Second Graders Become Mad Hatters in Science Class

Second graders have been on a wild adventure—not to Wonderland, but to a desert island! In their recent science unit, they transformed into Mad Hatters to explore the properties of materials. The challenge? To design and build a hat that could withstand the scorching heat of a desert island. Students designed hats with limited materials (aluminum foil, string, paper plates, clothespins, paper cups, and paper bags) to shade them from the desert heat. Students took inspiration from cowboy hats, bonnets, baseball caps, and long cloth head coverings. A brilliant combination of creativity and engineering at work!