Walnut Shell Fortune Telling Candle Boats

I’m not sure when I started with the fortune telling slant to New Year’s Eve, but I think it makes sense I think in light of the new year/ new beginnings. I like the idea of making predictions and solidifying hopes for the next year, and it feels more practical than resolutions no one intends to keep. Over the years I have added more and more unique and interesting ways to predict fortunes to my repertoire and my kids LOVE them, but this is one of the oldest that we have been doing since they were little littles. It’s fun, it’s easy and who doesn’t love a little candle boat made from a walnut shell?? These are candle boats because we always do this at night, and it’s very dramatic, but if you are doing more of a day time thing you could skip the candle and just make regular boats instead. We float them in a big flat serving dish on our table, but you could also use a bigger container outside or a pond!

To make the walnut boats:

Materials:

• Walnut Shells
• Birthday candles
• Beeswax, scrap wax or old crayons
• A wax pot
• A mason jar

Method:

Start by setting your walnut shells on foil or some other messy surface.

Rather than dealing with a tiny wick, I heat up the end of a birthday candle and stick it to teh middle of the walnut shell.

Next bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a craft/ wax pot (basically just one you don’t mind getting a bit messy/waxy) put your wax in a mason jar and set it into the simmering water until completely melted.

Once your wax is melted, carefully pour it into teh walnut shell trying your best to keep the candle upright. They are small and fiddly so make a few extra knowing that some of them will likely be wonky.

Let your wax set up and get ready to use you walnut boat to tell your fortune!

To tell your fortunes:

Fill a dish with water and make “islands” with different pretty rocks. I sometime prop them up on glass jars like in the picture. If it’s not below freezing you could do this outside with a bigger pail of water, but we usually use a serving dish on our table. Before you start assign the “islands” different meanings. Like success, love, travel, etc- I usually let the kids choose so they are often ridiculous.

Then, one at a time, everyone the lights a walnut boat and places it in the middle of the dish. Next, watch and wait to see which island your boat touches first- thereby predicting what will happen in the new year.

I love that it’s both silly and solemn (everyone watched their boat with great intensity)