Here in the UK, it’s very popular for children to decorate Easter hats, and last year I thought the children would enjoy something a little different. They’d never designed their own hats before.
I purchased the hats at one of the £1 shops and put them aside until the right day came and it was time for a fun surprise craft!
There were two styles of hats, Kallista’s is perfect for sunny days, and Tristan’s reminds me of the style Grandad used to wear when he would walk down to the end of the block on a sunny afternoon for some sun and fresh air. I can still see him standing at the corner and watching the traffic go by.
We raided the craft stash to see what would be suitable for an Easter hat. ric rac, silk flowers, pom poms, one of my first-ever crocheted cherry blossoms and a star, and some other bits and pieces were decided upon as appropriate for the craft of the day.
The children sat up at the table and enjoyed listening to some music while designing their new stylish hats. As you can see, they like their designs to be similar in most ways.
Tristan thought it was neat to stick his crocheted flower onto the top of his hat using a silk flower to hold it in place…but he didn’t like it so much when the stem rubbed against his head on the inside, so we trimmed the stem and rolled it up so that it was less troublesome.
They were both happy with the way that their Easter hats turned out and couldn’t wait until Dad came home from work to give him a fashion show.
In the meantime, they had fun practicing their poses.
Kallista liked her hat so much that she kept it in the closet all summer long and would bring it out from time to time to wear for walks or around the garden on sunny days.
Yes…occasionally we do get one or two of those here, in between the rains that keep this Emerald Isle its 40 shades of green!
Now that the St. Patrick’s decorations are being taken down, it’ll be time to bring out the Easter decorations and find the hats so they can be worn again. And if the decorations haven’t stayed on, then that will give the children another chance to create a new design!
Are there any spring traditions that you enjoy doing with your children?
Carolyn Wilhelm says
Very fun and practical! It is nice how you let the children have ownership over their own designs and also help make them. Then, they aren’t stuck, as you help them out of situations like things that poke. The hats get to be up-cycled, too, very nice!
Crystal McClean says
I do like that these can be added to/changed etc., as it’s a shame to just use something once and throw it away…although our attic space is starting to groan!