Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Paper

In honor of Earth Day and our effort to go green, students helped me recycle our paper scraps!  It took a little over a week to go through all the steps, but it was worth it.  The kids learned a valuable lesson: it's a lot easier to be more conscientious and use less paper or reuse old paper than it is to make new paper! We've been using less paper since.

First, we had to rip all of our paper into tiny pieces. Everyone got a shift!

Then we had to blend the paper to make pulp.

(THANK YOU, DOUGIE'S MOM, 

for bringing a blender to us when I forgot!)

Gross.

Students got to feel the pulp.  Most of them said it was nasty!

Then, each student was called over to press the pulp into a mesh screen.

This got rid of all the excess water.

For about three days, the paper sat on desks to dry.

It resembled funky hamburger patties. 

We had to answer a lot of questions from people who came in our room!

When the recycled paper was dry, I cut it into hearts.

Then students got to take the heart home and give it to someone

they love! It came with a note:

"I made this heart for you from recycled paper!

The heart may be recycled,

but my love for you grows new each day."

As always, owl be teaching you tomorrow!