This Is Not My Hat

What art teacher doesn't love a great book to tie into a lesson?  Particularly with the younger ones.  I was introduced to this book through a colleague and had to use it with something. And don't all fish look even cuter with hats?

I started my kindergartners out with patterns/tracers, which I know some art teachers are totally against.  Not me.  I say, if it helps, use it (just like bumpers in bowling, but that's a whole other post).  Using 9 x 12 paper, students folded them (like a greeting card) and traced 6 x 9 fish patterns, making sure to touch every side.  If they did it correctly, when they cut it out they had two fish stuck together. Next we painted one of our fish primary colors:

[I neglected to say that I pre-wrote students' names on their papers so that when they traced and cut out their fish, their names were still there.]
Next students painted the other fish secondary colors, and when they were all nice and dry, I glued them to a piece of yarn in table groups:

Three to four fish were on each piece of yarn.

When students returned to class, I read This Is Not My Hat to them (the stealing really makes kindergartners gasp, which is only adorable).  They then used neutral colors of paper and some leftover "fun" paper to make hats:

And used construction paper to make long plants to "hide" their fish and their hats:

Then I hung them all up outside our library:

And the view from inside the library looking out:

I'm going to have them make some more plants  to "hide" our fish, but until then the students and I will enjoy the compliments rolling in.