The Queen’s Hat

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A sudden gust of wind sets off a marvellous London adventure for the Queen, the Queen’s men and one very special hat. So let’s follow one determined, daredevil queen through the zoo, over Tower Bridge and up Big Ben… just where will that hat land?

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

English

• Create a newspaper article about the day the Queen’s hat flew away.
• Retell the story from the point of view of the Queen. You could write her narration for the story or write a diary entry for her. You could also retell the story from the point of view of the corgi or one of the soldiers.
• Think of some speech / thought bubbles for the characters in the illustrations.
• If you could meet a member of the Royal Family, what questions would you ask? How might they respond?
• Make a list of the verbs used in the story. How does the author describe the movement of the hat as it flies away?
• Can you find any examples of onomatopoeia in the story? Could you come up with your own list?
• Make your own story with a similar title, e.g. The King’s Shoes or The Queen’s Handbag.
• Could you perform (or record) your own read-along version of this book?

Maths

• Look at the illustrations. How many shapes can you find? Where can you see a rectangle or a circle? Can you find horizontal, vertical, perpendicular or parallel lines?
• Make up some word problems based on the ticket prices for different tourist attractions in London, e.g. How much would it cost for a family of two adults and two children to visit London Zoo? How much change would they get from £100?
• Can you estimate how many soldiers can be found in the illustrations throughout the book?

Science

• Can you find any examples of forces taking place in the illustrations? Create your own force diagrams using arrows.

Computing

• Create a poster / leaflet (using publishing software) or make a webpage to promote London as a destination for tourists.
• Design a game in which the Queen has to catch her hat.
• Make your own stop-motion animation to retell the story. Here is an example:

Design Technology

• Design and make a new hat for a queen to wear on special occasions. Watch this video from British Pathé which shows hats that Queen Elizabeth II wore:

Art

• The illustrator has used a limited range of colours in the illustrations. Can you suggest why this is? Could you try a similar technique in your own pictures?
• Look at portraits of Queen Elizabeth II throughout her life. Could you look at a photo of her and create a portrait?
• A picture of Queen Elizabeth II’s head appeared on stamps. Could you design a new stamp?
• Create your own illustrations of the places mentioned in the story.

Music

• Listen to the national anthem. Could you try to compose a new one?

Geography

• Make a note of the places mentioned in the story and find them on a map. Could you plot the route that the Queen takes throughout the story? If you were to recreate the journey, how would you travel to each location? How long might each step take?
• Make a written, audio or video travel guide about London or one of the places mentioned in the story.

History

• Make a timeline that shows the main events in Queen Elizabeth II’s life.
• Can you make a poster that shows the kings and queens of England?