I have officially decreed today – Sunday – to be the Fourth of July, because the actual Fourth of July is on a Tuesday and having two days to recuperate after Fourth of July festivities sounds like a much better idea to me, especially since I’m the one throwing the party. But since I only decided this on Friday, I was left with next-to-zero time to prepare and/or decorate. Enter: these ridiculously easy (and cute) paper lanterns.
What You Need:
- Construction paper in whatever colors you like (this project doesn’t have to be Fourth of July-themed, obviously)
- Scissors
- Stapler
What You Do:
First, cut a strip off of one end of a piece of construction paper.
(The short end.)
Fold rest of the paper in half lengthwise (like a hot dog bun).
Then make cuts in the paper (starting from the folded edge). The cuts should be about 1″ apart, and they should only go to about 1″ away from the far edge (in other words, don’t cut all the way through).
This is what you’ll end up with. If you (or your kids) want to decorate the lanterns with glitter or stickers or whatever, unfold the paper, lay it flat and go to town.
Then roll the paper into a cylinder shape and secure at each end with a stapler (or tape or glue).
Then go get that little strip of paper you cut off earlier (you can mix and match colors here if you’re making bunches of lanterns)…
And use your stapler to secure one side of the handle. (Hang the lantern wherever you want it to end up before securing the other side.)
