Paper Beads

Opening Discussion

Ask your students if they’ve ever made jewelry. What did they make? What materials did they use?

The Challenge

Make a beautiful bracelet or necklace using just paper, glue and string!

Doing the Activity

1. Students will work individually on this project.  Show your students any beads or necklaces you made ahead of time.  Tell them they’ll get to make their own unique piece of jewelry.
2. Allow your children to examine the scrap paper you’ve laid out for them.  They may need some time to leaf through the magazines, etc.  Have them choose their paper and bring it back to their tables.
3. Hand out a ruler along with skewers, straws or pencils to each child.  Skewers work best, but anything thin, long and round will do – even knitting needles are good.
4. Demonstrate the process of making a bead for the class:
   • Cut a long, thin triangle from the scrap paper.  Using the ruler can help you to create the right shape.  The triangle should be between 8” and 11” long and anywhere from ½” to 2” wide.  A wider triangle will make a wider bead.  A longer triangle will make a thicker bead.
   • Lay the triangle on the table with the pattern that you like face down on the table.
   • Using the skewer and starting at the wide end of the triangle, roll the triangle around the skewer until you are an inch from the point of the triangle.  Use the glue stick to add some glue to the last inch of the strip, then finish rolling it up.  You will have an almost-round bead.  Let the glue dry a little, then remove it from the skewer.

Once your students have seen this process, have them make their own beads, and make lots of them—they’ll need many beads to make a necklace or bracelet.

Let’s Talk About It

After 10–15 minutes of activity, when everyone has made at least 1 bead, stop your students and bring them together to share their observations with each other. What was easy or hard about making the beads? Does anyone have any advice on the process, or on picking out cool patterns? This discussion should last no more than a few minutes.

Build On What They Talked About

Send your students back to the activity to finish making all their beads. Once they have their beads done, students can cover them in watered-down glue or clear nail polish using small paintbrushes. This last step makes the beads both shiny and sturdy. Let these beads dry completely, then thread the string, fishing line or floss through the holes in the center of the beads to create the finished necklace or bracelet.