Cat in the Hat Easter Egg

You may be wondering why I made a Cat in the Hat Easter egg when I said that this year's eggs are all inspired by state symbols. While the Cat himself is not a state symbol, Dr. Seuss is the official State Children's Author and Illustrator of Massachusetts. We had a fantastic time at the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts a few years ago. If you've never been, make plans to go! In the meantime, try this easy Easter egg idea. Affiliate links below. 

 

Cat in the Hat Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• scissors
• cardboard tube
• cardstock (red and white)
• craft glue
• binder clips
• Sharpie

Steps: 

Start by making the hat. Slice a 2.5" ring off a cardboard tube. Cut up the side so that you can adjust the circumference of the tube (you'll need to make it smaller to fit the egg). Cut a piece of red cardstock that is slightly taller than the cardboard tube ring and wide enough to wrap around it. Cut two strips of white cardstock and glue them to the red to make the iconic stripes. Glue the cardstock to the cardboard tube, then adjust the tube to the appropriate circumference to fit your egg (about 1"). Clip the ends in place to allow the glue to dry without having to hold it. 

When the glue is dry, cut a circle of white cardstock for the brim of the hat. Snip the inside of the brim and fold up the flaps of cardstock. This gives you a surface to glue to the inside of the hat. 

Use a Sharpie to draw the cat's eyes, eyebrows, nose, whiskers, and smile. Then add light, whispy marks to the area beyond the face. 

Finally, place the hat on top of the egg. 

I can imagine making a whole collection of Seuss-inspired Easter eggs. There are so many fun characters in his books.

Cat in the Hat Fascinator for Dr. Seuss Day

Dr. Seuss Day (aka Read Across America Day) is celebrated annually on March 2, the birthdate of the beloved children's author. Schools, libraries, and community centers plan fun events that celebrate reading and often include Seuss-themed crafts and treats. I've come up with a simple fascinator-style hat made of recycled materials that's inspired by The Cat in the Hat. I'll be sporting my new hat on March 2 for sure! Affiliate links below.

  

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Cat in the Hat Fascinator

Materials:

• cardboard tube
• frozen juice concentrate lid
• Folk Art or Delta Creamcoat gesso
• foam brush
• Folk Art paint - Wicker White and Calico Red
• 0.94" painter's tape 
• red cardstock or construction paper
• craft glue
• scissors
• Supertite glue (or hot glue gun)
• hair comb or large bobby pins

Steps:

Use the foam brush to put a coat of gesso on the cardboard tube and the juice lid. When it is dry, put gesso on the other side of the juice lid.

Paint the tube and the lid with Wicker White. You want full coverage of the tube and both sides of the lid. 

Next, tape off the sections of the cardboard tube that will remain white. A standard cardboard tube is 4.5" and the Cat in the Hat's hat has 5 bands of color (red, white, red, white, red), so each band will be 0.9". By happy coincidence, I had 0.94" painter's tape on hand, which is plenty close enough. I used an engineering scale and pencil to mark the tube before I realized my tape was the right size; if I was teaching this in the classroom, I'd have the kids do the measuring as a skill practice and introduction to a different type of measuring device than a standard ruler. 

Paint the top, middle, and bottom sections red and let the paint dry completely. Remove the tape, then glue a piece of cardstock to one end of the tube. 

When the glue is dry, use scissors to cut the cardstock into a circle. The tube provides a guide for the scissors to follow. Glue the tube to the juice lid and let it dry completely. 

Finally, glue a plastic hair comb or bobby pins to the bottom of the juice lid (hair combs are more secure, but bobby pins are cheaper - your call). Your fascinator is ready to wear!

As I was writing this post, I realized what I need to make my fascinator even better. There, I've fixed it! 

  

I wish I'd thought of this back in my teaching days. It would have made Read Across America day even more fun!