How to Make Paper Lanterns for School
Paper lanterns are an integral part of the celebration of the Chinese New Year, which is based on a lunar calendar and usually occurs some time in February. The annual lantern festival is held on the 15th day of the celebration, a night when the moon is full, and is the last of the festivities associated with the new year. Paper lanterns are simple to make and decorate. Thus, they have become a staple craft for young children at school, particularly when they are learning about China.
Instructions
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Fold a piece of construction paper in half, lengthwise. Use your thumbnail to crease it well. Use the ruler to mark a line parallel to the long end of the paper, 1 inch beneath where the two ends of the folded paper meet.
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2
Measure increments of 3/4 inch, and mark them along the creased end of the folded paper. At each mark, use the ruler to draw a straight line running from the crease to the line you drew beneath the double edge of the fold. These lines will be perpendicular to the long line you drew.
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3
Cut along each of the lines you made along the crease, stopping when you get to the long line you drew opposite the crease.
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Open the folded paper. Hold it so that the lines you cut into it are now vertical. Keeping the lines you cut in a vertical position, gently curve the two ends of the paper around, and glue the ends together, as if you are making a tube with vertical lines cut into it. Allow the glue to dry, and then press lightly down on the top of the tube, so that the strips between the cuts you made push outward. Now your lantern has a solid top and a solid bottom with the strips bulging out in the middle.
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Put a line of glue along each of the strips, and then sprinkle glitter over them. You can make the lines straight or curvy.
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Cut a 1-inch strip of construction paper long enough to make a handle, and glue the ends of it to the inside edges of the lantern. You can use paper of the same color or a different color for your handle.
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Tips & Warnings
You can use spangles or other small pieces instead of glitter to decorate the strips of the lantern, but it is best not to use crayons, so that you do not diminish the sharpness of the crease of those strips. If you have a bunch of lanterns, you can hang them from a string across the ceiling to give a room a Chinese Lantern Festival feel.
References
- Photo Credit Digital Vision./Photodisc/Getty Images
