This handmade, Earth-inspired paper is made with recycled paper and embedded with wildflower seeds. A meaningful way to celebrate our planet! Makes a beautiful gift for family and friends.
Remember, making paper is a wet, messy process! Have plenty of old towels, rags, sheets, and sponges for both making the paper and cleaning up afterward. Note that the dyes in colored papers can stain surfaces like countertops so protect them too.
Cover the paper with warm water and let it soak for at least two hours.
Gather scrap paper – including office paper, envelopes (remove any plastic windows), colored paper, and uncoated gift wrap, For Earth-inspired paper, choose shades of blue and green, as well as white. You can use small amounts of glossy or coated papers as well as newspapers, but don’t make them the primary ingredient. Printed office paper often yields grayish homemade paper, so consider your color scheme and include papers in those colors.
1. Cut the screen so it’s an inch or two larger than the frame in all directions. This example uses an old 8″ X 10″ wooden picture frame and some scraps of window screen.
2. Holding the screen taut, staple it to the frame.
3. Cut a few additional pieces of screen larger than the frame. You will use these for transferring and drying the paper.
1. In a blender, add enough water to almost cover the paper and blend until the resulting pulp resembles cooked oatmeal. (We used an immersion blender with a food chopper attachment to blend this paper.)
2. The four pulp colors have been blended and are ready to use.
1. Place the mold (the wood frame and screen) on a layer of towels and rags that are on the waterproof surface. Remember the fabric may get stained from the colored paper. Apply the pulp to the screen and press. To create an Earth-themed paper, add colors in sections to represent the land (green), ocean (blue), and clouds (white).
2. Place a piece of screen over the pulp and press firmly with a dry sponge to soak up some of the water.
3. The damp paper is now ready for seeds.
1. Sprinkle wildflower seeds onto the damp paper.
2. Place a piece of screen over the pulp and press. Use a rolling pin or flat-sided jar to help flatten it.
3. These seeds are nicely embedded in the paper. Some of the seeds may fall off once the paper is dry, but there will be plenty to grow. You can allow your paper to dry and then give them as gifts to celebrate the planet!
1. When it is time to plant, place the paper seed-side up in a container filled with moist potting soil. Spritz the paper with water to thoroughly moisten it.
2. Cover the container with plastic wrap to hold in the moisture and help the seeds germinate.
3. When the seeds start to germinate (sprout), remove the plastic wrap and place the pot in bright light or under grow lights.
1. Check the plants daily and keep the paper and soil consistently moist.
2. These wildflower seedlings are ready to be planted in a larger container or your garden.
About KidsGardening
Gardening changes and improves kids’ lives, their communities, and the planet. KidsGardening has been a leader in the youth gardening movement since launching the Youth Garden Grant in 1982, the first and longest-running program of its kind. As a national nonprofit, they inspire and support garden educators, volunteers, and families by offering grants, original educational resources, and by creating a community of dedicated youth garden advocates. Garden-based learning improves nutritional attitudes and educational outcomes, enhances social and emotional learning, and gives rise to environmental stewardship in youth across the country.
NGB is a proud supporter of KidsGardening.org. We thank them for the above Earth Day craft. Please credit KidsGardening and National Garden Bureau when using all or parts of this article.
