How is paper made?

Brains On! Science podcast for kids

American Public Media

Kids & Family, Education For Kids

4.4 • 13.5K Ratings

🗓️ 7 January 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Paper is all around us. There’s toilet paper and pizza boxes, wrapping paper, and receipts. Most of the paper in the U.S. is made from trees, but it can be made out of all sorts of plant material – banana peels, cotton, rice, you name it!

Join guest host Rosie duPont and co-host Arya as they explore how paper is made (spoiler: most of it comes from trees!). Then, an old paper party hat named Crumplestiltskin will share how paper recycling works. To wrap things up, they’ll hear a real stumper of a mystery sound. You won’t want to miss it!

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Brainson, where we're serious about being curious.
0:04.3	BrainsOn is supported in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
0:13.1	I love TIPI.
0:15.1	TEP is for me.
0:16.2	Molly, do you have any toilet paper?
0:18.3	All the bathrooms and Brains on HQ are out.
0:20.4	Yeah, sorry about that. I needed to use all of it. What? You needed to use all of the toilet paper? Yeah, for my new favorite activity. Going to the bathroom? Decorating toilet paper. Oh. Okay. It's so fun, and it makes every visit to the Lou a potty party.
0:40.3	I'm so happy for you. Can I have a rule? I really have to go.
0:43.8	Sure, pick one that feels exciting to you.
0:46.8	I've got tie-dye, camouflage, rainbow. Oh, and I do custom toilet paper portraiture.
0:51.8	Just give me whatever.
0:53.3	No, no, you have to pick.
0:55.1	I want you to have a perfectly personalized potty experience.
0:58.3	Oh, fine.
0:59.1	I'll take this one.
1:02.1	Great choice.
1:03.3	Wait, does every sheet have Gungador's face on it?
1:07.0	Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
1:08.1	How about this one?
1:09.9	The garden variety. Oh, that's perfect, no, no, no. How about this one? The garden variety.
1:11.2	Oh, that's perfect for you, Rosie Rose.
1:13.3	There's a hand-drawn flower on every sheet, and it's scented too.
	...

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