Glowing Tissue Paper Jar Lantern

What you need

• Clean glass jar or plastic cup, 1 per lantern
• Paper, 40 to 60 squares
• White glue, 3 tablespoons
• Water, 1 tablespoon
• Clear cups, 1
• Paintbrush, 1
• String or ribbon, 1 piece, about 20 inches
• Battery tea light, 1 per lantern

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Wash and dry a jar, cut tissue paper into small squares, and cover the table. Handle the glass jar yourself, or swap in a plastic cup for little ones.

1. Stir the water into the glue until it gets runny.
2. A grown-up sets the clean jar on the covered table. A grown-up does this
3. Brush glue on a small patch and press on a tissue square.
4. Overlap more squares until the whole jar is covered.
   Ask: Which colors together look most like a night sky?
5. Brush one last layer of glue over the whole jar.
6. Leave your lantern to dry.
   Ask: What do you think it will look like when a light is inside?
7. Knot a ribbon around the top of the jar. Ask for help if you need it
8. Turn on the tea light, set it inside, then dim the room. Ask for help if you need it
   Ask: What do you notice about the colors now?
9. Make more lanterns and line them up on a windowsill! How many will glow tonight?

Play it again

• Season switch: make an autumn lantern with red, orange and yellow squares.
• Shadow story: shine your lanterns in a dark room and tell a story about Ollie's night adventure.
• Rainbow row: each lantern gets one color, then line them up in rainbow order.