Today's Classroom Activities :

Learning With Hats

Put a Lid On It
Art February is a perfect month to work on profiles and hats. Presidents Lincoln and Washington are often shown in profile and with their own particular hats. Teach the basics of profiles including chins, noses and foreheads. Have your students practice sitting sideways for one another to make sketches. After the profiles are finished, suggest that the kids put on their own distinctive hats. Some will want to stay with ski caps, but others will be dreaming of spring.

Hats Off to Thinking Caps! - Want a fun way to improve classroom concentration? Try this hat trick on for size.

Poetry Hats
Art/Writing Decorate hats that students bring to class, or design and create hats that students can put on during writing times for inspiration. Then share this poem with the students and invite them to share some of their poems aloud.

Poetry Hats

by Holly Howrilla

When I place this hat upon my head,
all these words just spill right out.
Whether I'm reading, writing or spelling, I just want to shout...

Listen to me read!
And read just what I write!

I think all these words
are really
OUT OF SIGHT!

Birthday Hats
Reading/Art In preparation for Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2, create the traditional Cat in the Hat striped hats with variations. Make the stripes different colors and have children label the colors. In each stripe, list the title and author of a book read, or the characters, setting, plot, genre of the book. You can also use this favorite decoration as a teaching tool.