On Friday morning, P5A received an intriguing package, wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string.

We spent some time handling our mystery parcel and discussing it. We wondered where it had come from, why it had been sent to us and, most importantly, what might be inside.

After waiting and wondering for three long days, we finally opened our parcel this afternoon. There was great excitement, lots of speculation, and some worry (from Mrs Paton) that Robert might cut his fingers on the scissors!

At last, the box was open. Buried inside layers of tissue, we pulled out…a tiny felt hat, covered in sequins and embriodery.

Most excited of all was our Circle Time pet, Happy Lion. He was delighted to find that the hat was a perfect fit!

We quickly set about writing down all of our big questions about this unusual hat. Where did it come from? Who sent it to us? What sort of hat was it? Which culture did it belong to? What could we learn from it?

We visited the school library and consulted Dr Google. Our suspicions were confirmed. We had received a tiny sombrero all the way from Mexico. We discovered that the name ‘sombrero’ comes from the Spanish word for shade. This wide brimmed hat was originally designed to offer protection from the sun.

Next, we discussed where we could take our learning from here. Would we design and make our own hats? Would we find out more about the traditions, customs and traditional dress of Mexico? Would we explore politics, religion or culture? Could we write our own music, or find out about traditional Mexican musical instruments? Could we explore different types of hats? Perhaps we could write our own poetry, adventure stories or factual reports about hats. We even discussed the possibility of learning a new language or writing to new pen pals.

So, where to begin? P5A, it’s over to you!

JP