On Monday 2nd March 2020 Year 2 ventured out to Hemel Hempstead to visit Frogmore Paper Mill in Apsley. They arrived safely and were eager to get going and find out what they would be doing.
They then met Sue who introduced them to the Mill and explained a bit about the history of the paper mill and how in fact Frogmore Paper Mill is one of the last working paper mills in the country! During this talk Sue showed Year 2 just how easy it is to make recycled paper at home, using a few items such as a blender and some scrap paper.
Later on, Year 2 had the opportunity to get their hands dirty and have a go at making a sheet of paper of their very own. They mixed the pulp by hand and added a mystery ‘inclusion’ which they later found out was shredded bank notes, used to make their paper have a little sparkle. Using a mould, the children learnt how to successfully turn paper pulp into an actual piece of paper, being involved in each step of the process.
Sue then took Year 2 on a tour of the mill where they saw working parts of it and some old paper-making machinery too. The funniest part of all was finding out about the different ‘inclusions’ that could be added onto paper sheets such as grass, glitter and even elephant poo! (The boys weren’t so keen to touch that sheet).
After a well-needed break and a big lunch, Year 2 finished the day learning all about Louis Braille and how his fantastic invention enabled sight impaired people to read. The boys learnt about what Braille is, how it works and had a go at writing their names in Braille too, using a special Braille typewriter.
What a paper-filled day! Back on the minibus they went to share their creations with the rest of the school back at Buckingham Prep.
Categories: School News
