Nature Canada

Family Christmas Crafts

Samantha Nurse, Web and Social Media Coordinator

Samantha Nurse, Web and Social Media Coordinator

One of the real challenges during the holidays is finding fun family activities that don’t include the mall, Christmas movies on TV, or eating too many cookies.

Here are two easy crafts that are fun for children and adults, and are made with materials that most people have around the house come Christmas time. This year, start a new tradition. Make some Walnut Boats to float on Candle Lake, and some Mandarin Lanterns to light the dark night.

How to Make Walnut Boats

What You Need:

Pieces you need for your walnut boat

Pieces you need for your walnut boat

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1. Walnuts 2. Short pieces of candle wick 3. Beeswax, an old pot
4. A tray or bowl 5. Matches or a lighter 6. Water

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What To Do:

  • Carefully split walnuts in half, then remove the meat.
  • Fill the half shells about 2/3 full with beeswax around a small piece of lamp wick. This is a walnut boat.
  • Repeat this step until you have as many walnuts boats as you would like.
  • Carefully float your boats in a tray or bowl of water.

Light the wicks, turn the lights out, and watch the children’s eyes light up!


How to Make Mandarin Lanterns

What You Need:

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1. Mandarin oranges 2. Cooking oil 3. Matches or a lighter
4. A spoon 5. A sharp knife

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What To Do:

  • Gently cut just the skin of the mandarin all the way around the diametre of the fruit (imagine it like the equator). Be careful not to cut the fruit inside.
  • With a spoon and your fingers, pull the fruit away from the peel, being careful not to tear the peel. It is important to conserve the stringy filaments that run up the middle of the orange so that they stay connected to the peel of the mandarin.
  • Once you remove the fruit you will be left with two halves of the mandarin peel – one half with the filaments attached, and the other without.
  • Pour oil into the mandarin half with the filaments attached to about 1/3 full.
  • Cut small holes and geometric shapes into the other half of the peel to make a decorative cap for the lantern.
  • Wait about 10 minutes to allow the filament “wick” to soak up some oil. Carefully light the wick to turn your orange into a lantern. Place the cap on top.
  • To display your mandarin lanterns, put them in the snow outside your window and watch the heat cause them to melt down into the snow, emanating a warm orange glow into the snowy winter night.

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Mandarin lantern without a cap

Mandarin lantern without a cap

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Mandarin lantern with a cap.

Mandarin lantern with a cap.

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