Paper Making Craft Project

Paper making

Materials

1. Torn Scrap Paper and/or Newspaper

2. Water

3. Wooden frame with a fitted screen

4. Large bowl or bucket

5. Oven (Optional)

6. Blender

Paper Making Instructions

Tear up the scrap paper into small pieces. If your students are able to, have them help you. Sometimes being destructive can be fun! Fill the blender up with the paper and cover the paper with water. Warn the children that the blender is very loud, have them stand back, and blend the mixture until it’s a mushy oatmeal consistency. Hold the wooden frame screen over the bowl or bucket and pour the mixture on top of the screen. Have your students take turns flattening the mixture down with their hands and/or a sponge. The goal of the pressing is to get as much water out as possible. If it’s a hot and sunny day, you can leave the screen out in a safe place and wait for it to dry. If it is cold outside, it might be best to dry it with a hairdryer, or let it sit in an oven at about 150 degrees for 3-4 hours, depending on how thick you choose to make the paper.

Introducing the art of paper making to students

Papermaking is an excellent opportunity to present the idea of recycling to your students. Ask if any of them know what recycling is and if they practice it in their homes. I told my three year old (who I did this project with) that recycling was taking something old and reusing it and making it into something new. If you use different kinds of scrap paper it might be interesting to ask your students what makes the paper different. How do they feel different? How do they look different? Words including soft, rough, smooth, shiny, dark and light could be introduced, depending on the variety of paper you provide.

When pressing the paper mixture down into the screen, it’s important to encourage your students to be gentle. You don’t want them to break the screen or un-flatten the mixture. You can also have them guess what color the mixture will turn out to be if you’re mixed multicolored paper.

Resources

How to Make Paper- An Illustrated Step-by-Step Guide 96 by Stacie Naczeinik

Solidwastedistrict.com