Chinese Paper Lantern Project
Purpose of activity: To appreciate one of the traditional crafts of China
Target age group: Any age
Description of activity: Make a better-than-average Chinese lantern. (I looked at lots helpful suggestions online for making paper lanterns with kids, declared them all wimpy, then made my own design.) Hopefully the finished product will be something worthy of keeping around for at least a little while. (We had our classes make these as decorations for our Chinese New Year party and wow did they look nice!)
Time needed: About an hour for younger students, maybe less for older ones
Materials you will need: Copies of the dragon pattern page, colored paper (red, yellow or black is best), colored pencils or crayons. white glue, glue stick, scissors, clear tape, paper clips, thin yarn or high-quality craft string (the kind that resides next to the yarn at the store) in one or more of these colors: red, black, yellow, white