17 January 2015

100 Day Freebie!!!

Happy MLK weekend!!!  Do you get a 3-day break??  Or do you have to go to school on Monday?? The boys are off on Monday and we were thisexcited when they hopped in the car on Friday afternoon.  My kindergartner exclaimed, "YESSSSS!!!!!  We're off of homework for THREE whole days!!!!  YESSSSSS!!!!"  Bless him.  So we celebrated with some coke floats from Sonic and took a little Sonic selfie to kickstart our extended weekend.  


Dang, I love those boys.


Now let's talk 100th Day.  That's right.  The 100th Day of school.  I know many of you have already celebrated.  Lots of you are celebrating this week.  And then there's still more who are planning their 100th day celebration as I type.  

For the first few years of my teaching career, I didn't think the 100th day of school was all that.  I mean sure...it was special.  SUPER special (for lack of a better description).  But I didn't invest much time in planning because I guess I didn't think it was THAT big of a deal.  Oh, how naive.

As the years passed, I realized I was missing out on a pretty cool celebration.  I started to become a bit more inentional with planning the days' festivities.  At the time, that consisted of decorating 100 day crowns, making 100 day Froot Loop necklaces, and indulging in a 100 Day snack.  Perfectly perfect. 

Then I switched schools & districts.  My eyes were opened.  The 100th Day of school was a HUGE deal.  Our whole campus celebrated with a balloon release.  Pretty. stinkin. awesome.

And we reminisced about 100 things we learned in the first 100 days of school...





The I made a big move 4 hours south and started teaching at a Kindergarten campus.  My administrators value and celebrate every milestone and special day you can imagine...homemade tshirts, parades, the whole 9 yards.  Yes my friends...the 100th Day is a BIG deal.  And I loved watching it all through the eyes of my boys....



I loved celebrating it with my babies just as much.  But there was NO way I could fit in everything I wanted to (darn you, Pinterest!!!!!).  I couldn't figure out a way to finagle my schedule so that I could attempt to fit it all in.  It's really an impossible feat.  But I sure did the best I could...and we had a pretty amazing celebration...


Then last year's 100th day rolled around and I felt like I **finally** had a system for getting as much out of the day as I possibly could.  I wanted to go all out, but make the day meaningful as well.  I didn't just want a day full of play, but I wanted our activities to be fun as well.  Finally...after 13 years...I found a system that was stress free and it actually WORKED!!!!  And we had a blast!!!  



I decided schedule 8 different 100 day stations throughout our day...we even had time for a 100 day parade, a special snack, and a few read alouds, too!  It really was a perfect day!

After posting all about our 100 day festivities last year, I had several requests to make the station signs, punch cards, and crown templates available.  SO...if you're interested in setting up a successful and stress free 100th day full of rotations, here you go!  A little 100th day freebie for you!  



I hope this helps your planning go smoothly and I hope you love it as much as we did!!!!!

38 comments:

  1. ShannonJanuary 17, 2015 at 8:36 PM

    Thank you, thank you, thank you! I cannot wait to use these when we celebrate the 100th day of school in a week and a half. It will be so fun.

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    1. Cara CarrollJanuary 18, 2015 at 9:57 AM

      I'm so glad ou'll be able to use this!!! You & your kids will have a blast!!!!

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  2. KimJanuary 17, 2015 at 9:18 PM

    Thank you! This is so generous of you. Can't wait to try some of the centers.

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    1. Cara CarrollJanuary 18, 2015 at 9:58 AM

      Not a problem! I'm just excited you'll be able to use some of it!!! XO

      Delete
  3. learningmyselfJanuary 18, 2015 at 3:59 AM

    YIkes! Thank you so much! I wanted to have parents in in a non-chaotic way and this would be it! I think they and the kids will love it!! Thanks so much! Amy

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    1. Cara CarrollJanuary 18, 2015 at 9:59 AM

      This would be the PERFECT set-up for parents to help!!!! I wish I could've done that myself! GREAT idea!!!

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  4. MeganJanuary 18, 2015 at 4:28 AM

    You are so amazing! Thank you so much for sharing. I can't wait to start prepping for our 100th day!!

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  5. UnknownJanuary 18, 2015 at 4:31 AM

    Thank you for the freebie! I love all your 100 day ideas. I just bought your 100 days pack yesterday and love that I can use the ideas in 2nd grade. Thanks again!

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    1. Cara CarrollJanuary 18, 2015 at 10:00 AM

      I'm so glad you'll be able to use some things in your classroom!!! Have a great 100th day!!! XO

      Delete
  6. jbalesJanuary 18, 2015 at 5:22 AM

    Yahoo! What a fun, organized way to celebrate 100 days of learning. Thank you, thank you, for sharing!!!!!
    Julie

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    1. Cara CarrollJanuary 18, 2015 at 10:00 AM

      Glad you like it, Julie! Have a great 100th day!

      Delete
  7. Staley McJanuary 18, 2015 at 6:06 AM

    LOVE this freebie! Thanks for sharing!

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  8. LynneJanuary 18, 2015 at 6:20 AM

    I have been doing this exact type 100 day routine sine 1985! My signs are getting a bit ragged and some of my activities are different, but you have effectively summed up the celebration that I have been doing. Back in the day, I did it as a major parent / child math night at school. I have had many letters from graduating seniors about their 100 day memories. These are the types of things that high stakes testing have pushed out of our lives and I am so happy to see you have not let that happen! And your generous sharing of every part of it is amazing! You have made it possible for many more of enjoy a real 100day bash this year. Thank you, Cara!

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    1. Cara CarrollJanuary 18, 2015 at 10:03 AM

      Amen, Lynne!!! It's sad that *meaningful fun* has taken a backseat to testing. However, it's definitely possible to combine both worlds!!! I wish I could've talked to you my first year teaching!! I'm sad I haven't been doing it that way all along!!! Bless!!

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  9. ShanasiJanuary 18, 2015 at 6:29 AM

    Thank you! I can't wait to use them - perfect for the 100th Day of School!

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    1. Cara CarrollJanuary 18, 2015 at 10:03 AM

      So glad you'll be able to use this! Have a great 100th Day!

      Delete
  10. Bethany LouiseJanuary 18, 2015 at 8:34 AM

    What an incredible freebie! I can hardly wait to start prepping everything for our 100th Day! My kids will absolutely love this! Thank you so much!! :)

    Bethany
    Ship Shape First Grade

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    1. Cara CarrollJanuary 18, 2015 at 10:03 AM

      Makes me so happy to hear! Hope y'all love it!!!!

      Delete
  11. MarciJanuary 18, 2015 at 9:10 AM

    Hi! I am beyond excited to get started with 100th day preparations. We aren't celebrating until February 6th, so I'm glad you posted this now. Some of these things are similar to what we have done in the past, but you have some extra awesome ideas. I love the toothpick marshmallow creation and the tops of your crowns. Genius! I have got to talk to my principal about 100th day T-shirts! We wear uniforms at the charter school I work at. I did not see the 8th station signs, templates and instructions on your freebie. Is it just me, or do you still need to add it? Thanks for your help making the 100th day great!

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    1. Cara CarrollJanuary 18, 2015 at 10:08 AM

      SO great, Marci!! That will definitely give you time to plan and prep!! Hope y'all are able to do the shirts, too! The 8th station signs and instructions are definitely included! I just checked again and they're there!! Go back to the download and check the last 3-4 pages!!! Hope this helps!!! Have a great 100th day!!

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  12. UnknownJanuary 18, 2015 at 10:15 AM

    Great ideas! We have our 100th day this week but I could not open your freebie. : (

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  13. Kathy D.January 18, 2015 at 11:16 AM

    Thanks so much for this awesome freebie!! I can't wait to spice up our 100th Day of School with some new ideas. My kiddos are going to LOVE this!! ;0)
    ~Kathy

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  14. UnknownJanuary 18, 2015 at 12:15 PM

    Thanks so much for this freebie! I needed some new ideas too! I've been following many teacher blogs for a few years now, and I have to say that yours is one of my favorites....always so many fantastic ideas! :-)

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  15. Lee Ann RaseyJanuary 18, 2015 at 12:51 PM

    Thank you for sharing! I'm going to try the rotations since there are so many activities I want to try.
    On a different note... I saw on your 100 chart that they learned that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. A bit of trivia-I live and teach in the small town that Edison was born in and lived for his first 7 years. Our district is Edison, our schools are named Edison, and we are the Chargers. You can visit his birthplace and see some of those light bulbs he invented as well as some of his other 1,000 inventions.

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  16. The Math ManiacJanuary 18, 2015 at 3:29 PM

    Love the excitement for one of my favorite math holidays! I love the idea of a balloon release!

    Tara
    The Math Maniac

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  17. SarahJanuary 18, 2015 at 5:33 PM

    Such a FANTASTIC freebie!! Thank you for helping make our 100th day celebration FUN and easy to prep! :)

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  18. MelanieJanuary 18, 2015 at 6:18 PM

    Wow Cara! Thank you SO much for such an awesome freebie! I'm so excited for our 100th day now! I always have a hard time deciding which activities to do and this makes it easy! :)

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  19. ronnieJanuary 18, 2015 at 6:44 PM

    Thank you.

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  20. One Sharp Bunch by Ashley SharpJanuary 18, 2015 at 7:17 PM

    Thank you so much, Cara! I read your blog post last year, and absolutely loved your 100th Day stations! We made the gumball machines last year, but I made a template with 100 circles for them to dot. I would love to share... just shoot me an email! Thanks again!

    Ashley
    One Sharp Bunch

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  21. alwayskindergartenJanuary 18, 2015 at 8:45 PM

    Thanks so much, Cara! You just saved me so much time! Fantastic freebie!

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  22. Lindsay January 19, 2015 at 5:09 AM

    I remember reading your 100th day post last year and being excited to try a similar version in my own classroom! We used the little "passports" to visit each station...and some of the stations were different but it was the BEST 100th day party we've ever had! THANK YOU!!!! I can't imagine doing it any other way! Thank you for the wonderful freebie too!!!!! :-)

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  23. Mrs. KrolJanuary 28, 2015 at 12:42 PM

    This was SO fun! We loved it and I've been suggesting it to all my kinder friends! Thank you!

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  24. Kelly BurlinskiFebruary 2, 2015 at 6:12 PM

    I can't wait to celebrate the 100th day now! So many fabulous ideas! I can't wait to do the gumball machines. THANK YOU!!!

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  25. Hannah @ Primary FreshFebruary 1, 2016 at 3:53 PM

    Hi! I'm using loads of your ideas for my class's 100th day and I wanted to link to this post and your awesome freebie from my blog, that's ok right? I'm kinda new to blogging and I'm not quite sure about the rules/etiquette!
    primaryfresh.wordpress.com

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  26. UnknownJanuary 14, 2017 at 8:43 AM

    WOW!! I've always considered the 100th day to be sort of a K-1 thing...I can't wait to surprise my second grade "Superheroes" with this!! You are very generous to give this out as a freebie!!

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  27. UnknownJanuary 22, 2017 at 11:41 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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