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Many ways to observe 100 days

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Amelia Bode, 5, shares the story of her colorful 100 shirt Wednesday morning with her Riverside Early Learning Center teacher, Hilary Ronnfeldt and her classmates. The students were celebrating 100 days of school by learning about the number 100. Riverside starts school one week later than the rest of the Fort Dodge Community School District Schools.

When you’re in prekindergarten, counting to 100 can be a challenge.

It is, after all, a lot.

For the students at Riverside Early Learning Center, the 100th day of school also became an opportunity to learn about a new, very big, whole number.

Pre-k teacher Hilary Ronnfeldt made it fun for her students. They got to hear a story about the 100th day of school, count out 100 pieces of Froot Loops cereal then make an edible necklace and then finally, show off their 100 themed decorated shirts during a fashion show for their fellow students.

The last activity got the students’ parents involved.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Eva Johnson, 5, a pre-k student at Riverside Early Learning Center, carefully studies her work after carefully placing another dozen Fruit Loops on a counting exercise Wednesday during her class’ celebration of the 100th day of school.

“I had their parents design them for the fashion show,” she said.

Graycin Combs, 5, had his shirt decorated with 100 small pompons to simulate balloons. It was an homage to the movie ”Up.”

“It fit well with the theme from my favorite movie,” Ronnfeldt said, reading from a card he was sent to school with from home.

To complete the theme, Combs wore a pair of glasses similar to one of the film’s main characters, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen.

Counting to 100 is a little bit beyond the normal expectations of a pre-kindergarten student.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Graycin Combs, 5, a pre-k student at Riverside Early Learning Center, channels is inner Carl Fredricksen, the 78 year-old man from the movie Up, during his classrooms celebration of the 100th day of school Wednesday morning.

“By the end of the year they should be able to count to 20,” Ronnfeldt said. “By transitional kindergarten it’s 50 and 100 in kindergarten.”

Even if they might still be 80 away, the day’s lessons are still valuable.

“They’re still practicing their skills,” she said. “A lot of them recognize the number. It helps give them an idea of what 100 is.”

Even the day’s snack time had a theme to go with 100 days.

“We’ll have 10 different snack options,” she said. “10 of each makes 100.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Riverside Early Learning Center pre-k teacher Hilary Ronnfeldt introduces her students to a color and counting exercise during their celebration of the 100th day of school.

Amelia Bode, 5, had her shirt decorated with colorful pompons too. They made the number 100 on both the front and back of her shirt.

They represented balloons, too.

“Because they are so colorful,” Bode said.

The students ended up with 11 snack choices thanks to Tyrose Campbell’s mom, Dontonya Edmundson. She brought several boxes of fresh pizza for her 5 year-old son and his classmates including his favorite, pepperoni.

“It was just something I wanted to do,” she said.

She said they’ve been working on numbers at home including the big one-zero-zero.

“He’s come a long ways,” she said.

The students at Riverside started classes one week later than the other schools in the Fort Dodge Community School District. Many of the other schools held 100 day celebrations last week.

This meant that in addition to celebrating 100 days of school this week, the students also get to celebrate something else alongside the century — Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

Dr. Seuss, author Theodor Seuss Geisel, was born on March 2, 1904.

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