↑

The Crazy Outdoor Mama

Family Camping Fun and More!

  • Camping With Kids
  • Kids Camping Activities + Crafts
  • RV Camping
    • Destinations
    • Camp Food
  • My Shopify Store
  • Meet Stacy “The Crazy Outdoor Mama”
  • Resource Library

January 22, 2019

Cute Camping Craft For Kids: Glowing Camping Lantern (Made from a Water Bottle!)

With winter full force, I am SERIOUSLY missing all of our camping adventures – the campfire, the crafts, relaxing in a camp chair with the sun hitting you…

Anyways, with that in mind, I wanted to sort of recreate a fun part of camping (especially for kids!) – the camping lantern!

Don’t forget to also check out this massive list of 53+ camping crafts if you’re excited about camping too!

kids camp camping lantern craft

Our son has his own mini one that he loves to bring everywhere after dark (and honestly, he even uses it during the day!) so I wanted to make something like that for him to play with at home!

I’m all about saving money and upcycling, so of course, this craft is made from some pretty simple stuff!

Related: Quick and Fun Glowing Campfire Craft (Made from upcycled plastic container!) that the kids will love!

All you need is a water bottle, construction paper, paint and some tape. If you want to REALLY bring this lantern to life though, you should also get one of those electric tealights!

Here’s how you make your camping lantern!

Materials needed to make DIY Camping Lantern for Kids

  • Water bottle with label removed – I think the ones with smooth sides (none of that textured stuff that’s on cheaper ones ) works best, but honestly, kids won’t care!
  • Yellow Paint
  • Two small strips of green construction paper
  • Pipe cleaner for the handle
  • Hole punch or something sharp – this is just to make a spot for the pipe cleaner to thread through for the handle
  • Tape
  • Scissors
  • Marker for adding lantern buttons

How to make this quick and easy camp lantern craft!

Time needed: 10 minutes.

READ
53 Favorite Family Campfire Songs [PDF Printables!]

  1. If you are going to use an electric tea light, cut the top of the bottle off

    This is so that you still have access to drop in the tealight without having to cut it off later and ruin everything

  2. Paint water bottle yellow

    Don’t worry if there’s sticky residue left, the paint still looks fine!

  3. After paint dries, tape on 3″ tall green strips on top and bottom of “lantern”

    Thankfully this part is pretty easy – the width of the construction paper is exactly the circumference of the water bottle! So all you need to do is cut two small strips of green paper (or whatever color you want the lantern to be) and tape one to the top and one to the bottom. Mine were about 3″ tall.

  4. Hole punch or make a slit on each side of the lantern and thread the handle through

    If you wanted to, you could definitely add beads or other decor to really personalize this camping lantern! My guy is not crafty at all though, so he was fine with a pipe cleaner!

  5. Draw on the main “dimmer” knob and any additional buttons or decor you want on the camping lantern

    I just did a simple knob with some little lines going around it!

This was supposed to include my kiddo in it but he WOULD NOT SIT STILL with this lantern! So, hopefully your kiddo willl love it too! <3

Your camping lantern is done! I hope your kids enjoy it – don’t forget to PIN THIS if you loved it! Thank you <3

This craft was so fun to make! I really love any camping related craft, but especially ones that are this easy and quick!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Don’t forget to check out these other camping idea you’ll love!

  • Make a cute handprint campfire to remember your child’s first camp trip (Free Printable PDF Template included!)
  • Decorate your campsite with your own camp sign! It’s simple, but kids will love using what’s around them to “claim” their campsite (or for fun pretend play at home or school!)
  • The ultimate camping baby checklist – see what I pack, and print out your own 9 page camping planner PDF to be just as organized!
  • Check out the FUNNEST camping toys for kids of 2019 (help get the kids excited to camp + have even more fun things to do once they get there!)
  • My two favorite sensory bins – rock rescue and sensory soup (with free PDF recipe cards!) that are both PERFECT to play in nature!
  • Check out these free printable campfire songs for kids + 53 other classic camping songs!
glowing camping lantern diy craft for kids camp
  • About
  • Latest Posts
Stacy Bressler
Stacy Bressler is an avid outdoorswoman, wife, and mother of three who lives in Jackson, Wyoming. She loves all things camping and enjoys sharing helpful tips, fun activities and laughable learning experiences she finds along the way! Navigating the outdoor life through the lens of humor and positivity, she chronicles it all on her website "The Crazy Outdoor Mama"
Latest posts by Stacy Bressler (see all)
  • FUN Kids Nocturnal Desert Animals Unit Study [Printable PDF] - February 25, 2021
  • Fun + Educational Pinecone Unit Study for Kids! - February 23, 2021
  • What is Overlanding? Get Ready to Go Overland Camping! - February 22, 2021
READ
14 Fun OUTDOOR Rainy Day Play Activities for Kids (Toddlers Too!!)

Sharing is Caring!

  • Share
  • Tweet

Filed Under: Kids Camping Activities + Crafts

About Stacy Bressler

Stacy Bressler is an avid outdoorswoman, wife, and mother of three who lives in Jackson, Wyoming. She loves all things camping and enjoys sharing helpful tips, fun activities and laughable learning experiences she finds along the way! Navigating the outdoor life through the lens of humor and positivity, she chronicles it all on her website "The Crazy Outdoor Mama"

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating




Meet Stacy “The Crazy Outdoor Mama”

Meet the thankful, loved, TIRED, and not always outside or particularly productive (though I try!) mama behind the scenes of it all! My name is … Read More

AN AWESOME KIDS CAMP JOURNAL FOR THE AWESOME CAMPING KID IN YOUR LIFE!

“THE PERFECT CAMPING JOURNAL” FULL COLOR, 201 PAGES AND FULL OF PROMPT!

Meet Stacy “The Crazy Outdoor Mama”

Contact/Work With Me!

Privacy Policy + Affiliate Info

The Crazy Outdoor Mama Library

Copyright © 2021 · From Scratch on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in