Chinese Lantern Craft

On the 15th of the first month of the Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival or Yuanxiao Jie, a traditional Chinese festival, is celebrated marking the end of the celebrations of the Chinese New Year.

During this festival people flock to the streets with a variety of lanterns under the full moon, watching lions or dragon dancing, playing Chinese riddles and games, and lighting up firecrackers in an vibrant colourful display.

You will need
A4 size card or paper
pencil
glue
scissors
sticky tape

Activity
1. Fold the card in half lengthwise.
2. Starting at the folded side, draw pencil lines across it, not all the way across, on which to cut. Make sure the lines are equal in length and evenly spaced.

3. Cut along the lines carefully.
4. Unfold the card.
5. Take the top and botton ends of the card, overlap them and paste them together to make a cylinder.
6. Cut a strip of paper and attach it to make the handle.
7. If you make more than one lantern, hand them on a string across the room.

Variations
1. Decorate the card with crayons, glitter, sequins, etc before making the lantern.
2. Alternatively, paste cellophane paper onto the inside of the card after cutting the slits. This will create a colourful effect when the sun shines on the lanterns.