How to Make a Paper Lighthouse

15-ounce cylindrical tube, such as a bread crumbs container

9-ounce paper cup

3-ounce paper cup

Acrylic paint: black, white

Construction paper or card stock: white, gray, black, red, yellow

Wooden skewer

Paintbrush

Scissors

Craft glue

2 rubber bands

Ruler

Pencil

Step 1: Paint both cups with several coats of white paint. Let dry.

Step 2: Cut a piece of white paper to the same height as the tube. Wrap the paper around the tube and glue in place, overlapping the edges. Slip rubber bands around the tube

to hold the paper in place while it dries.

When dry, remove the bands.

Step 3: With the tube upside down so the opening is at the bottom, stack and glue the bigger cup and then the smaller (both upside down) on top of it. Let dry.

Step 4: Cut 2 pieces of gray paper, one 1-3/4 x 15-1/2 inches and the other 3/4 x 11-1/2 inches. Fold both strips into 1/4-inch pleats, bending back and forth in opposite directions to form the pleats. Overlap the end pleats, and glue each pleated strip into a circle. Glue the large pleated circle around the top of the tube, and glue the smaller circle around the top of the bigger cup.

Step 5: Trace and cut out from black paper the number of doors and windows as indicated in the photo. Glue the door and the 2 large windows to the bottom level. Glue one medium window to the front and one to the back of the second level. Finally, glue the 4 smaller windows spaced equally around the top level. Download the Paper Lighthouse Window Pattern here.

Step 6: To make a lightning rod, cut 4 inches off the skewer. Paint this piece black; let dry. Use the skewer to poke a hole into the center of the top cup; remove.

Step 7: Cut a 3-inch circle from red paper. Use the skewer to poke a hole into the center of the circle. Cut a slit from the edge of the circle to the hole. Overlap the circle at this cut to form a cone, and glue the edges together.

Step 8: Push the cut end of the skewer into the hole in the top cup. Add glue around the edge of the cup; slip the red roof onto the lightning rod, and slide it down to touch the glued edges. Let dry.

Step 9: Trace and cut the light beam from yellow paper. Fold the end back on the dotted line, and glue it to one of the upper windows.