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Plantable Seed Paper

By Sam Burbach, Education & Programming Coordinator – 03/30/2020

JUMP TO INSTRUCTIONS

Nothing spreads joy and cheer quite like flowers do, and the fresh spring air will definitely do us all some good! Planting seeds can be a lot of fun for kids, but have your kids ever planted seed paper that they recycled and made themselves? Making homemade paper is pretty simple and is a great way to teach about recycling. Plus, you probably already have everything you need to make homemade paper at home – just sprinkle in some seeds and you’ve got plantable paper! 

Kids can get creative with the seeds they choose, the colors that they use to make their paper, the shapes they form their paper into, and what they do with their paper once it’s finished! This plantable seed paper isn’t just fun to sow, but it also makes a lovely gift tag that you can tie onto any gift or even onto a bouquet of flowers so your gift can keep on giving.

Here’s how you can try it at home!

Here’s what you’ll need:
  • Paper – construction paper, newspaper, sale ads (non-glossy), printer paper, etc. 
  • Seeds  
  • Water 
  • Blender or food processor 
  • Strainer 
  • Cookie sheet or tray lined with parchment paper 
  • Cookie cutters (optional) 
  • Sponge or towel 
Cut or tear the paper (we used construction paper) into small pieces. My 2.5-year-old loves his kid scissors so this was his favorite part, and it’s a good way to practice fine motor skills!
Fill your blender or food processor cup about halfway with paper and then fill close to the top with warm water. Let the paper soak in the water for at least 30 minutes, or longer (if your kids will allow it!)
Blend the paper and water mixture until you can no longer see individual paper pieces.
Pour the mixture into a strainer to get the excess water out, and then pour into a bowl.
Stir in your seeds. Smaller seeds work best for this.
Scoop out a little bit of the paper pulp and seed mixture and spread it evenly into a cookie cutter on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Or simply spread the mixture out on the parchment paper without the cookie cutter in the general shape you would like to make. Spread the mixture out so it is relatively thin and has no holes.
Take your sponge or towel and gently press on the paper pulp to flatten it and squeeze out the excess water. Keep doing this until you have a flattened piece of paper with no extra water. If using a cookie cutter, carefully remove the cookie cutter and then press one final time.
Allow the paper to dry completely, then store in a cool, dry place until ready to use.

How to Plant Your Seed Paper:

For a downloadable version of the planting instructions, click here.
 

Downloadable Instructions:

For a downloadable version of the full instructions, click here.
For a downloadable infographic, click here.