DIRECTIONS

Note: This activity works best in direct sunlight and requires multiple observations.

1. Discuss how hats protect our heads, faces, ears and necks from the sun.

2. Explain how some hats are more sun safe than others. For example, a wide-brimmed hat is more protective than a baseball cap since it covers the head, face, neck and ears instead of just the head and part of the face.

3. Give each child 3-4 pages from a newspaper. Make sure the pages are double-fold.

4. Unfold and stack the papers on a flat surface so that the points are alternating (see Photo 1). 

5. Align the center of the stack of papers over the center of the child’s head.

6. Shape the papers to fit the child’s head, leaving the remaining edges straight.

7. Make the hat band by circling tape around the newspaper directly above the child’s eyes (see Photo 2).

8. Remove the hat and scrunch the edges of the paper to make a round brim, leaving at least 4 inches from the band to the end of the brim.

9. Staple around the edges of the brim so it is rounded with no remaining points (see Photo 3).

10. Last, ask children to decorate their hats. They can use markers/crayons and any other art supplies you have available (e.g., glitter, feathers, buttons or sequins).

11. Ask children to model their completed hats in the classroom and/or outside. Have a fashion show so each child can walk down the “runway” or step into the middle of the circle, while you describe his/her hat to the group.