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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Newspaper Tree

For the past two weeks I have been blessed with a free trial of the local newspaper. I had thought about subscribing and wanted to try it out. This also meant that a huge stack of newspapers has been growing next to my garbage can because I can't bear to throw it all out.

As I threw a new wad of paper into the stack the other day my mind randomly flashed back to elementary school and a fuzzy memory of making trees out of newspaper. I suddenly had the insatiable need to show my boys how to make a tree out of newspaper and off we went (with grateful help from Making Science Fun since my memory really was that fuzzy).
Newspaper Tree
All you need is tape, newspaper (about 6 large sheets), scissors, and if desired a paper towel or similar size tube.



Once everyone is done reading the comics...Reading the Comics
Tape your sheets together until you have a long strip of paper. Maybe wait until the baby is napping to prevent damage to your future tree :)
Taping together Taping Together
Roll up your newspaper around the paper towel tube...Roll into a tube
Until you have a huge tube. Remove the paper towel tube and tape your tube together on the outside...Tape tube together
Start cutting at one end of your tube. Cut a straight line until you're half way down the tube. Rotate your tube a quarter of the way and cut again until you have 4 sections.Cut into strips
While holding the outside of your tube, grab the innermost layer and pull it out of your tube. Watch in aweNewspaper Tree
As your newspaper turns into a palm tree!Newspaper Tree
Take your tree outside so it can be in a natural setting and use this time to teach your little ones about paper, recycling, and how trees grow!Newspaper Tree outsideI'm linking up to Messy Monday @ The Pumpkin Patch.

1 comment:

  1. Great blog. Glad I found this blog. Thanks for taking the time out of your busy life to post all these great tings! I'd like to pass on this: When teaching about trees you could cut less than half way down and make the palm tree, and then make another one cutting as directed to make an evergreen tree. Then teach about the differences, palms are actually not trees at all. Also point out that trees grom from the very top point, not by pushing up from the bottom. So top growth is the newest growth.Having the kids grow the tree by pulling from the top can demonstrate this. Here's a link to explain further (I never knew this, until I read up on it), http://the-greenman.blogspot.com/2008/11/introduction-to-tree-biology-how-trees.html

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