Chinese New Year Paper Lantern

Back in my teaching days, we used to decorate the classroom for Chinese New Year with paper lanterns. They looked so pretty hanging all around. My students thought they were just doing a craft, but it was as much a lesson in measurement and following directions. Kids always need practice in both of those! Affiliate links below. 

Chinese New Year Paper Lantern

Materials: 

• red cardstock or construction paper
• ruler
• scissors
• Folk Art Treasure Gold
• craft glue
• binder clips

Steps:

Fold the red paper in half lengthwise (hot dog, not hamburger). On the side opposite of the fold, draw a line 1/2" from the long edge. This will be your cutting guide and will prevent the lantern from falling apart. 

Make marks every 1/2" along your cutting guide. Then make marks every 1/2" along the fold. Connect those lines. Your paper should look like this, with the open end toward the top and the fold at the bottom.

Cut along the lines you just made, stopping at the cutting guide. 

Open up the paper. Use a brush to apply Treasure Gold along the cutting guide. Do the same across the top of the paper. There isn't a line, but it's the same as the cutting guide that you drew. Look how much shine comes from Treasure Gold! I love that stuff. We didn't use it back in my classroom, but that's only because it wasn't invented yet. 

When the paint is dry, bring the two short sides of the paper together, with the paint facing out. Glue the lantern in place, then secure it with binder clips until it dries. Cut a 1/2" strip of paper to make the handle. Glue and clip that in place. When the glue is dry, remove the binder clips. 

You can hang your lantern (that's what we did) or set it on a tabletop. Either way, it makes a beautiful and festive decoration for Chinese New Year.