jackolanterntealightOctober is my favorite month and it is not just because it is my birthday. I love the apple-picking, the leaves turning colors, butternut squash, and of course, Halloween.

And nothing says Halloween quite like a glowing Jack-o-Lantern. My daughter made hers with some left-over tissue paper and a glass baby-food jar.

We love crafts, especially ones made from natural or recycled materials but I’ll admit…we take shortcuts sometimes. Especially when I’m hosting a play date, I buy some craft kits from Oriental Trading company. I like their sun-catchers but we always have left-over tissue-paper squares.  This craft was a fun and easy way to use up the extra materials.

Materials:

  • Glass Jar (Baby Food or Jam)
  • Orange Tissue Paper or Crepe Paper
  • Black Construction Paper
  • Glue + Water Mixture
  • Tea light

Instructions:

  1. Mix glue and water (about 50/50) and spread on the glass jar.
  2. Paste on squares and continue to add glue mixture until the jar is covered.
  3. Draw and cut out a jack-o-lantern face from the black construction paper.
  4. Coat with a thin layer of glue mixture and let dry.
  5. Add a tea light.

Variations/Modifications: Instead of a tea light, you could also create a candle with melted wax and a wick.

Educational Experience:

  • Language Arts: Introduce the term “translucent”.
  • Science: Describe the effects of candlelight as opposed to electric lights. Research the invention of the electric lights and the use of candlelight prior to its invention.
  • Arts: Explain color blending and secondary colors with younger children.
  • History: Examine how immigrants bring cultural traditions with them to their new homelands and how those traditions sometimes change.  Research the origin of the “jack-o-lantern”.

Extensions:

  • Literature: Read “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and discuss the role of the jack-o-lantern head.
  • Arts and Crafts: Carve real Jack-o-Lanterns from pumpkins.
  • Emotional and Social: Talk about how changing the features of your jack-o-lantern transforms it from playful to scary to angry, etc.

More Pumpkin Crafts from Other Sources:

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12 thoughts on “Jack-o-Lantern Candle Craft

  1. Love the lantern! We’ve done similar projects decorating jars with tissue paper, but I never thought to make them seasonal. Love it & will definitely add to our repertoire!

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