NCERT Solutions for Class 4th The World Around Us Chapter 8 Make Recycled Paper — Activity 1
Book page 119 Updated on2026-09-19
Q1.
Make Recycled Paper. 1. Collect materials: Old newspapers, some fenugreek seeds (methi) and water. 2. Prepare the paper pulp: Tear the newspapers into small pieces and soak them in water. Put a small quantity of fenugreek seeds in the water and leave it overnight. The fenugreek seeds are used as a binding material. 3. Using a grinder, blend or mash the soaked paper and fenugreek seeds, to create a wet mixture. Soaked paper can also be mashed using hands or any other available tool. 4. Roll out: Spread the paste on a flat base and roll it out into thin sheets. 5. Leave the rolled sheets of paper to dry. Your recycled paper is ready!
Answer
What to do:
Collect old newspapers, a few methi seeds and water.
Soak. Tear the newspaper into small pieces. Put them in water with a few methi seeds.
Leave it overnight.
Mash. Next day, grind or mash the soaked paper and seeds into a wet paste.
Roll out. Spread the paste on a flat base. Roll it into thin sheets.
Dry. Leave the sheets to dry. Your recycled paper is ready.
The five steps of Activity 1, from old newspaper to new paper.
What a correct result looks like: a dry sheet that is a little grey, a little thick and
rough to touch. You can write on it and cut it. It will not be as white or as
smooth as a notebook page, and that is fine.
Why the methi seeds are added: they are the binding material. Soaked methi
seeds turn slippery and sticky. They hold the tiny bits of paper together, so the sheet does not fall
apart when it dries.
Tip: Ask an elder to help with the grinder. Soaking overnight matters — paper
soaked for only a few minutes will not mash into a smooth paste.