100th day of school snack ideas that count to 100

The mat has ten rows, labeled 10, 20, 30 and up to 100. Put ten pieces in each row: that is 100. Counting by row is faster and more accurate than counting to 100 one piece at a time, and the labels show the place value. Print one mat per child on US Letter. If the snack is messy, slip the mat into a plastic sleeve and wipe it after. If the class is doing a trail mix, use the mat as a sorting tray first, then pour the mix into a bag. The mat also works with buttons, beads or paper squares when food is not allowed.

Cereal and crackers: oat cereal, square cereal, pretzel sticks, mini pretzels, round crackers, animal crackers, graham crackers. Fruit: raisins, dried cranberries, dried apricots cut small, seedless grapes cut in quarters, blueberries, banana slices (count them fresh, eat within an hour). Soft and chewy: mini marshmallows, soft fruit snacks, jelly beans, gummy bears, yogurt-covered raisins. Crunchy and savory: popcorn (older children only), cheese cubes, pea crisps, veggie sticks, roasted chickpeas. Nut-free note: check every label for 'may contain peanuts' and 'processed in a facility with tree nuts.' A snack that is not safe for one child is not safe for the table. Choose one shared snack for the class and keep individual allergies in mind.

The formula is ten kinds of small food, ten pieces of each. Choose from the list above and keep the pieces similar in size so the rows fill evenly. A balanced mix: 10 oat cereal pieces, 10 pretzel sticks, 10 raisins, 10 dried cranberries, 10 mini marshmallows, 10 cheese cubes, 10 crackers, 10 pea crisps, 10 chocolate chips, 10 yogurt-covered raisins. For older children, popcorn or sunflower seeds can replace the pea crisps. Check every label; a snack that is not safe for one child is not safe for the table. Put each kind in a bowl with a spoon and let children count ten into each row. Scoop the mix into a zip bag labeled with the child's name. The bag is the take-home; the mat is the activity.

A 100-piece cereal necklace is the other classic. Cut a length of yarn about 30 inches, wrap one end with tape to make a needle, and tie a knot at the other end. Count ten pieces at a time onto the yarn and slide them down. Ten groups of ten makes a necklace long enough to wear and easy to check. Use large-ring cereal for small hands; smaller loops need a thinner yarn. Keep the necklace away from children who still put things in their mouths, and check for broken pieces. For a no-food version, use large beads or paper straw pieces.

A 100th day snack does not have to be candy. Cheese cubes, grapes cut small, blueberries, banana slices, cucumber rounds, cherry tomatoes (quarter them for young children), soft pretzel pieces, hummus on crackers, yogurt drops and roasted chickpeas all count. For allergies, choose a single-ingredient snack and check the label: plain cereal, plain crackers, cheese, fruit. Keep a separate table for the shared snack and a labeled bag for a child with restrictions. If the school is nut-free, say so in the letter and ask families to check labels before sending anything.

Send this a week ahead. Replace the brackets.

Dear Families,

Our class is celebrating the 100th day of school on [date]. We will make a 100-piece snack and count ten groups of ten. Please send one of the following by [date], enough for [number] children:

- a box of plain cereal
- a bag of mini pretzels
- a bag of raisins or dried cranberries
- a bag of mini marshmallows
- a block of cheese (we will cube it)
- a bag of seedless grapes (we will cut them)

Please check the label for peanuts and tree nuts. Our classroom is [nut-free / allergy-aware]. If your child has a food allergy, send a safe snack from home and we will use a separate mat.

Thank you for helping us count to 100.
[Teacher name]

Ask before, during and after. Before: estimate how many pieces fit in one row. During: count by tens, compare two rows, sort by color or shape. After: how many pieces are left if you eat ten? How many groups of ten are in 100? What is half of 100? For older children, make a bar graph of the class's favorite snack, calculate the cost per child, or write a fraction sentence: ten pieces out of 100 is one tenth. The snack is also a place-value lesson: ten ones make one ten, ten tens make one hundred.

Wash hands or use sanitizer before the snack. Give each child a mat and a cup, not a shared bowl. No double-dipping and no eating from the serving bowl. For children under four, avoid whole nuts, popcorn, hard candy, whole grapes and large chunks of cheese; cut everything small. For the 100th day, the biggest risk is a child trying to eat 100 pieces quickly, so set the rule: count first, eat ten at a time, save the rest. Keep water available and watch for allergies during the activity, not after.

If food is not allowed, the mat still works. Count 100 buttons, beads, pom-poms, stickers, paper squares, beans or small toys. Build a 100-piece paper trail mix: ten kinds of paper shapes, ten of each, glued to the mat. Make a necklace with 100 beads or straw pieces. For a take-home, fill a small bag with 100 paper squares and a label. The math is identical, the mess is smaller and no family has to shop for a snack.