DIY lantern

Make this adorable flowerpot to carry in Saturday’s parade!

Flowerpot Lantern!

Here’s how to make this easy lantern at home:

: 1. Things you’ll need to make your flower-pot lantern: an empty 2L soda bottle, several smaller plastic soda bottles (optional), colored tissue paper, a few small coffee filter papers or plain white copy paper, Elmer’s Glue – diluted with a little water and mixed thoroughly, a paintbrush, scissors, hole punch, blade (adult supervision required!), sharpie marker, a few pipe cleaners, length of string, one or more battery-operated LED lights (available for purchase before the parade)

: 2. Draw a line around the top of the label using the sharpie, and cut all the way around to remove the upper portion. Making a slit with the blade will make the first incision a little easier… Cut the bottoms away from the smaller soda bottles and recycle the rest. These will form the flowers that will grow from your flowerpot

: 3. Cut flower petals, leaves and other fantastical flora out of your colored tissue. Do the same with the coffee filter paper

: 4. Paint the inside of your soda bottle with the diluted glue using the paintbrush. When you have covered the surface, carefully place your tissue-paper petals onto the glue, smoothing down with the brush. Continue until you have covered the inside and bottom, then leave to dry

: 5. You can glue the coffee-filter paper petals and leaves onto your flowers too…

: 6. Decorate the flowers using the scraps of tissue paper – they can be delicate, so take care when gluing them down

: 7. When everything is dry, you are ready to assemble your lantern. Create two holes on either side of the top of your flowerpot using the hole punch, then insert a pipe cleaner through the holes and tighten. Your bagged LED light will suspend from here. Next, tie the string onto the pipe cleaners to create a handle. Finally, glue or tape pipe cleaners to the back of your flowers. We have used a glue-gun, for extra security.

: 8. Your lantern is nearly ready! Glue or tape the pipe cleaners to the inside surface of your flowerpot and illuminate!

Fantastical flora in time for Saturday’s parade… see you on the streets!

Here are a few instructions! These adorable bug lanterns can be made out of recycled materials and a few coffee filters (3-4 small filters per lantern) These lanterns are quick, easy and fun to make. A little adult supervision will be needed to operate some cheeky equipment, but apart from that, happy lantern-making and we look forward to seeing your fabulous creations!

Make a bug lantern at home from recycled materials….

If you need a little pole, just pull a large paperclip apart, and tape one end firmly down to a dry stick, using duct tape. The other end can slip straight into your pipe-cleaner hook.
LED Lights are available for sale from both TBPS school gym and Rusty Parker before the parade.

Make a Cute Bug Lantern:

: Equipment needed: any recycled materials will do…

: Carefully cut a hole using a blade (adult supervision required here!) Your door will require a hinge. An awl will be useful in poking holes for wings

: Tape your features down to the bottle-body using tape.

: Tightly secure a handle using a pipe cleaner or wire

: Cut wing shapes from your coffee filters….

: Cut a few (2-3) coffee filters into squares. The glue will need to be diluted with 50% water. Mix well and using your sponge, paste a single layer of paper onto your bug lantern. Using a square of bubble wrap will save you a little glue and coat both sides of your paper..