Halloween Jack – o – Lanterns!

This weekend my daughter and niece were feeling rather creative and wanted to do something Halloween themed! We decided to make some pumpkin paper lanterns in preparation for Halloween. They make wonderful decorations for around the home and are pretty simple to make!

The origin of Jack – o – Lanterns is still not known, but there is a wide belief that they originated in Ireland, where turnips and beets were carved into. Jack – o – Lanterns were believed to protect your home from spirits and vampires.

There is a fantastic poem called ‘The Pumpkin’ written by John Greenleaf Whittier in 1850:

Oh!-fruit loved of boyhood!-the old days recalling,

When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!

When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,

Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!

To make your Jack – o – Lanterns you will need – A4 orange card, black paper, glue, scissors, stapler and a pencil. You will also need a hole punch and thread / wool if you are going to turn your lanterns into bunting.

Start by folding your orange card in half lengthways and then cut slits along the folded line. Make sure you leave approximately 5 cm at least, at the edge of the card.Once you have cut slits along the folded line, open the card up and roll (width way) into your lantern shape. Once it is rolled into the lantern shape, staple both ends to hold in place.

On black paper, draw the eyes, nose and mouth for the lantern and cut them out. Using glue, stick the face onto the Jack – o -Lantern.

You can now staple a strip of card to the top of the lantern to form a handle.

If you would like to use your lanterns to make some spooky bunting make plenty of lanterns and use a hole puncher to make two holes in the top of each of the lanterns (one on each side of the lantern).Next, thread some ribbon / string through the top of your lanterns and hang the bunting up! I use sticky tape to hang up our bunting! We love our Halloween bunting!It is a fantastic way to decorate your home with your little ones and without spending lots of money. Double bonus!