I made this hedgehog lantern with my son at his playgroup when he was just nine months old. He provided the little handprints and did some of the drawings of the sky as well.
The idea wasn’t mine, but I liked it so much that I asked the playgroup leader if she would mind if I wrote a post about it to share the idea. And she didn’t care, so here it is. I also turned the drawing of the hedgehog into a printable that you can find at the bottom of this post.
I didn’t take any pictures of the process, so I will try to describe it to you as best I can.
For more fall craft ideas, make sure to check out this post too:
How to make a hedgehog lantern
what do you need:
- The hedgehog printable at the bottom of this page
- Printer
- Scissors
- Paint and brushes
- Laminating machine
- A hole puncher
- String or ribbon
- A tea light holder
- A tea light
step 1
Print out the printable on A4 paper. Fold the paper in the middle and cut it in two on the fold so you will have two pieces of A5 size, both with a hedgehog head on them.
Step 2
Paint your baby’s or toddler’s right hand with non-toxic paint and gently press it onto the paper next to the head of the hedgehog. Add more color onto your child’s right hand and gently press it next to the first handprint. Repeat this for the second piece of paper. Now you have two handprint hedgehogs on two separate pieces of paper
Step 3
Paint the rest of the two pieces of paper with the surroundings. You can add the sky, the sun, and the ground, with grass or flowers, and whatever you like. My son painted the sky himself. It’s best to use watercolors, I guess, because the paint shouldn’t be too thick… Because you will want to see, the light comes through. Now let it dry.
Step 4
Laminate both pieces of paper. Make sure it is completely dry before you do this.
Step 5
Punch holes into both sides of both pieces of laminated paper. And use a piece of string or lint to tie them together.
Step 6
Finally, put a tea light holder with a tea light in between both sheets of laminated paper, and you are done! Make sure you use a proper tea light holder that is closed on the sides, doesn’t get hot, and is high enough so that the flame cannot heat the paper. Safety first!
Your hedgehog Lantern is finished
Enjoy the dark winter nights with your beautiful new lantern!
Free printable
Download the hedgehog lantern printable here.
Pin this post to read later
