Making Paper

Home Made Recycled Paper

This is the ultimate if you are into making homemade crafts. For this project, you will need the following craft supplies and kitchen supplies:

• Staple gun
• Ripped-up pieces of paper (experiment with different types)
• Newspaper
• Fabric
• Blender
• Kitchen cloths
• Wooden picture frame
• Container
• Rolling pin

Before you and your kids get started, staple your piece of fabric over the back of your wooden frame. Make sure it is taught. Since this requires the use of a staple gun, don’t let your kids staple their own frames. Also, lay down the newspaper on your work surface and cover it with the kitchen cloth.

1. Make sure your pieces of paper have been ripped up into small pieces before dumping them into the blender. Saturate the paper with water and then blend the paper until is pulpy. Again, the operation of the blender should be done by an adult or by an older child under adult supervision.
2. Next, pour the paper mash into a container that is big enough to hold the wooden frame. The pulp should fill the container half way.
3. Place your frame into the paper water so that it is covered. Make sure the frame faces up, forming a ‘tray,’ and scoop up some pulp from the water. Try to cover the frame evenly with pulp.
4. Once you have an even layer of pulp, remove the frame from the water and, in one movement, dump the pulp out of the frame onto your kitchen cloth.
5. Place a second kitchen cloth on top of the pulp and use a rolling pin to press out the excess water. Use firm and even pressure on the rolling pin.
6. Remove the cloth and you now have homemade paper! As you get better, don’t be afraid to experiment with different fibers, you don’t have to stick with paper related products. Add whole flower heads to the pulp mixture after it has been through the blender.You can add scraps of yarn, tin foil, even seeds. Its all comes down to what you want. Experiment with different textures and colors.