From Seed to Seed:
Plant Science for K-8 Educators

Activity 35: From Paper to Paper

Grades: K-8

Associated Lesson Topics:

• Gymnosperms (conifers)
• The many uses of wood

National Standards:

• SCIENCE: Standard A, Standard F
• GEOGRAPHY: Standard 1
• HISTORY: Standard 1

Can you name some products that humans produce from trees? What are some qualities of wood that might make it ideal for making paper? What part of the tree do you think paper comes from? What does it mean to recycle? Do any of your families recycle at home? Why do you think it is important to recycle? Can you think of some ways to recycle paper?

Teacher Information:

The purpose of this activity is to emphasize the many ways in which people use plants in their daily lives. By making paper, students can begin to understand how people take advantage of the structure of plants to serve their own purposes. In addition, by exploring different techniques for making paper, students are thinking and acting like scientists as they participate in the scientific inquiry process.

Tracheid, vessel, and fiber cells are used to make paper. These cells are elongated, which serves two purposes in the paper-making process. The cells remain matted when water is drained off, and the overlapping of these long cells lends strength to the final paper product. To separate out these cells, sawmills grind wood mechanically and add chemicals that draw out the desired cells. Together in a watery suspension, these cells compose the pulp from which paper is produced. Instead of making paper directly from trees, students will practice the art of recycling by making paper from paper.

Necessary Materials:

• Newspaper.
• Blender.
• Water.
• Spatula.
• Sponge.
• Wax paper.
• Flowers and leaves (optional).
• Large, plastic bin (to collect spilled slurry).
• Screen: The material that is used on screen doors works well. This can be purchased at most hardware stores. The smaller the openings in the screen, the better. Stretch the screen over a square frame (made of wood, 2-by-4s, for example) and staple or nail down. It is best if the screen is just large enough to sit on the perimeter of the large, plastic bin without falling in.

Procedure:

• Collect old newspapers.
• Have students tear the newspaper into 2-inch pieces.
• Soak the pieces in tap water overnight.
• Place soaked newspaper pieces into a blender with tap water and blend to a slurry. Experiment with the paper-to-water ratio. The slurry you produce should be as thick as the blender can handle. If the mixture is too watery, add more paper. If it is too thick, add more water. Record the amount of paper and water that produces the desired results. During this step you can also add flowers or leaves to add texture and character to your paper.
• Place the screen frame on the perimeter of the large, plastic bin and pour the slurry evenly over the screen. Smooth out with a spatula.
• Wipe the underside of the screen with a moist sponge.
• Place wax paper on top of the slurry and flip the screen over. The slurry should separate from the screen. If it does not separate, wipe the underside of the screen again with the moist sponge.
• Allow the paper to dry overnight.
• Once dry, cut to the desired size.
• A fun way to conclude this activity is to have students design a papermaking manual on the paper that they have just produced. The manual can include instructions and diagrams and can be displayed outside the classroom for other teachers and students to see.

Harvesting the Crop...

At several points within this activity, students can manipulate the procedure and investigate the results. For example, they can 1) eliminate the overnight soaking step, 2) experiment with adding more or less water to the blender, or 3) shred the newspaper into larger or smaller pieces.

This lesson can also be expanded to include a discussion on deforestation or what we, as humans, have done to our forests by overusing trees for our purposes. Each year, about 1 billion trees are cut down to satisfy the demand for paper and paper products in the United States alone! Invite students to research this topic. How do you think humans' use of wood might affect ecosystems? How else do we use trees or tree products? How can we strike a balance between having what we need and not taking too much? Are there viable alternatives to using wood pulp?

Also, there is a long history to papermaking, from China to Egypt to Europe. What role did paper play in these societies? How did it transform these societies?

Finally, this lesson provides the opportunity to explore the concept of recycling. Older students can calculate how much landfill space or trees are saved by recycling paper. This activity could be used to initiate a stewardship project, including a visit from a solid waste expert and the development of a paper recycling program at school.

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