If you were a sailor on the Great Lakes about 100 years ago,  lighthouses would warn you away from dangers like rocks and reefs and other watery hazards.

In addition, they would  let you know where, more or less, you are. You followed  the coastline as you travelled  from port to port, you would also follow the lighthouses.  

 On and off...on and off.   How would you find your position at sea at night? You would have looked  for the flashes of light from the lighthouse.

You can construct paper models of 4 Michigan lighthouses  

• Detroit River,on  Lake Erie
• Fort Gratiot, on Lake Huron
• Stannard Rock, on Lake Superior
• White Shoal, on Lake Michigan

• The  lighthouse patterns (see patterns)
• A page of tabloid-size (11" x 17")  white paper for each pillar you want to construct
• A method to enlarge each pattern two-times bigger. (You can use a copy machine or just redraw the pattern at the larger size.)
• Wax Crayons, water-solvent  markers (or water paint)
• A 10 oz. transparent plastic  cup for each tower
• Some celophane tape  
• A flashlight about 1/2 foot long,  that is flat enough to stand upright on it's base  

• Copy (or trace) the pattern onto a large sheet of paper. Make sure to draw the new pattern about two times bigger than the original.
• Colorize  the lighthouse walls as it instructs on the   directions on the pattern page.
• Cut out the pattern with scissors. 
• Tape (or glue)  the  edges together so that the plain strip is underneath the facing edge. You now have a cone-shaped pillar with a base and a narrowing top.
• Place the plastic cup-base end first-into the base of the pillar as far as it will go. Use a couple of pieces of tape on the interior of the tower to keep it in place.
• Put the flashlight on a high tabletop and switch on the light. Now place your lighthouse over the flashlight.
• Switch off the house lights   to see your lighthouse come to life!  
• (Important: do not use a candle in place of a flashlight!) 

(NB: If you cannot enlarge these patterns, you can make a mini-lighthouse by just using a clear 3-5 oz.   plastic cup and a penlight.)