This is the year of the goat/sheep in the Chinese zodiac. The Year of the Sheep starts from Feb. 19, 2015 (the Lunar New Year / Spring Festival of China) and lasts to Feb. 7, 2016. Goats are described as loving-peace, kind and popular. Sheep (goat, or ram) are among the animals that people like most.
As the lantern is an integral part of Chinese celebrations, we made replicas of hand-held lanterns.
We began by choosing two different colored sheets of construction paper, one for the inside (which was either yellow or orange) and one for the outside part of our lantern. We folded the second sheet lengthwise, and cut strips on the paper, but left the ends whole. We opened up the paper, folded it into a barrel shape, and stapled both ends together. Then we took the yellow or orange piece of paper, rolled it up and inserted it into the middle of the outer shell. We secured it in place with tape or staples.
Next we made a handle by cutting another strip of paper lengthwise and attached it to the top opening on either side.
Finally, us used small ribbon to decorate the top of the lanterns, and we also added a sheep or goat sticker. The last thing we did was to write “happy new year” in Chinese characters on our lanterns.
These adorable lanterns can be hung from the ceiling, or placed on a table with a small flashlight inside to create a festive effect. I do NOT recommend candles be used with these lanterns.
The children were all very excited about making these. They turned out great!
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