• The Chinese Lantern Festival is a fun way for children to learn about Chinese culture.Colorful paper lanterns on wind image by Przemyslaw Borkowski from Fotolia.com
  
  The Chinese Lantern Festival is an event that falls after Chinese New Year and occurs on the fifteenth day of the third lunar month of the year. The tradition began more than 2000 years ago and is still celebrated throughout China today. During the day of the festival, several traditions take place. Glutinous rice balls are eaten, lanterns are hung and games are played. Because the day marks the first full moon of the year, lanterns are lit that night to celebrate the moon and are enjoyed late into the evening. Lantern festival activities can be completed by Scout troops, classrooms and other groups in order to teach children about some aspects of Chinese culture.
  
  

Decorate Paper Lanterns

• Pre-made solid-color paper lanterns can be purchased at discount stores, craft stores or ethnic goods stores. A variety of craft items can be used to embellish the lanterns. They can be decorated with regular or squeeze paint, ribbons, stickers, glitter and other materials. These lanterns come in a variety of types, some with battery-operated tea lights, others with bulbs and cords attached. The lanterns can be hung with or without the lights inside but should not be exposed to an open flame of any kind.
  
  

Make a Decorative Paper or Papier Mache Lantern

• Decorative paper lanterns can also be constructed by folding a sheet of construction paper in half lengthwise and cutting into the folded edge in equal intervals, stopping at an inch from the opposite edge. Once the cuts are finished, the paper can be opened and rolled so that the two short edges are together. The short edges can be glued together and a paper, ribbon or pipe cleaner handle added to create the lantern. The paper "lanterns" can then be hung in a line from the ceiling.
  
  Papier-mache lanterns can also be made by covering blown and tied balloons with papier-mache material. Once dry, pop the balloon and remove it with tweezers. The lantern can then be painted. A pipe cleaner or wire handle can be added to complete the project.
  
  

Play Lantern Riddle Games

• Lantern riddle games are played throughout China during the lantern festival. Most lanterns have a piece of paper with a riddle on it placed inside so that viewers can try to solve them. The subjects of the riddles are typically related to Chinese culture or folk lore. Those who solve the riddles remove the slips of paper and take them to the owners, who usually present the solvers with a small gift. To participate in the tradition, children can be shown various examples of riddles and their answers. They can then research Chinese culture to find a fact and make a riddle out of it. The riddles can be solved at their own lantern festival.
  
  

Heavenly Lantern Wishes

• Part of the lantern festival tradition includes writing a wish on a strip of paper and placing it inside a heavenly or sky lantern. The traditional sky lanterns are light and made to rise into the sky, carrying the wishes with them to the heavens. To celebrate this tradition, kids can write their own wishes on small pieces of paper and roll them into scrolls. These scrolls can be tied inside handmade paper lanterns for show or attached to helium-filled balloons that can be released together.
  
  

Eat Glutinous Rice Balls (Yuanxiao)

• Yuanxiao are served during the lantern festival each year. The rice balls are filled with sweet or savory fillings. To celebrate the holiday, yuanxiao can be purchased at Asian or ethnic grocery stores and prepared for the festival. Chinese restaurants are sometimes willing to make the balls for the occasion which can be purchased and eaten during a festival simulation.