Paper lanterns make wonderful decorations around the house or classroom.  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

Instructions:

• Print out the 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 blue part with stars).
• 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 paper lanterns in a row and hang them to decorate.

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