Jam Jar Lanterns

Jam Jar Lanterns

Resources: Glass jar, wire, wire cutters, night light candle, tissue paper, leaves, petals, PVA glue

Age range: early years, primary, secondary, adult

Group size: any

Additional issues: The jar can get hot when the candle is lit so please warn children not to touch the jars. Also as the jars are made of glass care must be taken not to drop them and if that does unfortunately happen that any broken glass is collected, carefully wrapped, removed from the site and disposed of responsibly.

Decorate the jar with leaves, flower petals or shapes cut from coloured tissue paper. Wrap wire around the top of the jar and form a handle. This can either be hung on a branch of a tree to make magical lighting for an evening camp or evening event or you could fix it to a sturdy stick to be carried (supervised) for a candle lit procession or carol singing.

It is possible to buy little battery operated flickering candles that you may prefer to use if you have very young children.

What are we learning from this activity? : choosing and selecting resources, using natural resources, using scissors, wire cutters, sticking and safety skills, a sense of responsibility.