Orange acrylic paint and a foam brush (optional, for orange lanterns)
A pencil
Small sharp scissors or a craft knife and cutting mat (adult use only)
Battery-operated LED tea lights, one per lantern
Sand or a few small pebbles to weight the base (about 3 tablespoons per bag)
Step by Step
If making orange lanterns, paint the outside of the bag with orange acrylic paint and let it dry for ten minutes before any cutting. If white lanterns, skip the paint.
Fold the top of the bag over by about 3 cm to form a cuff, which stiffens the opening and makes the lantern look neater.
The child draws a jack-o-lantern face on the front of the bag in pencil: two triangle eyes, a triangle nose and a zigzag mouth. Keep the shapes bold, at least 2 cm across each piece.
An adult cuts out the pencil shapes using small sharp scissors from inside the bag, or a craft knife on a cutting mat. The paper is thin enough for clean scissors cuts if the shapes are large enough.
Pour a little sand or a few pebbles into the base of the bag to stop it tipping. Place the battery tea light inside and switch it on.