Making Paper with Fungi

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In this activity (p.24 of PDF), learners make paper with fungi. Learners discover that paper is basically a flat mat of fibers. Although handmade paper is traditionally made with vegetable fibers, the basic process is no different for fungi, except you are using a chitin rather than a cellulose base. Safety note: Always wash your hands after touching fungi!

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
1 to 7 days
Estimated Materials Cost:
$10 - $20 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 11 - 14
Resource Type:
Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • Some bracket fungi
  • A tray (e.g. cat liter tray)
  • A heavy weight
  • 2-3 sheets of blotting paper
  • A blender
  • 10-12 pieces of absorbent cloth (slightly larger than intended size of paper)
  • A mesh frame (specialized paper-making frames can be bought from art shoots but homemade alternative, like mesh netting spread over an embroidery hoops, are fine)
  • Lots of water

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Diversity of Life
      • Protists and Fungi

Informal Categories

  • Arts and Crafts
  • Nature and Environment

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Links STEM to other topics of interest such as arts and humanities
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Assinder, Sue ; Rutter, Gordon

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, British Mycological Society and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, 2002

Funding Sources:

  • British Mycological Society
  • Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council