Plastacine & Streamer Lanterns

Bubble is all about parties at the moment. We wear party hats at breakfast, hang streamers in the cubbyhouse and stick candles in our dinner. She has taken to raiding the recycling bag for sheets of newspaper which she wraps anything she can find in to give to us as 'presents' (on the strict condition that we rewrap them and give them back to her to open). So today we made a few things to have a special 'night time party' just as something a little bit different.
These lanterns were the first two projects, very easy to make and a lot of fun. I will share our other activity tomorrow as the photos seem to be loading a bit slowly tonight :-)

WE USED:

* clean empty glass jars (we used old baby food jars)
* Clag glue
* streamers cut into squares (you could use anything, wrapping paper, tissue paper, cellophane)
* plastacine
* toothpicks
* cookie cutters
* tealights (we used electric child safe fake ones which were bought at the local Reject shop)

PLASTACINE LANTERNS:

We kneaded our plastacine until it was nice and soft, then pressed it around the outside of a jar until it was coated by a thin layer. Using a toothpick and cookie cutters Bubble could then cut shapes and make patterns in the plastacine, creating little windows for the light to escape from.

One of our plastacine covered jars.

Bubble carving patterns with her toothpick.

Using cookie cutters to cut shapes.

STREAMER LANTERNS:
Cut a roll of streamer into squares and put them into a bowl. Hold the jar from the inside while your child covers it with glue, and then sticks the streamer to it like paper mache. You can do several layers, just the one or leave little windows in the sides. You could also vary the textures by using different papers or cellophanes.

Holding a jar while Bubble coats it with glue and streamer squares.

The finished lanterns and electric tealights.

They looked beautiful all lit up!