Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

Now that Chinese New Year is over, what can we do with these empty hong baos (red packets)?

Recycle and use them for crafting with the kids!

We made our very own Hong Bao lanterns the other day!

(Do give it a try, … it’s actually easy to make!)

What you need:

1. Red packets

2. Construction paper (basically any kind of paper will do)

3. Glue, scissors

What you do:

1. Cut out one strip off the ‘long side’ of the construction paper (this will be the lantern’s ‘handle’)

2. Let the kid glue cut-out pieces of the red packets ONTO the construction paper
(Anya carefully covered the construction paper with red packets. I mean, neatly and COMPLETELY covered, while Vai pasted bits and pieces of the red packets EVERYWHERE)

3. Once done, then it’s the parent’s turn.

a) Fold the paper once (length-wise) into two (see picture)

b) Cut straight lines (about 1 inch wide from each other) across the paper, but don’t cut each strip ‘all the way’. Leave about 1 inch at each end (see picture)

4. Open up the paper again, and form a ‘cylinder’ (like a toilet paper roll), and glue the two ends

5. Stick the lantern’s handle, one on each side

And that’s it!!

…

Anya then kept on asking me to ‘light-up’ her lantern (as lanterns are ‘supposed to be lit up’, she said).

And so after the kids promised they wouldn’t touch anything and just ‘watch’ (after I explained that I’d be using fire on the candles, and it can be dangerous if they’re not careful), I took out a small birthday candle, stuck it onto a margarine lid, lit it up, and slowly lowered Anya’s hong bao lantern onto the margarine lid.

And WOW. Her lantern glowed SO wonderfully.

We loved it!