Recycle Paper Factory

Recycle- Reuse- Reduce

     A creative learning experience and a bit of crafting, I suggest kids ages 4 and up for this project. This experiment test young children patience and learn that great things happen when you put time and effort to it. Making recycled paper is a 3 day process each day is an observation period for the child to use their senses to achieve their goal. You might hear “mommy is it ready yet” or “can we make the recycled paper now” and “how come it’s taking so long”. Those were the endless questioning I hear from Jaylin.  My answer to her will be the same “it takes time and you have to be patient, you can go take a look at it but it’s not ready till tomorrow”. It probably doesn’t take 3 days to make it but I purposely prolonged the process to teach her patience is the key to success, you can’t always rush and finish something. 

    

 To be honest you do not need a fancy kit to make recycled paper you can use everyday household items to achieve the same results. Jaylin received this for Christmas and was eager to use it when she heard she can make recycled paper on her own. I was excited for the 3 R’s (recycle, reuse, reduce) the piles of scrap paper and odd and ends paper left over from Jaylin’s oh so many art projects and her love to cut and glue paper together. I taught her at a very young age not to waste paper, and always keep the scraps of paper just in case you can use it for another projects or art. At home I will give her empty tissue paper boxes to collect all the tiny pieces of paper lingering around my floors, tables, every nook and cranny. Perfect timing to use up the pile I was hoarding to make recycled paper with Jaylin.

Day 1: With or without the paper factory kit all you need is a big mixing bowl, paper and water. Add warm water to the mixing bowl and start tearing/ripping the pieces of paper. If you can find different color paper the results will be very pretty compared to plain white. Keep in mind old newspaper, flyers and store ads works perfectly as well. Make sure the shredded pieces of paper is soaking wet in the mixing bowl and let it sit overnight.

                

Day 2: With the kit you may add the paper in the mixer and start mixing, those without the kit I will drain the water from the mixing bowl and start stirring the paper with a spatula until you get the consistency of mush. When done you can use the deckles or cookie cutters to make the desired shape you like, make sure you add enough so it’s a bit thick and not too thin because it may tear easily. Use a piece of cloth or paper towel to soak up excess water. If you have the kit, now it’s time to place the design on the paper press machine and let it sit by the heater overnight to dry. Another great idea is to use old heavy hardcover books, cover it with renold’s wrap so it won’t damage the book or make it wet and place the recycled paper design in between two books to dry overnight. Also heavy pots and pans will do the trick as well.

Day 3: Check on your recycled paper it may still be wet, allow it to dry another day if needed. When it’s done you are ready to get crafty and make greeting cards, notepads, and many more.

Please view my other activities:

www.jaylinbree.com

For a video demonstration visit my YouTube Channel:

www.youtube.com/jaylinbree