Making colored seed paper involves blending recycled paper with water and adding color before incorporating seeds.
Creating your own seed paper is a fun and environmentally friendly craft, allowing you to plant the paper later to grow flowers or herbs. Adding color makes your creations vibrant and unique.
Step-by-Step Guide to Making Colored Seed Paper
Follow these steps to transform old paper scraps into beautiful plantable sheets:
- Prepare the Paper: Tear up old paper (like newspaper, construction paper, or scrap paper) into small pieces.
- Soak the Paper: Soak the paper pieces in a bowl of water. For best results and a smoother pulp, soak the paper pieces in the bowl of water overnight, as suggested by the reference. This softens the fibers significantly.
- Create the Pulp: Put the soaked paper into a blender. Then, fill the blender halfway with fresh water.
- Blend the Pulp: Blend until the mixture is soupy. You want a smooth consistency without large chunks of paper. This blended mixture is called pulp.
- Add Color: Add food coloring, if desired, and blend some more. You can use just a few drops of food coloring to achieve your desired shade. Blend briefly to distribute the color evenly throughout the pulp.
- Incorporate Seeds: Once the pulp is colored, stir in the seeds. Choose small, non-GMO seeds like wildflower seeds, basil, or parsley.
- Form the Paper: Pour or spread the pulp mixture onto a fine mesh screen or deckle and screen setup. Distribute the pulp evenly.
- Press and Dry: Gently press out excess water. Flip the screen onto a towel or absorbent surface and press firmly to transfer the paper sheet. Allow the seed paper to dry completely in a warm, airy spot.
Essential Materials Checklist
Here's a quick list of what you'll need:
- Recycled paper scraps
- Water
- Blender
- Food coloring
- Seeds (wildflower, herb, etc.)
- Large bowl
- Fine mesh screen or deckle and screen
- Towel or absorbent surface
Why Add Color?
Adding food coloring is a simple way to make your seed paper visually appealing. You can create paper in shades of green, blue, pink, or any color imaginable to match themes or simply add a splash of creativity to your project. It's an entirely optional step but adds a fun dimension to the crafting process.
Reference
Steps for making seed paper, including adding food coloring, can be found on the NASA Climate Kids website.
