The students at St Mary’s Catholic School in Cranbrook had the opportunity to get messy, make mistakes and learn how to make paper. It was a fun filled morning with lots of laughter, excitement, a little chaos and plenty of hands on learning. Students tried all facets of the paper making process. Students ripped, tore and blended up recycled paper to make into a pulp.Students then transferred the sludgy mixture to the next group who were anxiously waiting to spread the pulp onto screens to drain any excess water. At the next station, students carefully extracted the paper off the screen and patted any residual water off the paper. The final group had the opportunity to roll the paper flat and place on a dying rack. Each group had the opportunity to try all the stations and the end product was used to make laminated book markers. The students were pretty proud of their efforts and developed a new appreciation of the energy, time and resources required to make paper. This lesson was an absolute success, one that encouraged team work, communication and raised awareness of the efforts involved in making paper.
