Where Does Paper Come From?

Paper airplanes.  Paper snowflakes. Paper dolls.  Don’t forget confetti. We use paper every day.  Where does all that paper  come from?

Whether you’re  folding origami  paper cranes,  making a card,  or decorating a cake, three cheers for  paper!

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Paper Jokes

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Construction paper is made of recycled paper, wood pulp (shredded wood and hot water), and dye. Synthetic (chemical) dyes provide vibrant colors, but they tend to fade over time. Construction paper is also called “sugar paper” because it was once used to make bags for sugar. 

Cardstock is a blend of hardwood and softwood fibers and fillers. Hardwood comes from trees that lose their leaves every year (like oak, beech, and walnut). Softwood comes from evergreen trees (think of pine, cedar, and fir). Both give paper strength. Cardstock lives up to its name—it makes great cards!

Tracing paper  is paper that has taken a beating. It’s made of cellulose fiber, which usually comes from the bark, wood, or leaves of plants (including cotton). Pure cellulose fiber is translucent. (It allows light to pass through.) Fibers have to be beaten until all the air is taken out to be translucent. 

Magazine paper (like what your WORLDkids is printed on!) is also called coated paper. It’s processed wood pulp that needs a coat, but not a fluffy one! A coating gives magazine paper a glossy look. The most well-known coating material is a mineral called kaolinite. Rocks with this mineral are called kaolin or china clay. Kaolinite is also used in toothpaste and soaps. It is sprayed on crops to protect them from insects. 

Paper you can eat  is made from a variety of ingredients. Rice paper can be made from rice flour and tapioca flour mixed with salt and water. Spring rolls made with rice paper are a tasty snack. If you have a sweet tooth, pictures can be printed on paper made of sugar and starches. Print off your favorite image on an icing sheet to decorate a cake. Yum!

1) What happened to the origami company?

3) What did the sheet of paper say to the binder?

It folded.

Paper jokes: 

Cardboard.

I love you  a hole punch.

2) What  do you call someone tired of card games?