Bee Blooms
Restoring bee habitats through education and creative design
Make Your Own Seed Helicopters
Making the Seed Paper
Materials:
- scrap paper*
- water
- Seeds native to the region(preferably wildflowers and seeds that benefit bees)
- large (and preferably shallow) plastic tub
- blender or food processor
- lots of cardboard
- scrap fabric or parchment paper
- 2 wooden frames*
- 2 pieces of fine mesh*(fiberglass is best but metal works)
- staple gun(with staples)
- large bowl
*** Scrap paper can be anything without plastic though thinner is better.
Wooden frames can be store bought or made but they should be roughly the same same size.
Mesh can be bought at almost any hardware store and should be replaced if it rusts. ​
Step One: Cut paper
- tear or cut paper into small pieces (about 1 in x 1 in)
- put pieces into a large bowl and soak for at least an hour
​
Step Two: Make a Pulp
- blend paper in small batches with about a 2:1 water to paper ratio
-blend paper until it is a pulp
- put the pulp into your shallow bin and add water until it is a thin mixture.
Step 3: Add the Seeds
- add 2-3 tablespoons to the mixture and mix well
Step 4: Make the Sheets
- place one of your frames into the water screen side up and pull it back and forth until you get a good layer of pulp on top
- once you have a layer of pulp on one frame, place the other frame (screen side down) on top of the pulp
- squeeze moisture out of the paper until it doesn't drip water
Preparation: Making the Screens
- cut mesh the same size as each screen
- staple mesh to wooden frame
Making the helicopters
Here is a link from the SF Exploratorium that instructs you how to make a paper helicopter(there is also a printable cut out attached): https://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/roto-copter.html
