DENVER -- This isn't Grandma's Easter hat. And you won't find it at church on Easter Sunday (let's hope).

However, this Easter basket hat is a blast to make and even more fun to wear. What's more, it can help burn off some of your children's Easter morning anticipation.

If you're a crafting junkie with a monster stash of supplies, then these are easy enough. Otherwise, it's a quick dash to the crafting store for a few, inexpensive parts.

The rewards are many: For parents, it's an hour or so when children are focused, busy and working creatively. For kids, it's the chance to create without parental interference, with any luck.

This is the tricky part. Parents like to get involved, and we particularly like to make things "perfect" -- whatever that means. Avoid this naughty behavior, and allow your child the freedom to create with abandon. One way to accomplish this is to make your own hat, which is what this adult did while working with six kids.

This is an easy craft for 7-year-olds on up. It's a little more difficult for the younger set, because it involves wielding the almighty stapler, but with an adult's help, they'll enjoy using that alluring device.

Also, if you want to avoid a big mess, eschew the glue, and make it a stapler-only project.

The neighborhood children who helped me with this project came up with some clever ways to personalize their hats. Even better were their smiles.

SUPPLIES

You'll need:

* One sheet of 12 x 18-inch foam for each hat

* A stapler and plenty of staples

* A ruler

* Glue that actually works, such as Elmer's or Aleene's Tacky Glue

* Colored markers

* Plastic or paper Easter grass (paper staples more easily)

* Foam cutout Easter shapes, if you have them, or construction paper and/or foam sheets to create your own

* Pipe-cleaners in kid-friendly colors

* Anything else in your grab bag of crafting supplies, such as pompoms, stickers, small beads, buttons, fabric or Easter-themed paper

CUT AND MEASURE

* Using the ruler and a pencil or pen, mark off your foam sheet into three sections: Two sections need to be 5 inches wide by 18 inches long, leaving the third piece, which will be 2 inches wide by 18 inches long.

* Cut your foam sheet into these three sections.

* Staple the two 5-inch-wide sheets of foam together to create one sheet that's almost 36 inches long (the overlap will make it shorter).

* Put the smaller foam piece aside. This will be your basket handle.

* Wrap the length of foam around the child's head to get an approximate diameter for the basket. Leaving two or three inches to account for stapling, cut the foam.

DECORATE

* Lay the "basket" length of foam in front of the crafting child and show the child where the center of the hat will be when it's on her head and explain that this is the section to focus on.

* Allow the child to decorate her hat as she sees fit. This may include markers, stickers, foam shapes, beads, pompoms or other supplies. Some things are best stapled, others glued.

* After the band is decorated, oooh and aaah over the child's superior artistic skills.

* Help the child staple green "grass" and other decorations, such as pipe cleaners, to the hat.

ASSEMBLE AND ADMIRE

* Roll the decorated foam band around the artist-child's head and hold. Remove band and staple to the proper size. Cut off any unwanted foam.

* Cut the 2-inch-wide foam to a length that suits the basket, about 14 inches.

* Finally, take pictures of the child beaming from beneath that crazy Easter basket hat!

You must be logged in to comment.