Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Wasp Nest

Can you tell how thin and delicate the nest is? If you could feel it, it is as light as air, and would feel like home-made paper. Maybe your parents will help you make paper! I'll tell you how! I might not get back to it today, but I will try to make sure to in a day or so! I promise!
Did you know that men learned how to make paper by observing paper wasps? Isn't that amazing!?
"Around A.D. 105 a Chinese court official named Ts'ai Lun observed paper wasps making a next. He experimented with mulberry bark, hemp, and rags with water, mashing various mixtures into a pulp, pressed out the liquid and hanging the thin mats up to dry.
Tree bark or bamboo was a typical source of paper in China. In Europe, linnen and cotton rags were often used.
In both cases, the fibers were beaten in water to make a pulp."
- from Paper