Preschoolers, after all, have shorter attention spans. Plus, with the mess of handmade paper–not to mention potentially harmful instruments used–some may wish to skip the risk altogether. Certainly it is a personal choice, but young children can still very much be involved in the paper making process. Here’s how:

Have them bring in paper from home. Chance are you’ve already got plenty of paper to use from the recycling bins at school. However, letting children participate by bringing in their discarded paper from home will let them have a sense of accomplishment and involvement.

Let them tear up the paper. This is one of those times where they can make a true mess and not get into trouble for it! Encourage them to tear the paper as finely as possible, making it a terrific fine motor skill activity. This would also work during a classroom party or birthday when the bits of paper could also be used as confetti.

Let them help with the paste. You’ll have to make or purchase your screen on your own–and likely make most, if not all, of the paste–but you can let the children help stir it and even flatten it on the screen very carefully.

Decide how to use the paper together. Vote on it to teach about sharing and compromising. Offer options if the kids can’t think of many ideas and choose the top two or three to make some great creations with your paper. Perhaps you can use it for letter-writing on Grandparent’s Day, or let each child have a piece to create a special classroom book.

Here are ten great benefits to be had from making paper with students.

10. It’s a great math lesson. From measuring the parts of water and paper pulp needed to estimating the amount of time it will take to dry, what could be a better practical application?

9. Multiple science lessons can come from the project. Add chemicals to discover a reaction. Experiment with additives for different scents and textures.

8. Making paper is a worthwhile art project. Using scrap paper in the art classroom to make new paper is not only a work of art in and of itself–it also saves paper, which leads us too…

7. It’s a great lesson in environmental stewardship. When we can understand where our paper comes from and how it’s made, we can gain a better appreciation for our environment and resources.

6. Homemade paper provides an important historical lesson. How much fun would it be to teach your students about Egyptian papyrus by making it in class?

5. Handmade paper provides a sense of accomplishment and exploration. There are no rules to really follow, no right or wrong answers; children can be free to create and discover new ways to alter their paper.

4. There could be no gift more special. Handmade Valentines or cards featuring children’s hand prints are certainly precious on their own; they’re even more adorable when they’re made on paper the kids made themselves.

3.  It gives the gift of responsibility. Kids can learn to take turns, share, work together, and clean up while working on the project.

2. It’s an indoor/outdoor activity. No matter the weather, you can still complete it.

1. It’s a fun activity! If nothing else, this will be something the kids will keep taking about throughout the school year.

Handmade paper can be gifted to nearly anyone on your holiday list. If you can’t think of something for that special someone, why not try…Mother: What mom doesn’t want more photos of her children and grandchildren? Make her a one of a kind handmade photo frame with some gorgeous handmade paper featuring her favorite floral prints and tuck in a photo of you and your family for her to admire all year long.

Father: Give Dad something to really show off in his office by making him a bold and bright handmade paper sculpture. Maybe he likes origami, or he’s an M.C. Escher fan; either way, add some of those themes into your creation.

Grandparents: While more and more grandparents are logging online these days, most still have a fond place in their hearts for good old fashioned letters. A lovely set of handmade stationary featuring your grandmother’s favorite scent or your grandfather’s favorite colors, perhaps in a small basket with some stamps and a nice pen, would make a great gift.

Sister: Does she have a wedding or other special event coming up? Make her some beautiful customized invitations, or a simple set of cards for all occasions.

Brother: Give the gift of music and art by making a personalized CD featuring some of your joint favorites, complete with a handmade paper “album art” cover.

Best Friend: Make your own handmade scrapbook for him or her to put favorite photos in. Tuck in a few of your favorites if you like.

Child: A hand bound “All About Me” journal with plenty of room to draw and write would be wonderful for a child of any age. Personalize it with a photo on the cover, or draw your own image in.

Two citizens of Pune, India have been putting it to an even bigger use. The printers, Anil Gujar and Sunil Juneja, both of Pune’s leading printing press company, Inkfloat, are using discarded paper to create furniture.

The twenty-five year employees are even distributing their creations under the brand name “Encore.” The products, considered very eco-friendly, include stools, sofa sets, tables, chairs and other pieces of furniture.

By using the raw materials already in use by Inkfloat, such as canvas, vinyl films and banner cloth that are all transported in tubes made from paper, the two have been able to create new life from pieces that would otherwise be simply discarded and wasted.

The extra paper was sold to scrap dealers until the two discovered what they could create from the extra material. The stool, their first product, was so successful that they followed up with several other products.

Nothing is wasted in the process. The two use their current business space as well as current employees to create the paper-based furniture.

They’ve also decided to keep the process as green as can be, not allowing any metal, plastic or any other potentially harmful materials to be used in the construction of their products. Instead, they use environmentally-friendly glue, jute, cotton strings and other natural materials.

They recently featured a piece on Adina Levin, the co-founder of Collab. Collab is short for collaborators, and is a Manhattan based company that plans on re-localizing the economy through helping designers, writers, artists, musicians and other creative people collaborate together to form a more sustainable world.

By enabling these innovative minds with the tools and space that they need to collaborate together, Collab hopes to get them inspired and working together, which will hopefully yield environmentally-friendly products and processes to help create localized economy.

One sustainable practice that Levin advocates–and is knowledgeable in–is making homemade paper. Levin uses a very similar process to the one posted here at Paper Making. She also promotes a messy, hands-on approach, often touching the paper pulp and getting very involved in the process. Her video and instructions are perfect for anyone who isn’t afraid to get messy and produce some truly amazing results.

Would using handmade paper really support a more local economy and a sustainable world in general? In a word, probably. By using 50% less energy and 75% less water–as well as creating up to 90% less wastewater and 70% less air pollution–than paper made from unused fibers, it definitely has less of an environmental impact.

First, select your paper. Feel free to use any paper you’ve made for this project–or simply using any paper currently in your recycling bin. Newspaper is considered an optimal choice.

Tear (don’t cut) your paper into thin strips. One to three inches is a good measure, but you can vary the size however you like.

To make your paper mache paste, you’ll need plenty of water, recyclable paper, and your choice of flour or white glue. If you choose flour, you will need to mix three parts flour to one part water until your mixture is uniform and smooth.

For a glue-based paste, mix two parts glue to one part warm water.

Before you begin to lay your strips of paper, be sure to have something to put them on. For example, if you want to create a mask, you may want to first shape the mask with some cardboard, a milk jug or another sturdy material. If your goal is an ornament, you might want to use a balloon blown to the size you desire.

Once you have this base, dip your paper strips into your paste and lay them onto the base. Each strip should be fully coated, so be prepared to get messy! Adding multiple layers can help, but be sure that your first layer is completely dry before adding another.

After your creation dries, you can paint it or decorate it however you like. Paper mache is great for use in piñatas, Halloween costumes, and Christmas gifts.

Many of these ways include other paper products, many of which we’ve already discussed. But did you know that many non-paper products use recycled paper as an ingredient?More than 5,000 items can be made using recycled paper.

There’s papercrete, for example. Papercrete is a construction material that’s just like concrete–only it has any source of recycled paper as its base. Its composition is anywhere from 50% to 80% paper, and puts old paper back to use in the formation of new structures, such as business buildings and homes.

Hospital gowns can also be made of recycled paper. Given how thin and flimsy they are, this may not come as much of a surprise! Dust masks, bandages, and other products we use on our bodies can be created–and often are–using paper discards as well.

While it’s not surprising that coffee filters, paper money, and egg cartons are often made out of recycled paper, the fact that globes can be created from old paper is a very interesting one.

Of course, insulation can be made out of paper as well–particularly for use in cars and pet bedding. Recycled paper can also be used in the production of lamp shades, wallets, vases, handbags and  masking tape. Even office furniture can be made with paper castaways.

For your next gift or special purchase, you might consider buying one of these unique creations made by fine, handmade paper.Journals: Though all journals are mostly made of paper, handmade paper journals are highly unique, often displaying cloth or beaded covers that add an artistic style to the author’s thoughts. Typically quite exotic and bold, they are also often more durable than manufactured journals. The same sentiment applies toward handmade paper photo albums, photo frames and scrapbooks.

Bags: Rather than wasting brown paper–or even plastic–shopping bags, handmade paper bags provide a clever, beautiful alternative that is both stylish as well as eco-friendly.

Candle Holders: This is a very novel function of handmade paper, with it being such a flammable source. That said, there are some very simple, elegant designs created for holding and highlighting tea lights.

Clocks: How many of your relatives can say that they own a clock made from paper? It would surely be a more unique gift than another tie or fruit pie.

Desk Sets: From paper pads to pencil holders, the items on your desk needn’t be encased within stark cookie-cutter plastics. Why not go for a bold, batik handmade paper desk set instead?

Gift Boxes: How entertaining it would be to be gifted a handmade paper craft–within a gorgeous handmade paper box?

Whether the subject is art, with the paper serving as a canvas for inspiration, or science, with the topic being recycled paper, or history, the paper demonstrating the lengthy process of creating papyrus, making handmade paper can enhance the lesson into a tactile and moving experience for both the teach and the students.You can use any paper-making process for the classroom. Here are a few things to keep in mind when introducing the art of paper creation to your students.

Sometimes there is a smell. Like a science teacher preparing a class for a dissection project, you may want to let them know this in advance, especially if you are making grass paper. Take precautions with students who know they have weak stomachs, and let the other teachers and your principal know what you are up to so they won’t question the smell.

Have kids bring in your materials. It’s not an especially expensive art, but allowing students to bring recycled materials from home can help them connect with the project on a more personal level.

Tag team with the shop class. If your students have a shop class, you may want to work with the shop teacher to see if he or she might be able to let them create their own frames in class. Then they can take the frames home and continue making paper there. Alternatively, you may wish to make it a classroom project as well.

Embellish the paper with found art. See if everyone can add something found in their pockets–lint? scraps from a note?–or something found within the school or the school grounds to make the paper more interesting. Show how you don’t need a lot of glamor or new material to create something beautiful and useful.

Make it fit with other lessons you’re doing. In an English class, you may wish to have the students compose a sonnet on aged-looking homemade paper; in science, perhaps plants can be used during cell studies.

6. Album or CD Art: Homemade CDs are fun, but their case covers can be rather boring without some fantastic art. The same goes for photo albums. Selecting a special scent or pattern, such as glitter or grass-embedded paper, can make a personal CD mix an even more special gift.

5. Origami: Get the sizes needed to create your own origami paper for an extra unique touch in your creations. Though the standard size of an origami square is six inches per side, it can vary depending on what you would like to make.

4. Invitations: With so many people desiring special, unique looks for their wedding, birthday and other invitations, handmade paper can come in handy. You are guaranteed to get a look that nobody else is using for your event.

3. Homemade Lampshades: Yes, you can actually make a lampshade out of your paper! In fact, you can even make an origami lampshade.

2. Homemade Journals: How cool would it be to have your own completely homemade journal? Everything inside, from thoughts to pages, would be of your own making.

1. Letters: Though probably the most obvious choice, in this age of e-mail people don’t receive letters nearly as much as they used to. The same goes for postcards. How delightful it would be to receive not only a real letter you can hold–but one that someone put a lot of creativity into?