Lincoln Hat for President's Day

Description

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. He is often remembered wearing a stovepipe hat. Make a little one to commemorate President's Day. Make this cute Lincoln Hat as a pre-school activity or for older toddlers. Simply adjust level of involvement with what your toddler is capable of. Our girls are using glue and scissors very well so they were able to cut the large circle and the rectangle with just a bit of verbal guidance. They were able to glue the tabs and the rectangular piece with minimal assistance.

Materials

• 1 piece Black Construction paper
• 1 Toilet Paper Roll
• Tacky Craft Glue (faster hold than Elmer's and stronger), or Tape
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Plastic compass (optional)
• Black Sharpie for touch ups (optional)

Steps

• To start making this Lincoln Hat, gather your materials and then start by cutting the toilet paper roll to make it 2" tall. (Half is 2 1/4" for Charmin so you can trim it down just a little bit more.)
• With your black construction paper, cut a rectangle 6 inches by 2 inches.
• Trace a circle on black construction paper, using the toilet paper roll as your guide. Draw four small rectangles around the edges of the circle. Cut this out (this will be the top of the hat).
• Trace another circle using the roll and draw a circle around that about a 1/2 inch larger. If you are using a compass set the compass at 1.25". This makes a nice size to work with. Cut out the large circle. This is the brim. See the picture for reference.
• In the smaller circle you traced, draw 3 lines going across the circle evenly. Cut on these lines to make 6 small triangles. Bend up and secure to inside of roll with craft glue or tape. If using glue hold for a few seconds to keep pieces in place. Using a craft glue will help bond much quicker.
• Place the first circle with tabs on the other end of the roll and secure the four tabs with glue or tape.
• Wrap the rectangular piece around the main part of the tube to finish you hat!

Tips and Suggestions

• Explain the activity to your child by showing him or her a picture of Abraham Lincoln and a $5 bill and a penny.
• If you can see a bit of the roll, and would like it hidden, simply color with a black sharpie to fill in black.

Educational Notes

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States. He successfully led the country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery. Before his election in 1860 as the first Republican president, Lincoln had been a lawyer, an Illinois state legislator, a member of the United States House of Representatives, and twice an unsuccessful candidate for election to the U.S. Senate. Making this cute Lincoln Hat is a great culminating activity for a President's Day unit>