For a night hike, we made lanterns using those
big gallon cans from the school cafeteria (the same size we use
for vagabond stoves).
- Lay the can on its side.
- Straighten out a coat hanger, and using a
wire cutter, snip off about an 18" length.
- Punch two holes in the can, one near the
forward edge (the open end of the can) and one in the
back (bottom).
- Put the ends of the hanger piece in these
holes and bend them back to hold them in place; this is
your lantern handle.
- Light a candle and drip a little wax on
the bottom of the lantern (the side of the can) and stick
the candle in it.
Now you have a lantern like they used to use in
the "old days" before batteries! Well, sort of. :-)
Then take the girls on a heritage hike, where they can imagine
they are scouting the woods as the pioneers did (be careful how
you approach this one, or it'll be too "kid"), or along
a lake, where the candles reflect nicely on the water, or to a
cave and go spelunking.