DIY your own Affenzahn lantern

Autumn is the perfect time for handicrafts. When it gets colder and more uncomfortable outside, a few ideas need to be considered, which can breathe more joy and colour into these chilly days. Even if you own the appropriate outdoor clothing and warm, waterproof shoes, a few indoor activities are a nice alternative. Soon St. Martin will be here and those whose child is not already busy with making the lantern in kindergarten can now do it at home with our practical templates that you can print out to make your very own dragon or unicorn lantern.

What you need:

• Scissors
• glue stick
• liquid glue
• wire or cord
• lantern stick with lamp
• coloured silk or parchment paper
• possibly some cardboard

Step by step tutorial:

1. Print the three A4 pages in color, best on firm paper (300 gsm). If you only have normal printer paper at home, simply glue the pages after printing on firmer cardboard and then cut out your Affenzahn.
2. In the next step, cut out all the shapes that are marked with the small scissors along the dashed lines.
3. Glue the silk or crêpe paper behind all the open spaces of both the elements that you have already cut out so well in step 2.
4. Take the strip of paper with the little flaps. Glue the flaps to one of the Affenzahn cutouts, starting at the short side (the feet).
5. Now glue the second Affenzahn cutout to the remaining flaps of the strip of paper. Make sure that the upper part, where the head is, stays open.
6. Almost done: Now you just have to light up your lantern. To do this, first put a rope or a wire through the side section, which is marked. Now you can hang your lantern on the lantern stick and you're ready to go!