DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Canada Day Lantern Craft

contributed by Leanne Guenther

These paper lanterns make wonderful decorations around the house or classroom for Canada Day or when you're learning about Canada.  You can make a number of them and string them in a row on a ribbon or piece of yarn.

You can use the templates I've provided or design your own in any size you like using:

• construction paper and stickers
• fancy paper, like the type used for scrapbooking, or
• scrap pieces of giftwrap.

Materials:

• paper,
• printer,
• something to color with,
• scissors,
• glue
• Optional:  wool, string or ribbon (red or white would be best).

Craft Instructions:

• Print out the Canada themed template.
• Color the template, if using the B&W option and cut it out.
• Set aside the handle piece, for now, but don't lose it!
• Fold the lantern down the center (there's a faint line on the template to give you guidance) and crease firmly.
• Use the scissors to snip the dotted lines (there are 5).  Make sure you don't snip all the way through.  Stop snipping at the top and bottom borders (that white part with maple leaves).
• Unfold the paper and use the tab to glue the edges together forming a tube shaped lantern.
• Glue the handle on either side of the lantern.
• Optional:  string a number of maple leaf paper lanterns in a row and hang them to decorate.

Craft Templates:

• Close template window when done printing to return to this screen.
• Set page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).

Template        color  or   B&W

Print friendly version of these instructions