Getting STEAMED With The Third Grade

Recently, the third graders were excited to try papermaking as one of ACA’s regular STEAM activities. To build anticipation and to lay a foundation for the hands-on portion of the activity, students watched two paper-making videos. The first, from Georgia Pacific, showed how trees are harvested and turned into pulp. The instructor then talked about how that pulp is new and has never been turned into paper, but a lot of paper has both recycled and new fiber. The children learned that this content affects factors such as softness and strength, and chemical engineers work to determine the best fiber content for the paper. After this discussion, the class watched a video about making a product that they are all familiar with–bathroom tissue. The wrapping machine which packages the bathroom tissue was quite fun to watch. These videos gave students an idea of what the process looks like in real life, including the size of the machines, and a glimpse of engineering work. They saw a large hydro pulper and learned that hydro means water. They also discussed the definition of a consumer product and a commercial product, concluding with a review using diagrams on the whiteboard.

When it was time for the children to make their own paper, the class moved to a lab with running water and tables. For raw material, they used paper scraps out of the recycling bin in the resource room. Since it was near Valentine’s Day, most of the scraps were purple, pink, and red.

Selecting raw materials for paper making

The kids had to tear their paper of their choosing and bring it to the hydro pulper (blender). We put their torn paper in the blender, added water, and made a pulp smoothie. The resulting pulp was poured onto the forming fabric (was toile fastened inside an embroidery hoop). Using their hands, students gently pressed as much water as possible from the pulp over the sink before rolling the water out with a rolling pin. After applying pressure to the newly formed paper, adults helped the students finishing drying their paper with the iron or the blow dryer. Their paper continued to air dry overnight.

Rolling the water our of homemade paper

The next day, the paper was dry and ready for creative applications. The young scientists turned into artists and used their hand-made paper to make Valentine’s cards. This was the reward for their hard work!