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momstown loves when we find crafts that work for all ages. Though at first glance this lantern might look tricky, by breaking down the steps and helping little ones with the harder parts, everyone can make a lantern for Chinese New Year!
What you need:
- Construction paper
- Crayons
- Scissors
- Stapler
The first step is the easiest - and this is why any child can take part! Decorate your construction paper any way you like - with crayons, markers, or paint. It doesn't matter what size of construction paper you use - it will just affect the size of the lantern.
Then, fold the paper so that the picture doesn't show (it's on the inside). A good trick here to help kids cut on their own, is to write a "STOP" line at the top, and either you draw or they draw lines to cut along vertically.
Note that the fold MUST be at the bottom or the lantern won't work.
Cut along the cut lines you or your child has drawn (you can help if they are really little).
Once you're finished cutting, open up the paper, it will look like this:
Then connect the tops to form a cylinder.
You'll want the design (where your child coloured) on the outside, so you'll have to reverse your initial fold a bit to make the lantern take shape.
Staple the top and bottom, and add a handle if you like!
Happy Chinese New Year!
Mon, 01/23/2012 - 23:28 Oh, what a great idea. We did lanterns like this out of felt this fall, but I didn't think of it for the Chinese New Year. Thank you so much for sharing it at Sharing Saturday!