Bonnets, blue jeans and bunny ears

About 170 kids put on their seasonal best Thursday for the Kids' Stuff preschool and pre-kindergarten program's spring hat parade.

They marched through the Kids' Stuff car loop dressed in floral print dresses, blue jeans and other festive garb to the tune of songs ranging from "Walking on Sunshine" to "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" and "Hippity Hop Hop."

Their hats, many of which were homemade, included bunny ears, fishing hats, floral caps and full-sized Easter baskets.

Themes were varied, such as a "spring" hat complete with bouncy springs, three-dimensional Wizard of Oz and Beatles hats and a candy hat adorned with Easter treats.

"This is the 26th year for the parade," said Cathy Peckett, Kids' Stuff director.

"The students look forward to it, and so do the parents," she said. "This gives parents the opportunity to do something fun with their kids. They make hats together for the parade."

Parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters gathered to watch the children show off their headwear, with music coordinated by Kids' Stuff music director Christine Reed. She also moved and sang along with many of the songs, performing a spirited robot dance during the song "Robot No. 1."

"I tried to pick songs the kids recognize and could sing along with," Reed said. "And they make requests for songs."

The parade marks the culmination of a spring learning unit at Kids' Stuff.

Students dyed and hunted for eggs and completed seasonal crafts, such as decorated baskets, spring headbands and paper eggs, decorative Easter egg wreaths and butterflies and comical leprechaun traps.

They read a Peter Rabbit book, learned about the life cycles of farm animals and metamorphosis, sang "Five Cranky Cows" held a Bunny Buffet and ate green eggs and ham to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday.

They wore silly socks and prepared specialty snacks, such as Leprechaun's Amazing Applesauce.

Kim Cagle's children Noah and Elizabeth are Kids' Stuff graduates, and her daughter Kennedy, 4, is a Kids' Stuff prekindergarten student who participated in her last parade this year before advancing to elementary school.

"I can't believe that, after eight years, this is our last parade," Cagle said. "This parade never gets old for the kids. They look forward to making the hats."

"These kids are adorable," she said.