The 100th Day of School is almost upon us. I’m not sure if this is a tradition in schools around the world but in America, the 100th Day of School is a big deal in Kindergarten and First Grade. The kids do a lot of projects in their class related to counting by tens and the number 100. Some lucky kids even get a visit from Zero the Hero from Planet Zero. You can catch a glimpse of Zero the Here, aka my cousin Ted, over at this 100th Day of School post from when I used to teach first grade about 9 years ago. Often teachers ask their students to represent the number 100 in some way and bring it into school. I am soooo into Didi’s idea for her 100th Day of School Art Project. She went with 100 squares of glitter and we are all pretty much smitten with the idea and the execution.
This idea is so D. If it’s not shiny, glittery, or slime related, she’s basically not interested. When my daughter, Gigi, did her 100th Day of School Art Project she did 100 different color squares using water colors. So D had a grid in mind for her poster too. Switching it up to glitter squares just went next level though, don’t you think? It’s so cool! I am going to have it framed for sure.
Basically you need four things.
You’ll Need…
Glitter (obvz. We got this super cool glitter multi pack on etsy to make something crystals that never panned out. D’s been holding it hostage in her special art drawer for over a year and I finally convinced her to use it. You can also try this set on amazon.)
White glue and a brush
A sturdy piece of paper (we used Cansen watercolor paper. It’s my fav)
a ruler and pen (I used a yellow marker to draw the grid so you didn’t notice it)
Steps
1. Draw a grid with 100 squares. We did 10 1 inch boxes across and down.
2. With a small paint brush, paint on glue to any square. Try to be as exact as you can. I helped in the beginning but D was into doing it all herself so I got the boot pretty quickly. Sprinkle glitter on the glue and then tap the excess off. We did this outside because, well, glitter.
3. Repeat for all the squares trying never to repeat the same colors in any two squares. We did this over about a week. This is definitely not a project you would do in one sitting. We did about 20 squares each time, but work at a pace that feels right for your child.
It was super fun watching this unfold. With every square Didi got more and more into it. If you’re not into glitter you can do the exact same thing with watercolor paints and it comes out so nice.
You can also do this 100th day art project as a collaborative project with bigger squares. You might even have a pad of graph paper laying around. You can see how I did collaborate 100th day projects with my first grade class here.
However you do it, have fun and Happy 100th Day of School. I think that means we’re just about at the half way mark until summer break. Woo hoo! That went pretty fast. xo, Meri
ps I got it framed! Well, I went to Michaels and scored a super cheap frame for 10 dollars and I framed it. I can’t wait to hang this in Didi’s room after she gets it back from school. Happy 100th Day everyone!
