We made three – yes three! – awesome STEM-inspired Halloween decorations in this video! To make papier-mâché ghouls, where we transform paper into Halloween ghosts, view the video from 1:43-4:28.
Papier-mâché is French for “chewed-up paper” due to its appearance. It’s a construction material that consists of pieces of paper, sometimes reinforced with textiles, stuck together using a wet paste (e.g., glue, starch, or wallpaper adhesive). The crafted object becomes solid when the paste dries. Meaning that papier-mâché is an example to chemical change!
How does it work? Paper is composed of cellulose fibers, which are long chains of starches linked together. Flour is a starch too, just one long single polymer, or chain. When a solution of starches is added to the surface of cellulose fibers, they will ‘link’ the chains together, acting like natural glue.
Ready to make this project at home or in your classroom? Watch the video for an overview, gather the materials listed at the right, and follow the instructions below!