So many ways people wear their hair.  This book shows pictures of children wearing real hairstyles.  Children will be able to identify with some of the do’s and be able to better appreciate the diversity and beauty that sits on top of our heads.

Materials

• Face picture for art
• You can make pigtails ahead of time from thick yarn that has then been glued to a headband.  This can be put into the dramatic center along with the hair boutique prop box.
• Several unbreakable mirrors
• Several plastic combs

Vocabulary

• Style (how you wear your hair or the way your hair is cut)
• Texture (how your hair feels)
• Blonde (light colored hair)

Before Reading the Story

Put a piece of masking tape down the cente of your circle time area. Tell the children that you are going to play a listening game. Say; If you have very short hair stand over here and everyone else stand over there. If you have hair past your shoulders statand over here, if not stand over there. If you have curls, straight hair, bangs, beads in your hair, barretts or pony tail holders, if your ears are covered by your hair, etc..

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding simple and multiple-step directions.

Reading the Story

            As you read, if any child’s hair reminds you of a picture in the book, be sure to show the children and say the name of the hair type (Kerry you have waves like Samoa!)

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, or preferences.

After Reading the Story

Ask the children if they can think of anyways that people help keep their hair clean and looking nice. (I wash mine with Batman shampoo. My Mom combs mine and it hurts my head! I wear braids with beads. I got a haircut last week). Continue talking about regular hygiene if the children are still interested in sharing (importance of toothbrushing, bathing, cleaning hands, etc).

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; builds awareness and ability to follow basic health and safety rules such as fire safety, traffic and pedestrian safety, and responding appropriately to potentially harmful objects, substances, and activities. AND Science Knowledge; expands knowledge of and respect for their bodies and the environment.

Discovery

            The story talks about the different textures of hair. Either bring in objects or use objects from the room that the children can feel to experience the textures of; smooth, bumpy, fuzzy, curly, knotted, and twisted.  Let the children sort and touch a variety of textured items. 

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences and comparisons among objects and materials.

            If you have access to a microscope, pull a hair out of your head to be examined.

Science/Scientific Skills & methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Music and Movement

            Sing This is the Way… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XLQpRI_wOQ

  This is the way I brush my hair, brush my hair, brush my hair

 This is the way I brush my hair, each and every day.

This is the way I shampoo my hair, this is the way I dry my hair, this is the way I put barrettes in my hair,. Act out different motions as you sing.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, or preferences.

Blocks

Art

            Give each child a copy of a blank head.  Have the children color a face and hair. They can then use the scissors to cut strips into the hair and curl around a pencil if they like.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; progresses in abilities to use writing, drawing, and art tools, including pencils, markers, chalk, paint brush, and various types of technology.

            Add a large head shape to the easel and encourage the children to paint a self portrait.  Put a mirror beside the easel so they can look at themselves while they paint.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, or preferences.

Library and Writing;

            Put out a mirror so the children can look at their own hair.  Add the book to the center so the children can compare their hair to that in the story.

Mathematics/Patterns & measurement; begins to make comparisons between several objects based on a single attribute.

Make a copy of The Hair Book for each child in the room. you can help the children work on this at school or you could send it home as a Parent-Child Activity. https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=2960 Thank you to Teaching Tolerance web site.

Sand and Water

            Put several combs in to the table along with a small amount of dried sand.  The children can use the combs to draw patterns in the sand.

Creative Arts/Art; gains ability in using different art media and materials in a variety of ways for creative expression and representation.

Dramatic Play

            Put out a beauty parlor prop box.  Add curlers, plenty of combs, barrettes, empty bottles of shampoo, hair pieces/wigs, and  dolls with hair.  Remind the children that they may NOT cut their hair or any other child’s.

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of Families & Communities; develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them.

Math and Manipulatives

            Hair comes in many lengths.  Some people have long hair and some people have short hair.  Help the children take a piece of yarn and holding it at the crown of their head, measure it to the length of the child’s hair and cut it (the yarn).  Challenge the child to find something in the room that is as long as their hair.  Tape the yarn “hair lengths” to the wall from shortest to longest.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows progress in using standard and non-standard measures for length and area of objects.

Outdoor Play

Have the children stand quietly on the playground and close their eyes. Can they feel the wind moving their hair?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Transitions

            Make a graph that shows; Colors of our hair.  At the bottom write blonde, brown, black, red, other.  Have the children put on their mark as they head to the next activity.  Later compare which hair color has the most and least children in it.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Concept; begins to develop and express awareness of self in terms of specific abilities, characteristics, or preferences. AND Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use language to compare numbers of objects with terms such as more, less greater than, fewer, and equal to.

Resources