- FUN PAGE
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Coloring • Games • Projects
PROJECTS
- RECYCLING YOUR OWN PAPER
- GROW YOUR OWN FISHING WORMS
- WHAT CAN I
COMPOST
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RECYCLING YOUR OWN PAPER
Parental supervision is necessary for this project.
Before you begin, assemble the following materials: a brown paper bag, roasting
pan, blender, window screen or wire screen, liquid starch, rolling pin, and a
clothes iron. You can find liquid starch in the laundry section of most
supermarkets.
- Tear the paper bag into tiny pieces.
- Put a handful of the paper pieces into the blender.
- Fill the blender with one tablespoon liquid starch and 2
cups water.
- Place the cover on the blender and turn it on high speed
for 30 seconds.
- Inside the blender you have created pulp. Lay the
screen over the roasting pan and pour the pulp over the screen.
- Use your finders to move the pulp around so it covers the
screen evenly.
- Slowly lift the screen out of the water, letting the excess
drip off the screen.
- Set the screen on top of a bath towel or a stack of paper
towels.
- Place another towel on top of the screen and gently press
down
- Gently remove the paper from the screen and place the
screen aside
- Place the paper between two towels and gently roll it out
with a rolling pin
- With your iron on medium, and with the steam setting turned
to off, iron the towel to remove more water
- When the paper is mostly dry, gently peel it off the towel
and iron some more
- Now you have a sheet of hand made paper. You can trim
the edges to a scissor and sue it to write a letter to a friend!
GROW YOUR OWN FISHING WORMS
A worm bed is simple to make and requires very few materials.
Its a fun project for kids and requires little maintenance. Making a worm
bed is also an excellent way to recycle food scraps, grass clippings, newspapers
and compost. And if you are an avid fisherman, this project will save you a lot
of money. You can make your worm bed out of cinder blocks, wood, a plastic
storage box, or even a pile of leaves.
CINDER BLOCK WORM BED (ADVANCED)
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Choose a location for your worm bed that's
not in direct sunlight all day long. This will make it easier to keep
the bed moist.
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Form the walls of your worm bed using cinder
blocks. Twenty blocks make a nice size bed, 3x2 wide and 2 blocks tall.
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Line the inside of the cinder blocks with
thick landscape plastic. The plastic needs to cover the bottom and all
the sides.
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Soak some shredded newspaper or cardboard in
water. Shake off the water and place the paper in the worm bed.
Fill the bed halfway at most with the shredded paper.
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Add bags of manure over the paper and fill
the worm bed to the top. Using a rake or shovel, mix the manure into the
shredded paper.
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Water your worm bed but be careful not to
make it too soggy.
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Add a container of worms from your local
bait & tackle shop.
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Cover the worm bed with plastic or plywood
to keep it moist. But don't cover it completely. Worms need air
too.
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Mix the worm bed at least once a month to
aerate.
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Feed your worms a few times a week.
Add food scraps, egg shells, leaves and branches. Just make sure to
never add meat or fish.
PLASTIC BOX WORM BED
(BASIC)
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Ask your parents for an old plastic storage
container. The larger the better, find a container that's big enough for
you to sit in.
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Gather up some leaves and sticks from your
yard. Try to find about half and half green and brown leaves.
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Place the leaves in your box. Fill the
box at least a few inches but no more than half way.
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Add some dirt from your garden or ask your
parents to buy a bag of topsoil.
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Water your worm bed just a little. Be
careful not to make it too soggy.
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Place all the worms you can find in your
worm bed or buy a container at your local bait & tackle shop.
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Cover the worm bed with plastic lid.
But don't cover it completely. Worms need air too. You can
also ask your parents to drill several holes in the top of the container.
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Mix the worm bed at least once a month to
give the worms air.
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Feed your worms once a week. But since
you decided to make your worm bed in a plastic box I would limit the quantity
of food scraps I would feed your worms. Food scraps can get pretty
stinky. I would add a few handfuls of leaves once a week. If
you want to experiment with food scraps try placing half an apple in the worm
box. Within a few days you will see the worms eating holes right through
it.
WHAT CAN I COMPOST
Compost is what your worms eat. For more information about what you can
compost, or what to feed your worms, please refer to this link
http://www.compostinfo.com/tutorial/CanICompostIt.htm
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