Making Paper Bowls

Last we we learned about ancient China. One of China's many inventions was paper. We decided to make paper bowls to get an idea of how paper is made. We didn't make paper from raw pulp, but as you can see from the pictures below, we had a lot of fun!

First, we ripped up construction paper and catalogs into 1 by 1 inch pieces.

Then we blended them with water to make slurry ( a new word even for the teacher).

 We let the slurry sit in a colander for a few minutes to drain out the excess water.

We put the slurry into a sieve and flattened it into the shape of a bowl.

Here are the finished projects. If you try this at home, remember to put a little oil on the inside of the sieve so the paper bowl comes out easily when it gets dry.