From Scrap to Sheet: PK4B’s Hands-On Paper-Making Project

Few units of study touch on as many important developmental domains or help children grasp broad conceptual ideas—such as conservation and sustainability—as PK4B’s unit on making their own paper from recycled materials brought from home. Even fewer have energized our four- and five-year-olds as much as the hands-on experience of creating paper themselves, bringing it home to share with their families, and using it for art projects in the classroom.

While the pictures from the project beautifully tell the story, adding some narrative helps capture the full scope of this meaningful learning experience. The idea originated from associate teacher Una Winn, who was inspired by a professional development workshop she attended earlier this year. Until now, the children understood recycling as simply sorting discarded materials into bins, which were then taken somewhere to be repurposed. In this project, however, they became active participants—collecting used paper from home and transforming it into something new to use and share.

To deepen their understanding, the children learned that paper comes from trees and read the engaging picture book The Great Paper Caper. In the story, a bear cuts down trees to make paper for a paper airplane contest. When caught, the bear and his animal friends discover alternative ways to provide enough paper without harming the forest. The story resonated with the class, planting the idea that they, too, could repurpose old paper rather than rely on new materials. Soon, the children eagerly began collecting discarded paper from home and from classroom projects.

The hands-on process fostered both collaboration and fine motor skill development. Together, the children tore and cut the paper into smaller pieces, then placed them in a sensory table filled with water. Through this process, they explored and experienced new vocabulary words like absorb and dissolve. They had fun squeezing the soaked paper scraps into pulp, marveling at the transformation. Once the pulp was ready, they spread it onto fine-mesh screens to dry, encountering and using additional words like evaporate and damp.

When the paper had fully dried, the children were thrilled to discover they had created real, usable sheets—just like the paper from store-bought packages. Their pride and joy shine through in the photos shared here.

A big bravo to teachers Una Winn and Lisa Merotto for guiding their students through this inspiring and enriching learning experience!