Lantern Lessons for the Montessori Preschooler
Learning About the World Through Paper Folding and Lantern Festivals
Sep 27, 2009
Folding is one of the skills children develop in Montessori preschools. Folding allows for the development of fine motor skills and engages the senses, which appeal to the young child who is a motor-sensorial learner. Young children who enjoy folding can make a paper lantern, an activity which can be extended to a range of lantern-themed activities in the classroom.
Folding the Paper Chinese Lantern
Children with folding, cutting and stapling skills can be shown how to make a simple paper lantern following these steps:
- Fold a piece of A4 paper in half, across its length.
- Draw lines about 2 cm apart from the fold line, leaving about 2 cm from the other edge of the paper.
- Cut along the lines, through the fold.
- Unfold the paper and roll it to form a cylinder with the fold in the middle, until the two shorter ends overlap slightly.
- Staple the top and the bottom ends.
- Make a simple handle for the lantern.
Matching Lantern Pictures
In the Montessori mixed age classroom, the younger children see the older ones make paper lanterns. For the younger ones who show an interest in lanterns, a simple lantern picture matching exercise can be offered.
The teacher prepares a series of matching cards, each featuring a clear picture of a type of lantern. Introduce a good variety of lanterns that differ in terms of:
- material (paper, silk, stone, iron, wood, snow or pumpkin)
- usage (functional like the hurricane or camping lantern or wonderfully aesthetic like the Moroccan lantern)
- shapes (bulbous, cylindrical, polygonal, animal- or cartoon-character shaped)
- handling (handheld by handle or stick, hung up, set off to fly in the sky or to float on water)
The teacher should engage the child’s sensorial skills in the discussion of the pictures. This allows children to apply the knowledge gained from their work with the Montessori sensorial materials. The children then go on to match the identical pairs, exercising visual discrimination.
Lantern Festivals Around the World
Older children may go on to find out how lanterns are used in various festivals around the world. These may include:
- the Chinese Lantern Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the first month in the Chinese calendar
- the Korean Lotus Lantern Festival, which celebrates Buddha’s birthday
- the Japanese Bon Matsuri or Urabon festival, held in summer, with lanterns lit and set afloat on rivers and oceans to help deceased ancestors find their way back into their world
- the Chinese Moon Lantern Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th night of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar (usually in September or October).
- the American celebration of Halloween on 31 October and the use of pumpkin Jack O' Lanterns
- St. Martin’s Festival, held on November 10 in Germany, which features among others a lantern procession
- the Giant Lantern Festival, held in Philippines the Saturday before Christmas eve
Children look at pictures of these festivals. The teacher facilitates discussion on the pictures, drawing the children’s attention to the similarities and differences in these celebrations. Pictures must be clear and richly detailed to generate a good discussion.
These pictures are then placed on the correct locations on the puzzle map of the world. This placement of the pictures on the map helps to strengthen the children’s knowledge of the positions of continents and countries.
History of the Lantern Festivals
For children who show a particular interest in any one of the festivals, the teacher can go on to share stories on the origin of the festivals and why lanterns were used. For example, the Mid-Autumn Festival has been associated with stories about the shooting down of the suns or the overthrow of the Mongol invaders. Lanterns were first part of the festivities, some 2000 years ago, when they were used to decorate streets in celebration of the harvest. Children can track the changes in types and usage of the lanterns, comparing the traditional and current practices.
Dramatic Play With Lanterns
The paper lanterns made can also be placed in a prop box at the drama corner. The box may be themed Festivals. With their knowledge of how lanterns were used in festivals in ancient times, or how lanterns are used today in festivals throughout the world, children have many situations to re-enact.
In short, the Montessori preschool teacher can use the Paper Lantern project as a springboard for a series of activities that help young children to build up knowledge about the world that they live in. To do so, the teacher needs to be mindful of children’s interest, be resourceful in finding suitable pictures and be skillful in leading a discussion on the pictures.
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