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.