Making a lantern is a fun way to talk about the changing seasons with your child. One way to help your children notice and experience seasonal changes is through the things you craft together. When you work together, curiosity is inevitable, questions arise, learning is easy. As autumn makes the evenings come sooner and sooner a lantern is a meaningful project for early autumn crafting. Boys and girls love the physical nature of this project. They feel reverence in working with ‘real’ tools like a nail and hammer. Of all the lanterns we’ve made recently, this tin lantern was Teddy’s favorite.
Photo credit : Patent Pending Projects
Save up a tin can and have some lantern fun.
You’ll need :
- a tin can
- a nail and a hammer
- a length of wire for the lantern handle
- a pair of pliers
Use the nail and hammer to make holes in the tin can. You can get fancy with the patterns of the holes… or you can have random holes like Teddy preferred.
Punch a hole just below the rim of the tin on either side for the wire handle to pass through. Thread and secure the wire handle.
Place a tea light inside the tin and light it as soon as it gets dark. Your child will be so proud of his cool tin lantern.
Here’s a lovely traditional Waldorf song that captures the joy a lantern can elicit :
Glimmer, lantern, glimmer…
little stars a-shimmer
Over meadow, moor and dale
Flitter flutter elfin veil.
Glimmer, lantern, glimmer…
Little stars a-shimmer.
Over rock and stock and stone,
Wander tripping little gnome.
Here are a couple of links to other lantern projects :
Make a lantern with pressed flowers
Blessings and magic,
Donni
5 Responses
With the days getting dark earlier this is a perfect autumn project! I’m going to suggest punching some pumpkins on some tins and we can use them on Halloween!
~ joey ~
Great Halloween idea, Jody !
What an awesome idea! I am definitely going to give this a try as a nice little Halloween project soon.
I love these!!!! What a super cool idea, I am definitely going to make these with my little girl.
Thank you!!!!!!
Glad you’ll be enjoying the project, Lisa :-)