Take newspaper headed for the recycling bin and convert it into new sheets of paper that can be used for arts and craft projects. Parents and their children can work together during an afternoon tearing, blending, and forming paper.
Materials for Homemade Paper
To make paper, gather a newspaper, a bucket, water, a wire whisk, cornstarch, measuring spoons, four-to-six six-inch square pieces of window screen, a rolling pin, and plastic wrap.
Creating Decorative Paper
- Tear the newspaper into small pieces. Fill the bucket so it’s half full. Give young children the opportunity to tear up paper over several days, building up to the final project of converting the newspaper into new paper.
- Add enough water to cover the paper. Let stand for two hours.
- Use the wire whisk to mix the paper and water into a creamy pulp.
- Stir three tablespoons of cornstarch into one cup of water.
- Add the cornstarch to the water and paper pulp. Mix the cornstarch through the pulp.
- Hold the piece of screen horizontal to the mixture and push it under the pulp. Lift out and allow the water to drip through.
- Repeat submerging the screen and allowing the excess water to drain until there is approximately 1/8” layer of pulp on the screen.
- Spread out a several layers of newspaper over the work area.
- Set the pulp-covered screen on the sheets of newspaper.
- Place a piece of plastic wrap over the screen.
- Move the rolling pin over the plastic wrap to squeeze out the water.
- Set the screen and the pulp somewhere air can circulate over and under the screen.
- When the paper is just slightly damp, gently peel it from the screen and lay it flat to dry completely.
Options for Making Handmade Paper
To make larger sheets of paper cut a larger piece of screen. Instead of making the paper pulp in a deep bucket, use a basin that allows the screen to fit flat.
Try using scraps of construction paper for colorful homemade paper. This requires a lot of fragments to make more than a small piece of paper so have a box available to collect the pieces. Consider asking the child’s teacher for used bits of construction paper from a classroom project. Sort the paper into color families – red/pink, blue/purple, orange/yellow to create speckled paper. Follow the instructions.
Another option for mixing the pulp, instead of whisking it, is to use a blender that is no longer used for food (the wood fibers will dull the blade). Fill the blender a quarter full with torn paper and then add water to the halfway point. Blend until the pulp is a creamy consistency. Pour the mixture into a bucket or basin. Mix several more batches until the bucket or bin is half full.
Using Handmade Paper in Art and Craft Projects
Incorporate the handmade paper into greeting cards and scrapbook pages. Draw or paint on the paper. Cut it into shapes and use in collages or other projects. Recycled paper won’t be smooth. The texture adds an interesting element to the paper.
Parents and children can work together to create handmade paper – tearing up paper meant for the recycling bin, soaking it, mixing it, and then forming new sheets of paper on a screen. When the homemade paper is dry, it can be used as a decorative element in arts and craft projects.
 |
