We like everything that lights up our mood, right? Our lantern project this month is just like that, but with a higher purpose of encouraging kids to care more about Mother Nature. The project is inspired by Earth Hour, a movement in which thousands of cities around the world switch off non-essential lights for about an hour every last week of March. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the activity organizers, the lights-off movement is a symbol of “commitment to the planet.” With that in mind, beijingkids like the idea of a lantern shining with inspiration, but our friends from 3e International School thought to make it even more sustainable. Art teacher Jonathan Winstanley and 9-year-old Chloe Fu say this Earth Hour lantern is easy to do since most of the materials are readily available. The third-grader even asks her teacher to do a similar project to celebrate other holidays as well!
Materials
Paper (colored tissue paper and a plain sheet), scissors, white glue, paint brush, pen, colored pencils, two pipe cleaners, a candle, and a glass jar
Step 1
Cut the yellow tissue paper into squares or rectangles. Paint the glue onto the jar and stick the paper squares to cover it. You can use the glue to stick down the edges smoothly.
Step 2
Draw a tree trunk onto the brown tissue paper and carefully cut it out with the scissors. Glue your tree onto the jar.
Step 3
Make your tree blossom! Cut out leaf shapes from the green tissue paper using the scissors.
Step 4
Now, let’s call for your favorite animals! Draw and color them using the colored pencils. Stick them on the tree using the glue.
Step 5
Wrap one pipe cleaner around the top of the jar, then use another one to make the handle. Get an adult to help you place your lit candle inside the jar.
Photos: Uni You
This article appeared on p28-29 of beijingkids March 2018 issue.