Official Kids Mag

You can make your own cards, bookmarks, or ornaments with homemade paper made from paper scraps. They'll make great holiday gifts, and you'll be doing some recycling at the same time! You can add accents from the garden like dried flowers and leaves, or to make it truly magical, add seeds so that your paper can be planted in the garden in the spring! MATERIALS: • scrap paper • 1 or 2 wooden frames (build your own or use old picture frames that are 5"x7", 8"x10", or 9"x12") • window screening for 1 frame (a bit larger than the frame) • staples (for tacking screen to frame) • rubber or plastic tub (large enough to immerse frame) • blender (for making pulp) • felt or wool fabric (a bit larger than your frame) • sponge • optional: bits of fresh or dried flowers, aromatic herbs, seeds, even dryer lint (which helps make stronger paper); rolling pin Allow at at least 2 hours to overnight for preparation, and another 1-2 hours for the paper-making activity. INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Make a heap of paper scraps. See list below for suggestions. Keep in mind how you hope to use the final product when selecting your source. If you want to be able to write on the paper, use more light colored papers than bright or dark colors. • Newspaper - Doesn't make great homemade paper and the ink can turn your product gray. But if that's your main source of scraps, try it out and compare the end product with paper made from other sources. • Envelopes - A good choice. High quality envelopes have long fibers that help strengthen homemade paper. • Junk Mail - A good—and abundant—choice that comes in a variety of paper qualities and colors. • Colored paper - Can add spark to your creation. Some dyes are very strong and can impart bright hues, but can add soft tints if used in small quantities. Mixing too many colors could make your paper look muddy. Consider using tiny pieces of colored paper to add interesting flecks to your product. • Copy paper - A good choice. Look for it in office recycling bins, flyers, and junk mail. • Magazines - Most papermakers limit their use of glossy paper because the inks make the pulp gummy. Students may want to use some and compare their product with paper made from other sources. Small amounts can add interesting flecks. • Uncoated gift wrap - Makes a great base for homemade paper. 2. Next, rip it up. Tear the paper into pieces about one inch square. Consider separating different types and colors of paper at this stage so you can have more control when it's time to blend them. Over the years, people tried all kinds of portable writing surfaces ranging from wood to cloth. About 5,000 years ago, ancient Egyptians came up with the idea of layering strips of a plant (papyrus, from which the word paper is derived) and pounding them into flat sheets. Although experiments in using fibers to produce writing material likely continued, it wasn't until 105 AD that a Chinese man perfected the process. The man mixed fibers from the shoots of bamboo, bark of the mulberry tree, and other sources with water to form a pulp that he poured through woven screens. As the water drained through the screen, fibers adhered to the surface and fused into paper. Fun Facts About Paper 8 • Off icialKidsMag.com • DECEMBER 2019

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