Supplies Needed

• Brown paper bag

• White glue

• Water

• Wax paper

• Bowl

• Stir Stick

What to do

Step 1
Rip the brown paper bag into one inch wide strips of equal length.

Step 2
In a bowl make a mixture of half glue and half water. (To make one sheet of papyrus you only need about 1/4 cup of each.)

Step 3
Dip the brown paper strips in the glue mixture and remove excess glue.

Step 4
Lay the strips side-by-side on the wax paper, overlapping them slightly.

Step 5
Apply another layer of strips at a right angle to the first layer.

Step 6
Let the paper dry overnight.

Step 7
Decorate your creation with paints or crayons.

For more information about papyrus, you can download our free teaching resource. This lesson explores how ancient Egyptians used papyrus to make paper and food, boats, perfumes and a variety of items. We've provided this lesson as a free sample of our Ancient Egypt unit.

We’ve also created free digital task cards that can be assigned to be completed on a device, or can be used with the class on a whiteboard.