Red Firecracker Chinese New Year 2010 Craft for Kids

Red firecrackers are traditional Chinese New Year decorations. They are believed to scare away evil spirits. Another common belief is that the sound of them going off awakens the dragon. He will then fly across the sky, bringing in the spring rain. Felt firecrackers are an easy kids craft that can be used to decorate your home for the Chinese New Year.

All items for this kids' craft can be commonly found around the home or purchased for a dollar, at dollar-an-item stores. As with any other craft involving small children, supervise closely for safety. Adults may want to operate scissors and glue for preschool children.

Chinese New Year Firecracker Materials:

Two 8" x 11" Pieces Red felt
4 Cardboard Toilet Paper Rolls or 2 Paper Towel Rolls
Scissors
White Yarn or String
Gold Glitter Glue Pen
Tape

Materials are enough to make a decorative strand of four firecrackers.

Chinese New Year Firecracker Directions:

1. Cut your red felt in half, lengthwise. If using cardboard paper towel rolls, also cut them in half.

2. Roll a section of red felt around a cardboard roll. Keep doing this until the felt is completely wrapped around the tube.

3. Tuck the outside edges of the red felt into the roll. Do this on both ends. You should now have the body of your firecracker.

4. Decorate the outside of your firecracker with the gold glitter glue pen. Decorate with Chinese symbols and designs. 2010 is the Year of the Tiger, so kids could also use this as a decorating theme for their firecracker craft. Allow time for the glue to dry.

5. Cut your white yarn or string into six inch long sections, one for every firecracker you intend to make.

6. Glue or tape one of the strings down inside one end your firecracker roll. This creates the look of a fuse.

7. Repeat these steps to complete the other three firecrackers.

8. Cut a string long enough to hang all of your firecrackers from. Alternate hanging lengths, to make the decoration more interesting. Once you are satisfied with the arrangement, tie each fuse to the longer string.

9. Hang you strand of red firecrackers up on walls or string from lights or ceilings.

Sources:

http://www.123chinesenewyear.com/chinese-new-year-firecrackers.html