This week marks Chloeās 100th day of school. In celebration, we counted 100 teeny tiny objects (Yay!) and created a poster out of said teeny tiny objects (Another Yay!).
Why the effort? The time? The teeny tiny objects? Because 100 days of school marks so-very-much.
100 days of good byes.Ā 100 days of books.Ā 100 days of secrets.Ā 100 days of giggles.Ā And 100 days of skinned knees and tears and band aids.
The 100th day of school is a BIG deal for the under six set.Ā And Chloe is no exception. Her 100th day of preschool is, indeed, a big deal at our house. But more of the lower case kind because for my middle child? Iāve so gotten wise to the 100th day of school poster project.
100 photos to pick, print, cut and glue? No.
100 little rocks to sort, glue, pick off, wash off, and put safely back in the āSpecial BoxāĀ (And by āspecialā I mean dirty, dirty outside things)? No.
100 legos to glue and explain why theyāre missing to Brody? Um, no.
We went with 100 stickers. Peel and stick, baby. Peel and stick. Chloe, Brody and I worked on the poster while we waited for Kayliās dance class to end and Chloeās dance class to start. We peeled. We stuck. We counted. We repeated. And when we were done, she was so, so-very-PROUD.
All weāve heard about this week is the 100th day of school.Ā Because Chloe knows that this is her IMPORTANT day.
It’s a commemoration and a reminder of days gone by.Ā Of getting bigger.Ā Of becoming more independent.Ā Of becoming a KINDERGARTENER.
All of the goodness and fun and celebrating got me thinking aboutĀ life cycle events, (BIG ones, big ones and small ones)Ā and how we celebrate them. There’s so very much to commemorate, isn’t there?
Baby showers, birthdays and holidays.Ā Baby namings, brises, bat and bar mitzvahs.Ā Weddings, anniversaries and divorces.Ā Weight loss, new hair cuts and new jobs.Ā New boyfriends, first dates and first kisses.Ā Break ups, heart-aches and disagreements.Ā Rejections, let downs and weight gains.
In Judaism it seems like we’re always one step ahead of ourselves in our holidays, preparations and celebrations. We barely get things cleaned up from one holiday and we’re already menu planning for the next one. Smaller, more everyday occasions get our attention, too.
My Jewish Learning says, Though Judaism has long focused on rituals for major life events like birth, marriage, and death, contemporary communities have developed both public and private ways of acknowledging other major lifecycle events, from miscarriages to leaving for college to healing from abuse.
And I love that. Some life cycle events are meant to be savored alone. And some require your tribe to whoop it up with you, or sop up the tears for you. Either one is fine. And I’m so glad that as a community we recognize this necessity. Because whose to say which life cycle events are special?
Is it the inner satisfaction of a goal attained? The praise? The thrill? The something new?Ā The history they honor? The stories they tell? The moments they hold onto?Ā The people? The community? The common bond?Ā The hugs? The handshakes? The pats on the back?Ā The squeeeeels? The knowing looks? The big hugs?
For Chloe is it knowing that she went to school for 100 days? That she learned 100 things? That we were celebrating her accomplishments at home? That her teachers and friends were taking a day out from the norm to do something special at school? Giving her the go ahead to use a whole lot of glue?āØāØ Is it just getting bigger? Stronger? Smarter? More independent? More like Kayli?
It’s probably all of these bits and pieces all rolled up into one BIG emotional ball. Happy and smiley on the outside. Wistful and grasping at the little moments on the inside.
I look at my girl, so big. So proud. So 100 days-ish. And all I can think is I’ll celebrate with you and I’ll do it BIG. But inside, in my heart of hearts, my BIG voice is saying, Don’t get big. Stay small. Please?
I did not know people celebrated a child’s 100th day of school but this sounds like a great idea. In France, sorry if this sounds too personal, there is too little emphasis on school celebrations when the kids are little. This is a great idea.
Saying that school is important is one thing. Showing it through concrete actions is much more efficient and meaningful.
Awww… of course, if you’re homeschooling, the “100th day” theme things are totally in your face in every educational supply store, website, etc. If you’re homeschooling, this time of year marks maybe the bazillionth day learning with your kids. It’s endless, like reading the Torah. š
i never would have thought about this. 100 is big. i hope to live to 100, but for a little one, that is BIG.
really love the baby pic. my mom still thinks of me as her little one so i think that thinking of our kids as babies is a right of passage. i bet methusulah even thought of his that way.
stay warm in the frozen north on this shabbat. we have ice in central ohio. you probably have permafrost
I agree, 100 is HUGE when you’re that age. Congratulations on a successful celebration!
No, we don’t do that here in the UK, either. I would have loved it if we did when I was little. I loved school and marking 100 days would have been a great thing to do!
Your photos make me feel so wistful….
Yes, we are celebrating 100 days of school. We do 100 pc jigsaw puzzles to celebrate.
The marking of time makes things significant to us.
And that picture of her as a newborn??? Heartbreakingly achingly beautiful.
The marking of time.
Yes, celebrate! One hundred days of everything you stated and so much more. One hundred days of little learning minds, innocence and rewarding moments.
What an accomplishment to celebrate!
Shabbat Shalom.
Wow, but that requires counting to 100 over a series of weeks! š
My kids did that in school- celebrated 100 days I should say. They loved the celebration and I hated trying to help figure out which 100 objects of whatever should be used.
But I did so love watching them get excited about it all.
That is really cool! You have so many great ideas for celebrating the little things!
CONGRATULATIONS TO YOUR DEAR DEAR LITTLE GIRL!
It is amazing to me when I read about all of these ‘celebrations’ connected to school events—including 100 days! This is new to me, just as the HUGE gatherings for graduating from Kindegarten now, etc., etc….
Back in the day….We didn’t have pre-school and Kindegarten was the beginning of “school” for all of us little ones. No graduating celebrations from anything except when you graduated from High School, and maybe a little tiny nod when you graduated from 6th grade on your way to what was known as Junior High School…!
Frankly, I think this new-to-me way is soooo much better….You are rewarded every step of the way with school and I think that is fabulous. Maybe if we had had that when I was a kid, school might not have seemed so scary and terrible. But, it did. And for me, it made me hate those 12 years with a passion! Thank God your kids won’t feel that way…..! Mazel Tov, my dear!
100 days is a big thing & making it small enough to hold is so wise. oh & small enough to live through!
we have that in our kids’ school too. it’s not a huge thing.
but it’s a lovely one.
I have never heard of celebrating 100 days of school but it seems like a great idea to me. Congrats to Chloe–and I love those beautiful photos!
I never heard about a 100 day celebration but I think it’s wonderful for a child and to celebrating accomplishments in general is a good thing in my book. And of course, it’s all about the HUGS š I love the baby photos Galit. And yes, don’t you wish you could stop time for just a while? Hugs!
Isn’t it amazing to look back at pictures when they were tiny babies and see how much they’ve grown? In the blink of an eye? It’s so bittersweet.
As you said it, happy and smiling on the outside… wistful and a little sad on the inside. Lovely post, as usual.
May this special occasion be just the beginning of a very long lifetime of beautiful, meaningful and joyous milestones!
And I, too, love the newborn photo!
The schools my kids went to never had the 100th day celebrations. It sounds like a great idea though, and the stickers are genius.
OMGosh! What lovely photos. Especially the first one, as a newborn š
You’re smart about the 100 things. I wasn’t so clever. 100 things times two boys? At the same time? They chose rocks. Have you ever tried digging up 200 rocks for two five year olds. Killer.
Galit,
That picture of you and your newborn baby just melted my heart.
I love seeing my babies show off new words and abilities. It is exciting and beautiful and renews the little things in life for me. Sometimes I want them to slow down, to let me hold their tiny hands and rest their head on my chest again like your picture. Being a mama makes every emotion bigger! Congratulations to your bigger lady!! How fun for her to mark her growth!
Oh, this is such a loving idea. When I have a kid this is something I would like to do. I love this. Oh, and I love your new pic at the top. Hope your have good times!
Awwwwwwww, so very sweet, momma. I love this post. So much. 100 days is HUGE and I think this is a wonderful way to commemorate the occasion. Congrats to your baby girl–may she stay young in your heart forever š
Maya will be celebrating her 100th day soon as well. I can’t believe it!
That photo of you and your daughter? Gorgeous!
It all goes so fast, doesn’t it?
My oldest just celebrated his 100th day of kindergarten. Stickers are smart. We went with goldfish crackers.
Savoring the moments and celebrating life is beautiful.