Visiting a Hat Shop

Visit a hat store or shop. You can look at the different varieties of hats (shape, size, color, style, etc), and talk about or ask about what different uses the hats have.
We really lucked out on our field trip. I found a neat little hat shop, where this man custom makes hats for people. There were lots of styles and shapes he could make. This is an old art that is dieing out, but this man is still practicing. It was so interesting and neat for the adults and the kids. We all learned a lot about hats!

He uses this tool to measure the size and shape of someone's head, so that the hat he makes for them fits them perfectly.

Starting the hat shaping process.

The hat on the right is the base that he starts from and the hat on the left is the finished product.

At the shop. What a fun and interesting trip we had!

“Weather” or Not to Wear a Hat

Discuss the different kinds of hats that are worn in different types of weather (hot, cold, sunny, rainy, windy, snowy,..). Ask questions, such as “What parts of our body does a hat keep warm?”, “How does a hat keep us cool?” “What type of hat would we wear in the rain?”

Caps For Sale Dramatization

Read the story "Caps For Sale" with your children. Act out the story with different hats that you provide,follow one child, the others throw their caps down when the main actor throws his cap on the floor all of the other children do the same and then they pick them up as a class).

"Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!"

"You monkeys, you, you give me back my caps!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

Hat Bean Bag Toss

Lay several large hats on the floor upside-down. Encourage the children to stand about two feet from the hats and try to throw bean bags in the hats.

Hat Textures

Provide several different types of hats and wigs for the children to explore. Encourage them to feel the different textures and to describe how differently they feel when they wear them on their heads.

Custom Fit Hat

Place three pieces of newspaper around a child's head. Wrap masking tape above the child's ears three times, roll the newspaper up tightly to form the brim of the hat. Children can decorate their hats (paint, buttons, macaroni, feathers, glitter, etc). When they dry, the kids will have a fitted hat.

Three Cornered Hat

My hat it has three corners (point to head, hold up three fingers). Three corners has my hat (hold up three fingers, point to head). And had it not three corners (hold up three fingers). It would not be my hat (shake head, point to head).

Hat Muffins

Heat oven- 400° & grease muffin tins. Beat 1 egg. Stir in 3/4 c. milk, 1/2 c. vegetable oil, 1 Tbs grated orange peel, 1 c. cranberry halves. Stir in 2 c. flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 3 Tbs baking powder & 1 tsp salt all at once. Stir until moist. Fill cups very full, for a big top . Bake 20 minutes. Eat upside-down as hats.

Hat Store

Provide cash register, pretend money, purses, wallets, checkbooks, etc., and a variety of hat boxes and hats (firefighter hats, bonnets, top hats, hard hats, baby hats, graduation caps, cowboy hats, helmets, wigs, etc.) for the children to pretend play buying and selling in a hat store.

Hat Seriation and Grouping

Collect a variety of hats. The children can arrange them from smallest to largest and largest to smallest. Also, they can classify hats by the colors and uses.

Hats Journal Page

Talk about and explore the different materials that hats can be made out of. Provide magnifying glasses for the children to take a closer look at the materials and at the construction of the hat It might be fun to let the children try sewing with a needle and thread on some felt, with adult assistance.

Click on the image to view and/or print.

Hat Materials

Talk about and explore the different materials that hats can be made out of. Provide magnifying glasses for the children to take a closer look at the materials and at the construction of the hat. It might be fun to let the children try sewing with a needle and thread on some felt, with adult assistance.

Hats Lesson Plan

Click on the image to view and/or print.