Let there be light

We had a great session tonight making lanterns from empty tin cans.

A couple of weeks ago we asked everyone to save an empty baked bean tin, fill it with water and stick it in the freezer.

This week everyone brought along their tins of ice and after a chat about the safety rules (ie no running with nails, make sure you have enough space around you) we got to work using large nails and rocks (we didn't have enough hammers) to make holes in the tins. The ice is important as it stops the tins from getting crushed. It doesn't take much force to make a hole so we did have a couple of problems with children hitting the nail in too far and shattering the ice. Fortunately we had some spare tins. I held the tin still with my feet when I did the demo model as I was working on a slippery floor. Tonight we worked outside and the cans stayed still better in the grass.

Once the lanterns are done and the ice melts drop in a small candle.

It's important to realise just how sharp the inside of the lantern is once you;ve covered it in holes. To put the candle in hold it by the wick and drop it in. Do not put your hand in. Light with a long taper

We'll try and get some photos of the lanterns in action at camp.