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.

Some of these stores specialize in paper exclusively; these are the stores where you may be able to find a wide variety of paper, from batik to mulberry to almost any kind you might want or need. Others sell a multitude of items and may not carry as many types of paper. Below are a few great places to purchase your own handmade paper.

FreetheSlaves.com: Human trafficking survivors make and sell paper for this company, which works to free victims of the human trafficking industry. Though only a few varieties are available, they are very affordable and for a great cause.

Creative Papers Online: This U.S.-based company has some of the widest varieties of handmade paper available. From marble to metallic, sea to silk, Japanese, mulberry and even papyrus, they are likely to have the paper you’re after.

CustomPaper.com: This website carries some beautiful designs for unique wedding invitations, gift cards or wrapping paper.

A.L. Paper House: India’s largest handmade paper provider, this store features a large variety of embossed paper designs as well as dew drop paper, embroidery paper, and many other assortments.

Green Field Paper Company: This store has a selection of very unique handmade papers, such as garlic paper, recycled denim paper, and hemp paper. They even have a “100% Junk Mail Note Set” for those wishing to purchase fully recycled materials.

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?

Once you have your own unique collection of homemade paper, you’re left with a decion to make: just what are you going to do with it? Like any paper, we can start hoarding it up, “saving it” for special occasions when we really should put it to use. Here are ten ideas to get you started on using your new paper–and making way for new creations.

10. Gift Tags: Perhaps the most simple way to use your paper, homemade gift tags add a special personal touch to any gift (no matter your wrapping skills!).

9. Scrapbooks: People are always looking for bright, new patterns of paper to use in scrapbooking. Use it in your own, or give it as a gift for a friend who does scrapbooking.

8. Personalized Announcements: If you send out a family newsletter, post flyers about your band, or otherwise print out interesting notices that could use some diversity, try using your homemade paper.

7. Projects with Children: If you’re making paper chains, kites or any crafts with children, use your own paper for a bit of variety. The children may be interested in how you made it, spawnig their own interest in making paper.

While we might save a few for sentimental value, most are fairly generic. Sometimes we can use them in scrap booking, or creating cool origami crafts or boxes; but for the most part, we’ve got an extra box of recycling to turn in.

Fortunately, this is a problem that can be easily remedied with plant-able paper.How cool would it be to enjoy your card–and then plant it into the ground to have a long-lasting gift of nature in its place? Every time you saw it, you would think of the person who sent it to you, and be reminded of the earth-friendly, natural gift of beauty from such a thoughtful friend.

While you can buy such paper, it’s also possible to create your own. You can use all of the steps in creating regular paper to begin with. Why not select some greeting cards for your paper base? Then they will already be infused with good thoughts and holiday cheer from past senders.

Now the variation comes in to make your paper plant-able. During the step where you add your paper “shake” mixture to a sink or basin, be sure to also add plenty of the seed of the plant you wish to be grown from the paper. Flat seeds work best, such as tomato, hollyhock, chili pepper, and forget-me-not. Then, follow through with the rest of the steps and you will have made an incredible gift of plant-able paper!

If you decide to give the paper as a gift in the form of a card, gift tag, stationary or anything else, be sure to note somewhere that it is plant-able and it can be torn up and directly deposited into the ground as seeds would be. The paper around the seeds will naturally disintegrate as the seeds grow.

First, gather up all of your grass clippings. You’ll need between six to ten cups of them. You may want to do this right after you mow the lawn, which is probably the easiest way to gather grass.

Add the clippings to a large pot, fill it with enough water to cover the grass, and mix in a half-cup of washing soda or baking soda. Allow this mixture to cook for an hour. (If you have plenty of time, letting the grass soak overnight in cold water first can loosen it up even more, making it easier to work with.)

Like you would do with other paper pulps you might create, pour your mixture into a blender and blend until it’s of a smooth, uniform consistency. Then you’ll follow through with the steps you used in making homemade paper from recycled paper.

Remember that you may have to play around with the consistency to get the thickness that you want. For variation, long prairie grasses and dried straw work as well.

Be sure to clean out all of your instruments and containers immediately, as this project can start to smell if left to sit for a long period of time!

Give it a little color. Add some dye, powdered paint, liquid paint, tea, food coloring… From henna to smashed berries, coffee grains to kool-aid, there’s bound to be something creative you can use in your house this very moment. Experiment to see what colors you like best.

Make it touchy-feely. Adding texture to your paper can give it a very unique definition. To do this, add the items of your choice to your paper-paste before you let it dry. Not sure what to add? Anything from tiny seeds to grass, confetti to pieces of thread to glitter can work.

Write like an Egyptian. Rather than reeds, why not add some flowers to give your paper a nature look? You can use anything from moss to pieces of grass, full leaves to flower petals themselves.

Give it an eu de toilette. You may have tried scenting a love letter with some perfume you had on hand, but scented paper can be even more fun. Use essential oils, potpouri or spices to give your paper a unique fragrance.

Add your bright and shiny face. You can even put pictures in your paper. Just smooth a paper copy of a photo onto the paper-paste before draining the water from it.

But today, the Institute is struggling.

73 workers have been laid off, and though the HPI is considering bringing them back on, it will only be able to do so at half the rate it had previously paid them.

Though the HPI has served as an important paper producer for India itself–the draft of the country’s own constitution was printed on paper manufactured there–80% of its products are exported. From watermark papers to drawing varieties, diamond papers to elephant, flower petal and silk papers, and even paper bags and folders, the HPI covers most, if not all, paper products on the market.

According to the assistant manager of the HPI, it also does this in a very eco-friendly fashion. “Instead of wood, we use cotton and currency wastes as raw material, thereby being completely eco-friendly.”

There are disputes as to why the hardship has fallen upon the manufacturer, ranging from management negligence (according to workers) and lack of funds and business (according to management).  Knowing how difficult the economy is today in many countries, either party could be right; but the bottom line is that a place where great art and sustainable creation have taken place since 1940 is now declining.