Educator Resource: Making Paper with Children

Making Paper from Scraps

It has been a great joy to hand-make paper with preschoolers from waste scraps. As a Preschool, we use a lot of paper, both administratively in the office and on the floor with our children for various creative arts projects. It has been fantastic to bring new life to leftover scraps – the finished product looks unrecognisable from the shredded paper from which we began.

This paper making process is collaborative, sensory and creative. We begin by we discussing how paper is made and engage children every step of the way. It’s an extremely tactile, hands-on procedure with an opportunity for sensory play and creative expression as children can immerse their hands in the pulp and then later add their own impressions into the paper that become further revealed during after the drying process. Children can also make choices around the colour of the paper, by adding different powder paint colours – they can also add seeds to the pulp to make ‘seed paper’ that will grow when planted.

Our finished paper product is natural and compostable in our Preschool composts and in home composting systems.

Read more below and find more sustainably minded activities and inspiration on our ‘Resources Hub: Sustainability for Early Childhood Educators.‘

What to gather: 

• Blender
• Shredded paper
• Water (in pitcher or from the tap)
• Raw cotton (optional)
• Flower petals (optional)
• Powder paints (optional – ours are purchased from Eco Art and Craft)
• Seeds (optional)
• ‘Vat’: Tub/tote to hold the pulp (large enough for the frame to fit in and scoop out pulp)
• Chux cloths or cotton sheets (any absorbent cloth on which to lay the finished paper)
• Boards
• ‘Mould and deckle’ (included in any paper making kit, deckle is the frame without mesh; mould is the frame with mesh)
• Towel or sponges (to soak up the moisture)
• Drying rack

Method:

1. Prepare the area: Gather the materials 1 tables or more, you may decide to have 1 space for the blending and adding of ingredients and another table/space for creating the sheets of paper. Have a drying rack ready to hold sheets of paper.
   1. Children’s involvement: Have children prepare the space with boards around the table and cloths; if you have any discarded or unwanted paper, give children bowls and ask them to shred and collect the shredded paper for future paper making.
2. Create the mixture, called ‘pulp’:
   1. Add ingredients to a blender
      1. Fill 3/4 way with shredded paper
      2. Optional: Add shredded raw cotton to add texture and a marbled effect to the paper (about 1 part fibre to 30 parts paper – see video)
      3. Optional: Add powder paint (experiment with how much to add – it’s very forgiving)
      4. Optional: Add flower petals
      5. Fill the blender with water about 2 cm past the top of the ingredients
      6. Pour the pulp into the vat and repeat 1-2 more times, so that you have enough mixture in the vat for moulding paper
   2. Children’s involvement: Children can add ingredients to the blender (1 child can add paper, 1 child can choose and add colour, 1 child can shred and add raw cotton, 1 child can add flower petals, 1 child can add water, other children can continue turning paper into shreds)
3. Blend and repeat for desired amount of pulp
   1. Children’s involvement: Children can wear ear protection if it seems necessary or appropriate.
4. Pour the pulp into the ‘vat’ and add water: You can repeat the mixture making process multiple times and then begin to mould the paper. 1 batch is enough to make a 1-2 pieces of paper. You need to add more water so the mixture is thin enough to move the mould around it – about 3x more water so that the pulp is floating in the vat. Run your hand through the pulp, it should be moving freely – when it sits too long the pulp will sink to the bottom. If too thick, add more water.
   1. Children’s involvement: Children can use a wooden spoon in turns to mix the pulp and water in the tub, they can help you add more water
5. Ready the draining area with ‘couching cloth’ and wooden board for after you ‘pull the paper’: Before you mould the paper, have a wooden board with a cloth on top ready to receive the frame, as well as a towel or sponge (and roller if using) to soak up the water.
6. ‘Pull’ or mould the paper (called ‘pulling sheets of paper’): We make ours thick. Watch the video to see this in action. Ready your mould for scooping up the pulp onto the frame – place the deckle (frame without mesh) on top of the mould (frame with mesh), staples facing up so you are covering the staples with the deckle (frame). Hold both mould and deckle together, and slide them into the vat to lift the pulp on top, leaving a layer about 3-4mm thick (thicker is fine with children though). Let excess water drain back into the tub.
   1. Children’s involvement: You and 1 child can do this together, being careful to have them keep their thumbs from pressing onto the paper – guide them to hold tightly to the wooden frame only
7. Remove the mould and flip the ‘pulled paper’ onto the ‘couching couch’ + wooden board: Once the free water has run out, remove the deckle (piece with no mesh) and carefully flip the frame onto the prepared board with the ‘couching’/absorbent cloth on top. Now the mould (mesh frame) will be on top, then paper, then cloth, then board.
   1. Children’s involvement: Children can help press on the towel or use sponges to absorb the water, with lots of pressing and punching motions. They can squeeze water from wet sponges back into the vat or a bucket.
8. Absorb excess water: Place a towel or sponge on top of the mould and press to absorb as much water as you can from the mould. Squeeze out sponge periodically or adjust the towel to a dryer section to keep absorbing the moisture.
   1. Children’s involvement: Children can help press on the towel or use sponges to absorb the water, with lots of pressing and punching motions. They can squeeze water from wet sponges back into the vat or a bucket.
9. Reveal the paper and add impressions (optional): Remove the towel to reveal the finished paper ready to dry, guiding children not to poke it as it is very fragile. Now children can gently add impressions with moulds/stamps/leaves/etc.
   1. Children’s involvement: Children can use playdough moulds, stamps, lace, plants, feathers, leaves or anything they can press onto the paper to make their mark gently – it may be hard to see at first, but once dry they will be able to see it more clearly and feel the impression they made.
10. Place on drying rack: Place cloth and paper on the drying rack together to dry. Once the top is sufficiently dry, you can remove the cloth underneath and allow the bottom of the paper to fully dry. Professionals will play wet paper face down on the surface where it will dry (like glass or a laminate table), peel away the cloth and then roll it flat with a roller.
11. Enjoy once dry! Once dry, children can use for colouring, painting, collaging, etc.

Collaboration by Emma Stephenson – Diploma Educator + Sustainability Leader and Suzie Brown