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Brief Description

Objectives

• create a practical gift item by recycling paper material.

Keywords

Recycle, trash, garbage, necklace, Mother's Day, magazine, catalog

• toothpicks or pencils
• a wide variety of colorful magazines, catalogs, brochures, or junk mail.

Lesson Plan

In this activity, students make paper beads from colorful paper recycled from catalogs, magazines, brochures, colored paper scraps, wrapping paper, and junk mail.

The process is a simple one. Students cut colorful images into tall, skinny triangle shapes. The triangles should be about 3/4 inch at the bottom and 4-5 inches tall.

Students might experiment with making beads of different sizes. (For example, the triangle could be an inch long at its base and 8 inches tall; it is not recommended that beads be wider than 1 inch.)

Wrap each triangle strip around a toothpick, pencil, or dowel. Start with the wide end (the base of the triangle). Wrap the paper around and around until it is totally and tightly wrapped. (The narrow tip of the triangle will be visible on the top of the bead. Put a dab of glue under the last half-inch or so of the triangle, then press firmly. Let dry.

Repeat the steps above to make additional beads. You will need to make 20 to 30 beads in order to end up with a necklace that is about 24 inches long.

When the beads are completed and dry, pull the toothpick, pencil, or dowel out of the beads, creating a hole through the center of each bead. Students string yarn or thread through the holes to connect the beads and create a necklace.

Students also might varnish the beads to give them extra sheen.

Although they are not made of recycled material, students also might make clay beads to insert in spaces between the recycled paper beads. See a Homemade Clay Beads lesson plan.

Assessment

Students proudly give their necklace gifts to their mothers or other family members.

Education World

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

FINE ARTS: Visual Arts
GRADES K - 4
NA-VA.K-4.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes
GRADES 5 - 8
NA-VA.5-8.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes
GRADES 9 - 12
NA-VA.9-12.1 Understanding and Applying Media, Techniques, and Processes

MATHEMATICS: Measurement
GRADES Pre-K - 2
NM-MEA.PK-2.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements
GRADES 3 - 5
NM-MEA.3-5.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-MEA.6-8.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements
GRADES 9 - 12
NM-MEA.9-12.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements

SCIENCE
GRADES K - 4
NS.K-4.4 Earth and Space Science
GRADES 5 - 8
NS.5-8.4 Earth and Space Science
GRADES 9 - 12
NS.9-12.4 Earth and Space Science

SOCIAL SCIENCES: Civics
GRADES K - 4
NSS-C.K-4.5 Roles of the Citizen
GRADES 5 - 8
NSS-C.5-8.5 Roles of the Citizen
GRADES 9 - 12
NSS-C.9-12.5 Roles of the Citizen

Don't miss dozens of lesson and project ideas in Education World's Earth Day Archive.
Click to return to this week's Lesson Planning article, Five Lessons Teach Students to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.