Patrol Paper Lanterns

Patrol Paper Lanterns is a lantern-making activity where you build a lantern from thin willow sticks and paper with your Patrol (the team you join when you arrive). You shape a frame, cover it in paper and decorate it, ready to light up and carry as a glowing part of the closing ceremony.

It's a gentle, hands-on craft with a very special ending, and there's something magical about seeing your own lantern shine in the dark.

Lantern makers use willow withies, which are long, thin, bendy willow sticks. They're flexible enough to shape but strong enough to hold their form. The sticks are joined at the corners with tape or small paper strips to make a frame. Triangles are the secret: they make a frame strong and steady, which is why pyramids and diamonds are such popular shapes.

Next, the frame is covered with tissue or thin white paper, pasted on piece by piece with glue. As it dries, the paper tightens over the frame. Then you can add colour, shapes and patterns. Once a light is placed inside, every layer and detail glows.

A pyramid is the classic first lantern: simple, sturdy and easy to carry. Diamonds, cubes and stars are fun next steps, and with a bit of help you can bend willow into curves, moons and even animal shapes. Keep designs bold and simple, as big shapes and strong colours show up best when the lantern is lit.

Yes, it's a lovely one for the whole family. Younger children enjoy pasting and decorating, while older kids and grown-ups can take on the bending and joining. Everyone has a job, and the finished lantern belongs to all of you. Many children find the moment it lights up for the first time completely spellbinding, and carrying it together is a memory that sticks.

Lanterns have lit up festivals all over the world for a very long time, from the Lantern Festival that marks the end of Chinese New Year to community lantern parades in towns and villages. Carrying a light together is a simple, beautiful way to celebrate and to mark the end of something special. Many parade lanterns today use a battery light rather than a candle, which is much safer inside paper.

You might also like Patrol Masks, Kite Building and Pennant Flag Making.

See all Camp Kindling activities