Host a 1950s party in your classroom. Encourage pupils to dress in clothing from the '50s, such as poodle skirts or rolled-up jeans. Make poodles out of black felt for girls to pin to their skirts or sweaters. Decorate the classroom with a banner displaying the number 50. Play music from the '50s throughout the day and teach pupils dances such as the bunny hop and the twist.
Ask pupils to bring in a collection of 50 things. They may bring items such as pennies, baseball cards, stickers and candy. Have some extra items on hand for those who forget. Pupils sit in a circle and show their classmates their collections. Practice counting by 1's, 2's, 5's and 10's using the items. Take pictures of the pupils with their collections to display in the classroom or to share in a newsletter.
Take the class outside or to the gym. Play music from the 1950s. Complete activities in which pupils can perform actions 50 times. Activities may include jumping jacks, bouncing and catching a ball, jumping rope and hula-hooping. Call out numbers from 1 to 50. Pupils must work together to create the numbers with their bodies. Use a stopwatch to give pupils 50 seconds to complete tasks such as shooting baskets or scoring goals.
The number 50 lends itself to many art activities. Provide pupils with white paper. Ask them to draw a picture of what they think they will look like when they are 50. Use discarded newspapers and magazines. Students cut out the number 50 or fives and zeroes. Glue the numbers to construction paper to make a collage. Give pupils a large outline of the number 50. Provide supplies such as bingo dabbers, stickers and glitter with which to decorate the number.