How to Age Paper for School Projects
Treasure maps and medieval parchments always get brownie points in the classroom and can add a sparkle to an otherwise boring school assignment. Aging paper using a few basic household items is a creative way to get your kids excited about learning. Aged paper works well in numerous projects but definitely turns heads in history class. So turn on the oven, grab some copy paper, and let's make parchment.
- Difficulty:
- Moderately Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Cookie sheet
- Vinegar
- Coffee grinds
- Paper towel
- Oven preheated to 200 degrees
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-
1
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
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2
Place 1 or 2 sheets of copy paper on an un-greased cookie sheet and soak with vinegar. If you can't stand the smell, cold tea is an option here but the final effect will be a little different.
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3
Sprinkle used coffee or tea grinds onto the wet paper. At this point, you can smudge the coffee in for darker stains or sprinkle and remove quickly for a subtler effect.
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4
Remove excess coffee and vinegar from paper carefully. Gentle dabbing with a paper towel will remove excess liquid and prevent tearing the paper.
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5
Place the cookie sheet into the preheated oven.
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6
Check the paper every couple of minutes to be sure that it isn't sticking to the cookie sheet.
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7
When paper is dry, remove from oven and let cool. The paper is much easier to remove when cold.
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8
Repeat steps 1 through 6 if you want the paper to be even more stained and brown.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Print text on paper before completing the aging process.
Burning the edges of the dry parchment gives a great treasure map burnt historical document look but should only be done by adults.
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Comments
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A much simpler, quicker way to age paper: Write what you will on the paper first; crinkle it, then paint the entire thing with some cheap-o watercolor paint (Crayola as opposed to the premium paints). You can thin the paint with a lot of water, or keep it thicker for richer color. Brown is good, and black accenting is amazing. It's surprisingly awesome. I used the same paints to color my son's treasure map (blue for water, etc.) before aging the edges. It makes for a really awesome looking "artifact."
