photo and glue that to their shoe and then write their name on the shoe with a white crayon.  Use the footprints as the border for your b. board.  Hang their writing pages up as explained above.  The other writing prompt you can do is…If I had 100 dollars I would buy… use the 100 dollar bill template, enlarge copies of your student’s photo and have them glue it to the center of this big bill. Display these as your border.  Display their papers on the construction paper as explained above. 

 A Valentine 100 Day B. Board:

• Since Valentine’s Day is on the heels of most of our 100 Day celebrations you could have your students cut out 100 paper hearts in a rainbow-colored assortment of construction paper in different sizes.
• Buy a valentine heart border and cut the hearts apart so that you have 100.

• The student-made hearts can be stapled kitty wampus all over the rest of the b. board.
• On a huge heart in the middle write or type the caption: We’ve LOVED learning these past 100 days.

• Run off the heart template on red construction paper.
• Make a copy of your class composite on the photo setting of your copier.
• Cut each child’s pix out.
• Have children glue their photo to the corner, next to the “I”.
• Have them trace the dashed lines and then complete the sentence.
  

Miscellaneous Ideas:

100 Day Collection Poster: This poster idea can be found in the 100 Day Idea Article.

How I Might Look If I Live To Be 100! Also in this article is a picture of me as 100-year-old "Granny".  A bit scary, but my students enjoy listening to her read a 100 Day story after they have made a drawing of themselves when they're as old as she is! This makes for an adorable b. board.  You can include your students' current school pix with a "before" caption, next to their "oldie-but-goodie" "later" picture.  The template for this is also in the 100 Day Idea Article.

Hunter the 100 Day Hound: This adorable puppy game/activity makes a cute bulletin board after its complete and can be found in the 100 Day Idea Article.  You can write the numbers 1-100 on the sticker dots if you want.

Working Harder To Be 100 Days Smarter: Enlarge your students’ school pix, have them glue them to a rainbow-colored assortment of hearts. Cut out this caption from an Ellison die-cut machine.  Have students glue the corner of their heart to the “Things I’ve learned in 100 days” scroll found in the packet in the above 100 Day Article.

 Whatever you're planning for your 100th Day clebration, I hope you have 100's of great moments, filled with wonderful lessons worthy to display on a bulletin board!

Click on the link to print/view the 100 Day Bulletin Board Templates + article.