M is for Madeline Craft

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Madeline will always have a special place in our hearts, having been my daughter’s favorite book for 3 years (and the first one I memorized as a parent!) We’ve done several Madeline crafts & activities before but thought we’d add this DIY Madeline Hat to our collection for the 31 Days of ABCs challenge!

M is for Madeline Craft - a cute kids craft inspired by the classic children's book. The perfect way to use up leftover paper plates or yarn

Last year, we did this easy Rocket Paper Tube Craft for the 31 Days of ABC which was really great for our mixed age group – but since I did this craft with just my 6 year old, we catered it more to her interests. You could use this basic craft idea to make a cowboy or cowgirl hat, a sombrero craft, a fedora, or an Aussie-style outback hat.

This past summer during our trip to NYC, we visited the legendary Bemelemans’ Bar at the Carlyle Hotel which has beautiful murals all over the walls painted by Ludwig Bemelmans – the author of the Madeline series. He was actually a waiter for many years before writing the classic series, so it was an interesting juxtaposition – seeing these characters from our beloved children’s stories all over the walls in a clandestine, dark bar full of grown-ups. I would describe it as almost surreal rather than the whimsical experience I was expecting – but I am definitely adding it to our must-do list of NYC Restaurants.

Bemelmen's Bar in NYC at the Carlyle hotel is a unique place to grab a quick bite or drink

But, back to the craft. This hat was a great morning craft for us. I had the materials laid out before Ella woke up and she got started while I scrambled up some eggs.

She ate and got dressed as the glue dried, and then we were able to put the finishing touches on it before she left for school and then she was able to try it on when she got home. Alternatively, you could read the book while the paint or glue is drying, or split this craft over a couple of days.

While we stuck to a quite literal interpretation of Madeline’s Hat, kids could add special drawings, words, or embellishments to personalize their Madeline hat. If you were making these for a party or playdate, you could write the kids’ names along the brim a la these trendy sunhats for adults.

How to make a Madeline hat inspired by the classic Children's Picture Book by Ludwig Bemelman's

Materials to Make a Madeline Hat

Tip: because I wanted to use materials we already had on hand (and avoid a trip to the store) we had to add an extra step to “painting” our plastic bowls that you can avoid if you use paper bowls. Since kids’ paints won’t adhere to plastic, we glued down yellow tissue paper as a sort-of “paper mâche” base. You can then leave this as-is or paint more yellow on top of it after it dries.

How cute is this easy Madeline hat craft for an activity after reading the classic picture book? (You can trim the hair if desired)

How to Make an Easy Madeline Paper Hat with Kids

Glue your paper bowl to the center underside of the paper plate.

*If using plastic bowls or plates, cut your yellow tissue paper into squares. Use the glue to “paint” all over your hat and then press down the tissue paper overtop. We did two layers for more coverage.

How to make a fancy hat from a paper plate

When the glue is dry, paint the hat all over with a bright yellow paint and let dry.

Meanwhile, cut your red yarn into shoulder-length strips, or double shoulder-length strips depending on how you want to attach your yarn to your hat once it dries.

A cute DIY Madeline costume made by kids

When the paint is dry, tie your blue (or black) ribbon around the base of the bowl into a bow. You can glue this in place, if desired.

Next, turn the plate upside down and tape the yarn into place for the hair. If you cut double shoulder-length strips, you can tape it lengthwise across the plate, if you cut shoulder-length strips you can tape them around 3/4 of the edge of the plate.

(I personally would trim the yarn at this point to be even, but my daughter did not want to do that – yet.)

DIY Madeline costume hat

Place the hat on your child’s head and measure the length of ribbon you want to use for a chip strap. Poke a small hole on each side of the hat brim, just above where their ears are and thread the ribbon through, tying securely. (We used two small pearl beads to help Ella tie the string independently.)

How to keep a paper hat from falling off your head

Trim the yarn hair to an even length if it’s not already.

And you’re done! Pop that Madeline hat on your head and practice your best Parisian accent.

Pin this easy Madeline craft idea:

M is for Madeline Craft - a cute kids craft inspired by the classic children's book. The perfect way to use up leftover paper plates or yarn

Grab your free printable for how to make a Madeline hat:

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M is for Madeline

M is for Madeline

Ingredients

  • Paper plate
  • Small paper bowl (see tip for plastic bowls)
  • Yellow Paint
  • Paintbrush
  • Blue ribbon
  • Red Yarn
  • Tape
  • Elastic string, optional
  • Yellow tissue paper, optional
  • White school glue

Instructions

  1. Glue your paper bowl to the center underside of the paper plate.
  2. *If using plastic bowls or plates, cut your yellow tissue paper into squares. Use the glue to "paint" all over your hat and then press down the tissue paper overtop. We did two layers for more coverage.
  3. When the glue is dry, paint the hat all over with a bright yellow paint and let dry.
  4. Meanwhile, cut your red yarn into shoulder-length strips, or double shoulder-length strips depending on how you want to attach your yarn to your hat once it dries.
  5. When the paint is dry, tie your blue ribbon around the base of the bowl into a bow. You can glue this in place, if desired.
  6. Next, turn the plate upside down and tape the yarn into place for the hair. If you cut double shoulder-length strips, you can tape it lengthwise across the plate, if you cut shoulder-length strips you can tape them around 3/4 of the edge of the plate.
  7. Place the hat on your child's head and measure the length of ribbon you want to use for a chip strap. Poke a small hole on each side of the hat brim, just above where their ears are and thread the ribbon through, tying securely.

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An easy Madeline craft to try after reading the book with your kids

If you don’t already have the classic Madeline story in your collection, grab it here.

For more fun Madeline crafts, check out our Madeline Story Box with homemade peg dolls or our Madeline Sensory Bin.

A sweet sensory bin based on the childhood classic story, Madeline

 

31 Days of ABC 2017 | Alldonemonkey.com

It’s time again for another fantastic month of alphabet fun with the 31 Days of ABC! All this month you can look forward to 31 more days of activities, crafts, books, apps, and more, all dedicated to teaching young children the alphabet.

I am so happy to be working with an amazing group of kid bloggers, who will be sharing their ideas with us in the coming days. So join us as we jump, skip, hop, and read our way through the alphabet this October!

Find more great resources in our series from past years: 31 Days of ABCs 2013, 2014, and 2016!

Don’t forget to follow our 31 Days of ABCs Pinterest board for even more great ABC ideas!


31 Days of ABC

Teaching the ABCs – October 1

All Done Monkey: Early Literacy – Getting Started Teaching the Alphabet

A – October 2

Creative World of Varya: A Is for Aromatherapy for Kids

B – October 3

Hispanic Mama: B Is For Bilingual Baby Books

C – October 4

Witty Hoots: C Is for Cool Fingerprint Castle Keyrings Tutorial

D – October 5

Teach Me Mommy: D Is for Dinosaurs DIY Sensory Bin

E – October 6

E Is for Environmental Print to Develop Literacy

F – October 7

Look! We’re Learning! F Is for Printable Farm Paper Bag Puppets

G – October 8

All Done Monkey: G Is for Go

H – October 9

All Done Monkey: H Is for Hello/Hola

I – October 10

Jeddah Mom: I Is for Ice Cream Craft and Sorting Activity

J – October 11

All Done Monkey: J is for Jirafa (Giraffe) – Spanish Coloring Page

K – October 12

Pennies of Time: K Is for Kindness

L – October 13

Schooling Active Monkeys: L Is for Lion Craft

M – October 14

Sugar, Spice & Glitter: M is for Madeline

N – October 15

All Done Monkey: N Is for Nature Crafts

O – October 16

Kitchen Counter Chronicles: O Is for Owl Bookmark Printable

P – October 17

Creative World of Varya

Q – October 18

Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: Q Is for Quito

R – October 19

JDaniel4’sMom: R Is for Robot

S – October 20

Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes: S Is for Spanish

T – October 21

Sand In My Toes: T Is for Truck

U – October 22

The Educators’ Spin On it: U Is for Unicorn

V – October 23

CrArty: V Is for Van Gogh

W – October 24

My Story Time Corner: W Is for Wheels on the Bus

X – October 25

The Mommies Reviews: X

Y – October 26

Teach Me Mommy: Y Is for Yarn Letters

Z – October 27

Bambini Travel: Z Is for Zoo Animals

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