Summertime Preschool Crafts: Potato Stamped Hats

Preschool age children love to do arts and crafts and summer time is a great time to take the kids outside and get messy! Preschool crafts of all sorts can be done outside during the warm summer months, especially painting projects. And what preschooler do you know that doesn't like to put on a silly hat? Potato stamped hats are the perfect summertime craft for preschool age children to make and share in the great outdoors.

Potato Stamped Hats for Summertime Preschool Craft Project Materials List:

Potatoes

Knife

Tempera Paints

Paper Plates

Paper to make the Hats

Potato Stamped Hats for Summertime Preschool Craft Step 1: An adult should create all of the potato stamps before getting the preschoolers together to join in the fun. Potato stamps are easy to make. All you have to do is cut a potato in half and then on the cut end create a stamp picture and cut out around it to create a raised area of the potato that will make the image when stamped into paint and then onto paper.

Potato Stamped Hats for Summertime Preschool Craft Step 2: Once the potato stamps have been created the preschoolers can join in on this summertime craft fun. Set up an area outside at a picnic table for the kids to get messy at. This is a time to allow the kids to play with the paint and not worry so much about the possibility of messes since the entire project is to be done outside.

Potato Stamped Hats for Summertime Preschool Craft Step 3: Place different colors of paint on paper plates and then allow the children to experiment with the colors and the many different potato stamps to create their own designs on paper. When finished, allow the paint to dry thoroughly and then allow the children to do this on the other side of the paper as well.

Potato Stamped Hats for Summertime Preschool Craft Step 4: Once the papers have dried completely, bring the papers inside and then you can help the children to build their very own silly hats to wear around the preschool classroom.

Some options for hat folding include a nurse's hat, army hat, and a sailor's hat. Directions for folding these hats and many more can be found at www.wonderhowto.com which is a site dedicated to how to videos. In addition to folding the hats, you can also give the preschools the option to make princess style crowns which are easy to assemble with a long strip of paper that is stapled to the size of the child's head and a front piece that can be glued on. You can cut out a crown shape for the child to glue onto the paper strip. Use the paper that the preschooler created with the potato stamps for this entire hat project!