Chinese New Year Paper Lantern Craft
Lighten up with this fun craft project!
Submitted by
Kayla Chong
Kayla Chong
Throw your own Lantern Festival—or "Yuan Xiao," in Chinese—a big bash held every year on the last day of the Chinese New Year celebration. Traditionally, everyone breaks out lanterns of all shapes and sizes and carries them through the streets. Of course, sending your kid into the streets in February (or anytime, for that matter) probably isn't a great idea, but nothing's stopping her from parading around in the house shouting at the top of her lungs, right? Besides, she was gonna do that, anyway.
- Colorful paper:Construction paper or heavy wrapping paper.
- Scissors
- A ruler:Not like Chairman Mao, but the kind with inches on it.
- Tape and staples:To hold it all together.
- Embellishments:Like glitter glue, markers, stickers, streamers and sequins.
Grab a piece of paper and have your kid fold it lengthwise.
Have her rub the folded edge a few times to make a sharp crease in the paper.
Then take the scissors and help your kid make a cut through the folded edge of the paper (starting about one inch in from the side of the paper and stopping about 1 inch down from the top).
Make several more identical cuts about an inch apart throughout the entire length of the paper. Stop about one inch from the other edge.
Unfold the paper to reveal the cuts.
Then have her roll the paper (like a toilet paper roll) so that the short ends meet.
Help her tape or staple the short ends together.
Next, help your kid cut a 1-inch-wide strip from the long side of another piece of paper. This will be the handle for her lantern.
Help her tape or staple the handle to the top of the lantern.
Now for the fun stuff! Pull out the embellishments and invite your kid to decorate the lantern with the glitter glue, markers, stickers, streamers and sequins. She can write the year in glitter or hang streamers from the bottom of the lantern.
- Put on your party outfits and have your kid march around the living room with her lantern shouting, "Gung Hay Fat Choy!" which, roughly translated, means, "Wishing you prosperity and wealth" in Cantonese.
- 2008 was the Year of the Rat.
2009 was the Year of the Ox.
2010 is the Year of the Tiger.
2011 is the Year of the Rabbit .
2012 is the Year of the Dragon.
2013 is the Year of the Snake.
2014 is the Year of the Horse.
2015 is the Year of the Sheep.
2016 is the Year of the Monkey.
2017 is the Year of the Rooster.
2018 is the Year of the Dog.
2019 is the Year of the Pig.
20/20 is a television program starring John Stossel.
Submit!
