Children love to dress up, and often the simplest of clothes provide the most fun, making hats an ideal theme for a project.
Adult-led activities
Mrs Honey's Hat
Start by sharing the story of Mrs Honey's Hat by Pat Adams, in which an assortment of characters remove the decorations from Mrs Honey's hat and accidentally leave other objects in their place, without her realising. The story gives children opportunities to consider their likes and dislikes and become familiar with the days of the week.
Key learning intentions To show an understanding of the sequence of events in stories To begin to use the language of time To begin to understand their own needs, views and feelings and those of other people Adult:child ratio 1 up to 8 Resources Mrs Honey's Hat by Pat Adams (Child's Play, 5.99) a selection of posters, pictures and books about hats Mrs Honey storysack or a large floppy black hat and Velcro shapes to support the story magnetic props of the main characters/items and a magnetic board/wedge a collection of hats (see Resources box) Preparation
* Place the story resources in a labelled resource box or storysack.
* Set up a stimulating interactive display to support the story, including books, props and posters.
* Display the hats in an interesting way, perhaps using hat stands, hat boxes and wig stands.
Activity content
* Before sharing the story, show children the book cover and ask them to predict what the story might be about.
* Talk about the sequence of events in the story, emphasising the names of the days of the week.
* Support the children retelling the story, using picture clues from the book.
* Discuss why the characters in the story behaved in the way they did.
Extending learning Key vocabulary Brim, shade, dandelions, buttercups, cobwebs, lace, swap, choose, names of the days of the week.
Questions to ask
* Why did the characters want or need the things from Mrs Honey's hat?
* Which decorations do you like best? Why? How would you decorate your hat?
* Why was everyone staring at Mrs Honey's hat? How do you think she felt? How would you feel if it happened to you?
Extension ideas
* Plan opportunities for children to retell the story independently, using the story props or hat from the group story time.
* Provide a magnetic board for children to retell the story using card story props.
* Make a version of the book with the children's own words and pictures.
* Play the Mrs Honey's Hat memory game (available from Storysacks) or make a matching game with real objects and photos of the items on the hat.
* Design a new hat for Mrs Honey.
Pile them high
Play a hat game.
Key learning intention To work as part of a group To dress independently To move with control while balancing objects Adult:child ratio 1 up to 4 Resources Four sets of six types of hats such as hard hats, berets, dress hats, sunhats, caps and woolly hats chalk four laundry baskets or plastic buckets Preparation
* Mark out a starting and finishing line and six chalked crosses on the ground in four 'lanes' (like a racing track).
* Place one hat on each cross, in rows, and a laundry basket, or bucket at the finishing line.
Activity content
* Discuss the hats and what they might be used for with the children.
* Explain that they have to collect the hats and put them on their heads as they make their way down the course, balancing them if necessary, so that by the end they have six hats on their head. The aim is to get to the finishing line with all six hats still in place and to put them in the basket/bucket.
* Children take it in turns, in groups of four, to complete the course.
When all four have finished, the children take the hats back and place them on the crosses, ready to start again.
* Another group of children complete the course.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary Protective clothing, cap, sunhat, beret, helmet, balance, course, Questions to ask
* Who do you think these hats belong to?
* What work might you be doing if you were wearing a hat like this?
* Which hat do you like best? Why?
Extension activities
* Create 'teams' to complete the course. Children put the hats on as they go up the course, and take them off and replace them on the crosses as they return. As they get back to the start, the second team member completes the course.
* Plan a dressing-up course, where children put on other items of clothing.
* Introduce other balancing games, such as getting the children to balance mats or bean bags on their heads, potatoes on spoons or plastic cups and saucers on trays.
Child-initiated learning Creative workshop Additional resources Long strips of card in assorted colours and widths, to go around a child's head, some with patterns cut along one side assorted collage materials to decorate hats, such as sequins, glitter, sticky paper, shiny fabric and tissue paper ready-mixed paints in a variety of colours and brushes assorted joining materials small display of books and pictures about hats and decorated hat.
Possible learning experiences
* Exploring the materials.
* Designing and making a hat for a purpose.
* Noticing similarities and differences.
* Making connections with events in own lives, such as parties, carnivals and celebrations.
* Continuing, repeating and creating simple patterns on the hats with collage materials.
* Sorting materials by colour, shape or size.
* Developing control of scissors and other small equipment.
The practitioner role
* Ensure the area looks interesting and stimulates children's interest in the activity.
* Discuss with the children the sorts of hats and headdresses they could make with the materials.
* Support the children with folding or cutting paper.
* Ask questions about the patterns.
* Support the children's conversations and extend their ideas.
* Encourage children to find 'sets' of objects that have the same property, for example those which are small.
* Promote children's autonomy through the independent use of materials and tools.
Role play hat shop
Additional resources
A variety of hats and headdresses with different purposes such as hats worn by a chef, police officer, firefighter, postal worker, builder, clown, magician, bride, bridesmaid and people in different countries posters and pictures of hats, including signs with prices and special offers hat stands, hat boxes, wig stands wrapping paper, tissue paper and paper carrier bags till, money and receipt pads Possible learning experiences
* Using language to recreate roles and experiences.
* Using imagination in role play.
* Using mathematical language about size.
* Extending vocabulary, exploring the sound and meaning of new words.
* Using writing as a means of recording and communication.
* Noticing similarities and differences.
* Making links with own home experiences and the local environment.
The practitioner role
* Make the 'hat shop' exciting with a range of unusual and interesting hats.
* Act in role, introducing significant events into the children's play.
* Introduce and reinforce the use of specific vocabulary.
* Model the use of forms and writing when filling in receipts.
* Introduce and use mathematical and comparative language, observing similarities and differences and using language about money
Imaginative play area
Additional resources
Dolls and dolls' clothes, including hats, in various sizes Possible learning experiences
* Making connections with events in their own lives, such as being a baby and getting dressed.
* Predicting which clothes will fit which doll correctly.
* Refining their fine motor skills when fitting the clothes on to the dolls and using fasteners.
* Developing imaginative role play, such as caring for babies.
* Using mathematical language to compare size.
* Talking about home experiences.
The practitioner role
* Encourage the children to predict by asking questions, such as which hat will fit the biggest doll?
* Ask open-ended questions, such as which would be the best clothes for the smallest doll? Is the hat too big? Or too small?
* Introduce and reinforce the use of comparative language.
Maths area
Additional resources
A 'treasure basket' with 40 small interesting objects, including small hats Possible learning experiences
* Working together as part of a group.
* Making choices.
* Developing skills of turn-taking.
The practitioner role
* Children take it in turns to choose objects from the treasure basket, until they have ten each. The first player throws a dice, and gives the correct number of objects from their collection to the player on their left. The next player does the same. Play continues until one player has no items left. The aim is to be the first person with no items left.
* Ask the children why they have chosen certain objects.
* Urge children to make sets of objects.
Outdoor area
Additional resources
Six hard hats, in assorted colours six hooks fixed to an outside wall or fence, each labelled with a coloured square and a numeral (colours to match the hats) a box of assorted sunhats (placed by the door to the outside area) Possible learning experiences
* Using hats to support outdoor role play.
* Matching the colour of the hats to the hooks on the wall/fence.
* Considering why it is important to wear the correct clothing in the sun.
* Reading numerals and counting hats.
The practitioner role
* Introduce and stress the importance of keeping healthy in hot weather.
* Encourage the children to wear their own sunhat from home, or one of the sunhats from the box.
* Have the children return the hats to the correct hooks at tidying up time to foster their autonomy and independence.
* Count the hats. How many are there on the hooks? How many are missing?
Water play
Additional resources
Assorted hats, including some waterproof hats, in soapy water bucket of clean water for rinsing washing line and pegs Possible learning experiences
* Washing the hats
* Exploring the properties of materials
* Developing fine motor skills The practitioner role
* Ask questions about what is happening as children wash the hats. Do all the hats absorb water? Which ones don't?
* Make links with the children's clothes. What do they wear when it rains?
* Support the children when using pegs to fix hats to the line.
Judith Stevens is early years adviser at Lewisham Education
RESOURCES
* Mrs Honey's Hat by Pat Adams (Child's Play, 5.99)
* Mrs Honey storysack containing book, Mrs Honey doll, hat pieces and game (LFC, 29.99, tel: 08458 506507)
* Hats, hats, hats by Ann Morris (Mulberry Books, 3.99)
* Dressing-up hats - five hats including magician, chef and WPC (Pounds 19.95)
* Five-hat set, including clown, police officer and fire fighter (Pounds 19.95)
* Ten-hat set - fully washable hats including a sun hat and crown (Pounds 29.95)
* All hats available from NES Arnold, www.nesarnold.co.uk