Why not take some time this weekend and sit down with your children? Then you can make a quick St. Martin's lantern together that will be ready in time for the move and can be reused next year - unless you have so much fun making it that you want to try something new next time.
Make lanterns with paper plates
Cardboard plates are incredibly popular for many craft projects because their shape and durability make them the perfect base, saving you time drawing and then cutting out intricate details and shapes. A practical feature that thePaper plate for the lanternbring with you: glued together right sides together, a cavity is created that can be used for lighting.
Make a quick St. Martin's lantern in the shape of an umbrella
In terms of theme, the umbrella lantern is also perfect for the autumn procession, while the colorful windows ensure a good mood. The principle of production is the same as the variant in the link above. We'll show you how to make the details.
- 2 paper plates of any color
- colorful parchment paper (transparent film is also suitable)
- Glue
- Carpet knife or cutter
- Pencil
- Scissors
- LED fairy lights
- tape
- Pom poms (optional)
- Yarn or ribbon
Make the lantern for Saint Martin as follows:
- Take the first plate and draw the typical wavy line of an umbrella in the middle. Cut the plate in half along this line.
- Draw four windows on the plate half that represent the individual segments of a screen. Use a cutter or carpet knife to cut them out on a suitable surface.
- Use this half as a template to make another identical plate half.
- Cover the windows with transparent paper.
- Decorate the fairy lights with pompoms. Since these are supposed to represent raindrops, you can also choose other blue elements. For example, drops can also be cut out of paper.
- Attach the battery compartment of the light chain inside one half of a plate and let the chains fall down several times, securing the parts that are inside the lantern with tape. Make sure that the power button is facing downwards so that you can easily switch the fairy lights on and off later.
- Cut out a stick with a holder and glue it to the plate.
- Attach a loop of ribbon or twine to the top for hanging.
- Apply glue to the edge of the plate and glue the other half of the plate in place (the curves face outwards, creating a cavity).
- Hang the lantern on a stick and the parade can begin!
This way you can make any other lantern shapes you want. Vary the type of window depending on the figure or create a particularly simple one by simply cutting out the inner circles and gluing the resulting rings together. Leave a gap at the top so you can insert a light bulb from a lantern stick.
You can also use paper lanterns as a base. Take a lookhere are a few ideasan.
Make a quick St. Martin's lantern out of a cheese box
The round wooden packaging of some cheeses is the perfect basis for a cylindrical St. Martin's lantern. What do you need for this?
- Bottom or lid of a wooden packaging
- Sheet of paper (slightly longer than the circumference of the packaging)
- Painting colors (watercolors or acrylic as desired)
- Brush or sponge
- Glue
- Cutter or carpet knife
- Yarn
How aboutOwls as figures for the lantern?
How to make the quick St. Martin's lantern:
- Let the children design the paper however they want. You need an additional piece for the bottom, for which you cut out a circle and paint it too.
- Fold over the edges on the long sides.
- One of the two long sides is cut lengthwise several times.
- Use a cutter to cut out stars or other shapes. Use a suitable base!
- Apply glue to the edge of the package and wrap the paper around it. Make sure that the lid or base of the cheese packaging starts above the prepared flaps so that you can fold them over later. Glue the ends of the latter together too.
- Apply glue to the bottom of the package and gradually fold over the tabs.
- Attach the prepared circle in the middle to conceal the tabs and also secure them in place at the same time.
- Punch holes in the top edge at two opposite points.
- Attach a piece of twine or ribbon to create a loop for hanging.
- Place an LED tea light or a LED string of lights in the finished St. Martin's lantern.
Would you like another cheese packaging idea?Look here!
