Homemade Paper

The kiddos have been looking at the importance of reusing and recycling this week, so yesterday we had a go at making our own paper. We’ve done this before a couple years ago, but as kiddos grow older they get something new out of it and Miss Baya was too little last time to remember much about it!

Kiddos always love hands-on, messy activities so this is a sure hit.

You’ll Need:

Old Newspaper
Cornflour {Cornstarch if you’re in the US}
Water
Blender
Tights stretched across an old baking tray {we had a plastic mesh tray from an old paper making kit}

Tear the newspaper up into small pieces and place in a large bowl, cover with water and leave for 10 minutes. We used two full sheets of newspaper per child. Mix 1/4 cup water with 1/8 cup cornflour.

Take the newspaper, discarding the water and place in the blender. Add the cornflour/water mix and blend on high for two minutes. {we needed to scrape the sides down a couple times}

Tip the pulp onto your stretched tights and spread it out so it’s an flat, even layer. Cover with a sheet of wax paper.

Use a large spoon to press out all the excess water from the pulp.

Gently peel off the wax paper, and transfer to a plastic tray. Leave for a couple of days to dry out.