Looking for something fun to make at home? Each week we are collecting and curating resources around a topic and this week is lantern making. We are focusing on making with what you have around the house. Here’s some inspiration to get you started!
Jack-o-lanterns. Flying lanterns. Paper lanterns. There are so many different lanterns that can be found around the world. Not only do lanterns look beautiful, they are oftentimes used to celebrate cultural traditions. If you live in the United States, you have probably made a jack-o-lantern for Halloween. In Hindu culture, a Kandeel lantern is used during Diwali, the Festival of Lights. In Chinese, Vietnamese, and Japanese cultures, lanterns are used in cultural celebrations such as the Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival. This festival is a celebration of the moon and the Autumn harvest. This year it is celebrated on October 1st, 2020!
What other types of lanterns and cultural celebrations can you think of?
Follow along with Linda and Aáron in the video below as they make their own lanterns and learn about the Mid-Autumn Festival. (Also: this is Aáron’s first Learning in the Making video — welcome! Learn more about Aáron’s journey as an educator in this recent interview.)
To make your own lantern, you will need:
- Translucent paper or film (parchment, tissue paper, cellophane, plastic wrap)
- Structural Support/frame: (straws, sticks, metal hangers, skewers, pipe cleaners)
- Connection materials: (tape, glue, putty, binder clips, paper clips, etc.)
- Optional Embellishing materials: glitter, stickers, drawings,
- Optional Holding/Hanging: strings, stick, pipe cleaners
- Optional Light Source: flashlight, candle, led circuit, cellphone, lamp
Download the project guides by clicking on the images below:
Looking for additional inspiration? Check out these ideas:
- Learn more about the Mid-Autumn Festival
- Watch this video from Craft Basket on how to make paper lanterns for Diwali
- Make squishy circuits for your lantern from The Tinkering Studio
We want to see your projects! After the livestream, we encourage you to post your lantern on Twitter or Instagram. Tag us @MakerEdOrg with #MakerEdAtHome and #lanternmaking
Learning in the Making: LIVE! is an online video series designed to support educators and families with accessible hands-on learning experiences. This work is part of our focus on supporting remote learning in various environments. (To learn more, read this blog post about our work during shelter-in-place measures in 2020.)
Each week, we are hosting a live making activity on our Facebook page and sharing related resources on our blog.
We are so excited to support hands-on learning as educators, caregivers, and young learners shift to distance learning, and we need your support! Donate today so we can keep going.
Leave a Reply