Monday, 25 April 2011
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Making Paper
I am an art teacher in a school for autistic children, here is one of my favourite art lessons from my new blog that I want to share with you all.
Making paper can be one of the most interesting and fun activities in an art class and the endless uses in art for recycled paper make it such a brilliant resource for any art activity. However it requires a high level of fine and gross motor skills which make it almost impossible for children with autism, and other disabilities to carry out without immense support.
Here is how my pupils go about making paper, we find it much easier this way, and a lot more fun too.
The first step in paper making is ripping or shredding up paper.
I have one pupil who loves to rip up paper. In fact other teachers in the school employ him in this task when he needs to calm down! So I have a small supply of ripped paper. I rip the rest myself. Many websites recommend using a blender. As I work on a limited budget I have no blender. Instead I have a continual cycle of pulp on the go. I put the ripped paper into a plastic jar with a lid. Leave it there overnight and the next day stir it a bit and leave it for another day.
This works well for me as I always have a stock of paper pulp. How I store it will be explained at the end!
Once the paper pulp is ready, (it kind of looks like soggy bread) I put it into a plastic bowl ready to be used.
I have another tray with my screen covered frame (you can cover an old picture frame with tights/pantihose for a cheap and easy frame) . On top on the frame I put the cookies cutters.
To transfer the pulp from the bowl into the shapes we use a turkey baster. My turkey basters are some of my most indispensable tools in my class. As you cannot buy them here in Argentina for love nor money they had to be imported in my mother's suitcase when she came to visit. But they are so versatile it was worth it. They are pretty indestructible. They can be hit, bounced and squeezed and still survive. I have kids who cannot grip with their hands and instead prefer to put the rubber bulb in their mouth and bite, leaving no marks behind.
Turkey basters also make the most amazing rude sounds in the water, which truly fascinate some children. Others love to cover the end with the hands and fingers and feel the sucking motion. Others still hold the baster, full of pulp, above their hand and squeeze so as to pour all the pulp over their hand like a tap.
Once the pupil has enjoyed playing with these marvellous inventions, they can fill the shapes with the pulp.
I generally leave the pulp to dry inside the shapes and it gives the edges better definition. However you can remove the shapes, put a cloth on top of the frame and flip it all upside-down. Once turned over you can add another cloth and roll them with a rolling pin to flatten them. However be warned that flattening them often will distort the shape of the paper somewhat. Another option is to keep the pulp inside the shapes and remove excess water by pressing on them firmly with a sponge. I have no managed to find a child able to do this yet, and so I only do this myself when I need the cookie cutters for the next class.
There is always pulp left over, either from draining the shapes or from the bowl itself. NEVER pour paper pulp down the drain as it clogs up the pipes.
Instead I put the “sock” end of a pair of tights over the neck of my plastic jar.
I then pour all my excess paper pulp inside. The tights act as a filter separating the paper from the water.
squeeze out excess water and put the paper filled tight outside to dry off.
Once that paper is dry it looks a bit like sausage I store it away for future paper making. All you need to do it put the “sausage” into some water and, hey presto you have paper pulp all over again to work with.
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