Page 50 - sample pack

Paper was invented in 105 CE by a man named Cai Lun. Before he invented paper, Chinese characters were written on bamboo, which was very diffcult to do. Cai Lun used bark, hemp, old fshing nets and rags to make paper. Chinese characters were written slowly on paper with a brush, and books were written one page at a time. Because it took a very long time to write books this way, books were rare and very expensive.

Later, Chinese people carved characters into wood with a knife, then put ink on the wood and pressed it onto paper. By doing this, they could print 2,000 copies of the same text in one day.

Different materials continued to be used to make paper, and bamboo paper was made in the Tang Dynasty (608–907 CE). In other parts of the world, paper making was much slower than in China– paper making was introduced to Vietnam and Korea during the 3rd century, and to the West around the 8th century. The frst paper mill in Europe was not built until 1009!

The invention of paper changed the world – now text could be written down and transported from place to place, country to country. Nowadays, we can send a message on the computer straight away to another country; in Ancient times, it could take weeks for a message to move from one town to another! Before people started writing, some used pictures to represent thoughts or ideas, like the Ancient Egyptians who used hieroglyphics, a language made up of pictures. Ancient tribes in Africa drew pictures on the walls of caves to record stories, too. Lots of different things were used to write on before paper, including wood, stone, metal, silk, bamboo and tree leaves. The Ancient Egyptians developed papyrus, which was a fabric made from shoots of the papyrus plant. Finally, Cai Lun developed the paper that we now know today, and see almost everywhere.

People have returned to making paper by hand as a hobby, and we now often see handmade birthday cards and sheets of writing paper. See if you can fnd different pieces of paper with different texture and see if you can work out what they are made from.

In the modern world, paper is made by machines, which squash it and press the pulp to make it nice and smooth. In Cai Lun’s time, paper was made by hand, and was therefore rougher. Try to make your own paper by using old newspapers, and see how your results turn out! You can get different effects by using different types of paper, so have a go and experiment! And remember, making your own paper by recycling old newspapers helps the environment, too!

NB: Patience may be needed here, teachers! Each sheet of paper has to be ironed, so please be careful when using electrical appliances – the best thing to do would be to iron the sheets when the children are out of the classroom. The children will be out of harm’s way and can come back in to inspect their paper once it is ready.

1) a food processor or an old blender 2) an electric iron

3) an old wire hanger (one per child) 4) an old pair of tights (one per child)

5) newspaper or other paper, torn into 2-inch squares 6) white glue 7) water

8) food colouring (optional)

9) a big tub flled with 4 inches of water