Briefing
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
Old newspaper (a half sheet)
Toilet paper (5 squares)
Paper Towels (4 sheets)
Water (2 cups)
A jar with a lid
A piece of screen or wire mesh
A dishpan, a large bowl, or a sink
A rolling pin or something like it (a bottle or jar, for example)
Food coloring (optional)
A piece of aluminum foil
WHAT TO DO
1. Take a half sheet of old newspaper and tear it up into small pieces, like confetti.
2. Take 10 squares of toilet paper and rip them into tiny pieces too.
3. Now rip the 2 pieces of paper towels like you did the others. (You'll use the other 2 pieces later.)
4. Put all the torn-up paper in the jar, and add 2 cups of water. If you want colored paper, add 5 drops of food coloring now.
5. Put the top on the jar, and shake it for three minutes. Now you have paper pulp in your jar! (You might try stirring it with a fork to make sure it's mashed up.)
6. Put the screen or strainer over a bowl or the sink. Pour the pulp on top of it. Squeeze out as much water as you can.
7. Place the screen on top of the remaining pieces of paper towel, and cover it with aluminum foil.
8. Gently roll the pulp, like cookie dough, over the screen until it's flat. (If you used a strainer, just do this on a flat surface like a table.)
9. Carefully remove the aluminum foil. Try and shape the pulp into a rectangle as neatly as you can (it won't be perfect). Make sure there aren't any holes in the mush.
10. Let the paper dry (preferably overnight).
11. Now you have your own recycled paper! You can draw on it, or use it to write an artistic letter. You can decorate it with glitter, sequins, or anything else you can find.
Activity
Recycling paper by hand takes a lot of work. The recycled paper you use at home or at school is made in machines. They mash up the pulp until it's super-smooth and lay it out in nice firm sheets to dry. Some recycled paper includes some amount of new paper pulp so it's easier to make. Next time you buy paper, check to see if it's "100% Recycled" or something less than that.
If you've got your Case Journals, answer the questions in it now!
More Info
Every single day, Americans buy 62 million newspapers. If all those papers just went in the trash, that's like throwing away half a billion trees every year! That's why it's so important to recycle. In this Smart Art, you'll make your own recycled paper!