How to Make a Child's Sombrero
Making a sombrero is a fun way for children to learn about and celebrate Mexican culture. The sombrero is often associated with Cinco de Mayo, which is observed May 5th in the United States. Creating the sombrero is an exciting and creative craft for children. The traditional sombrero is black, tan or brown, broad-brimmed and made of felt or straw. Although children will enjoy a wide-brimmed hat, they will likely want to make their sombreros more colorful.
Things You'll Need
- Plastic bowl or plastic flowerpot
- Foil wrapping paper
- Tape
- Glue
- Scissors
- Felt
- 20 medium-sized pom-poms
- 4 or 5 red pipe cleaners
- Red ball fringe
- Canvas drop cloth
Instructions
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1
Cover the table with a canvas drop cloth. Place a plastic bowl or plastic flowerpot upside down on the table. Make certain the bowl or pot fits the child's head.
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2
Cut 3 feet of foil wrapping paper, and fold it in half. Put the wrapping paper over the bowl or pot. Press the paper down over the bowl to create a mold of the bowl.
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3
Wrap tape around the wrapping paper to hold it in place at the rim of the bowl. This will help the hat keep its shape. You'll apply decorations to hide the tape later.
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4
Cut four more sheets of wrapping paper, each about 1 foot long. Place one sheet, wrong side up, underneath each corner of the brim of the hat. This will make the hat wider.
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5
Apply glue to the brim, and fold all four sheets to glue them to the brim. The hat will begin to take on a square shape. You will complete the work on the brim in Steps 8 and 12 when you glue the remaining loose ends and shape the brim.
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6
Cut a strip of wrapping paper, 1 to 2 inches wide and long enough to go around the bowl shape part of the hat. Glue the strip around the hat to cover the tape that holds the shape of the hat.
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7
Lift the foil hat from the bowl. Turn the bowl over. Flip the hat over, and place it inside the bowl so the underside of the hat is facing up.
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8
Glue the hanging sheets of the hat underneath. Set the hat aside to dry for 30 minutes.
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9
Cut a strip of felt 2-feet long and 1-inch wide. Cut triangle shapes into the strip so it looks like a crown.
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10
Cut a strip from another felt sheet. The strip should be 1 1/2 feet long and 1 inch wide. Glue this strip around the brim. Cut off any excess.
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11
Glue the felt with triangles to the rectangular shape. Cut off any excess.
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12
Bend up the edges of the brim of your hat.
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13
Glue red ball fringe around the outer brim of your hat. Trim of any excess.
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14
Twist 4 to 5 red pipe cleaners together to make one long pipe cleaner.
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15
Bend the pipe cleaner into a zigzag pattern. Glue the pipe cleaner around the brim of the hat.
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16
Apply small amounts of glue to pom-poms, and place them randomly around the brim of the hat.
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17
Allow the hat to dry between 20 and 30 minutes. Then smooth out the inside of the hat that fits the mold of the bowl. The sombrero is ready for your child to wear.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Ablestock.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
