Cardboard and Clothespin Menorah with Paper Flames
Turn a piece of cardboard and some painted clothespins into a kid-friendly menorah that toddlers and preschoolers can “light” by clipping a paper flame into the colourful clothespin candle.
See all of our Easy Menorah Crafts for kids here.
I have another colourful menorah craft that’s fun and easy for kids to make.
Be sure to check out our toilet roll menorah and our wine cork menorah too.
With this menorah, kids will decorate wooden clothespins to look like candles, which they can clip a paper flame into every night during Hanukkah.
The menorah itself is just a long piece of cardboard folded into a triangle. It holds its form when you place the “legs” of the clothespins over the top of the cardboard. (see photo below)
To light the pretend candles, you simply open the clothespin and pop a paper flame into it.
Have fun decorating your clothespin with whatever colours and designs you like.
Cardboard and Clothespin Menorah Instructions
Supplies:
- piece of cardboard (ours is 10.5 inches by 5.5 inches)
- 9 clothespins
- paint
- clear craft varnish
- glue
- orange & yellow card stock
Instructions:
How to Make a Cardboard and Clothespin Menorah
- Prepare your cardboard
Cut a rectangle out of a cereal box (or similar thin cardboard) roughly 10.5 inches by 5.5 inches.
Bend the long sides in to meet each other and kind of push down on the whole thing to form a flat base. Press to form creases so the base will sit flat on a table.
You may need to make a crease close to the top of each edge as well where you’ll clip the top of the menorah together.Paint the cardboard.
- Paint clothespins
Paint your clothespins with a couple of coats of acrylic craft paint (or paint of your choice). We first painted ours in solid colours, and then added blocks of other similar colours and white stripes.
When the paint was dry, we varnished our clothespins to protect the paint and make the colours really pop.
- Cut flames
Cut flames and halos of light out of orange and yellow card stock. Glue together.
- Assembing and “lighting” your menorah
Rest the clothespins on the top edge of the menorah.
When you want to “light” a candle, remove a clothespin, open it up to pop a flame in, and place it on the menorah again.
Display your clothespin menorah on a table or windowsill and enjoy.
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
