Parents and children can work together to make one or several tin can lanterns. After punching a pattern into a can with hammer and nails, a votive or tea light candle can be lit inside to cast a starry pattern onto its surroundings. Children who have the coordination to use a real hammer to strike a nail will be able to do this project. Practice beforehand, allowing the child to beat nails into a piece of wood.
Tin Lantern Materials
For however many lanterns a parent and child want to make, save tin cans of any size. Wash the cans free of any food residue and remove paper labels. Cans with the label printed directly onto the can may also be used, particularly outdoors where in the dark the light shining through the punched pattern will be visible whereas the design printed onto the can won’t be seen.
Tin Punched Candleholder
- Gather a permanent marker, hammer, various sized nails, and a towel, along with the tin cans.
- Use the permanent marker to draw a design on the can. Draw the design free hand or use a stencil. Keep the design simple. Put the design on one side or all around the can. Avoid putting the design within an inch of the top, where the can is likelier to bend when the design is punched or within an inch of the bottom of the can so melting wax of the candle doesn’t melt toward these openings.
- Fill the cans with water and freeze until solid.
- Remove the can and set it on its side on a towel. Parent or child may wish to wear gloves if the cold is uncomfortable.
- Parents can hold the can for the child after demonstrating how to use the hammer. Parent and child can take turns hammering the holes into the can.
- Start at the top of the design and punch holes along the lines drawn for the design using the hammer and nail. Pull the nail from the can after making each hole. To vary the size of the holes use a nail with a different thickness. Space the holes approximately half an inch apart.
- If the ice starts to melt so that it no longer supports the shape of the can, place the can back in the freezer to solidify the ice. (By working from the top down it is possible to add more water to the bottom of the can without it leaking out of punched holes.)
- When holes have been punched all along the design, dump the remaining ice into the sink. Allow the can to air dry.
- Set a votive candle or tea light candle into the luminary. The insides of the holes are sharp.
Parents and children can work together to create tin lanterns to light home or yard for everyday use or for special occasions. Try Different Ways to Decorate a Votive Holder for simpler candleholders. Create these candleholders as walkway illumination for an evening party or table top decorations for picnics or even weddings.
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