Project Based Homeschooling: Gutenberg’s Printing Press

This post focuses on Thomas’ project-based learning about Gutenberg’s printing press.

Great Resources to have on hand

 

Making a Wooden Model of the Printing Press

We had already done a bit of work on the printing press and Gary and T had put together the model of Da Vinci’s design, which was very similar to Gutenberg’s:

Making your own rag paper

T ripped up a 100% very thin cotton dress of A’s into lots of tiny pieces:

He then began the long and arduous process or boiling and shredding the rags:

And he boiled and shredded, and boiled and shredded……

Never did he achieve anything close to a pulp, just shredded cotton suspended in water.  He kept up the boiling and mashing for a whole week, after which he gave up.  In the end I ordered some rag paper from Amazon.  Slight cheat, but honestly, we had lost all patience that the cotton would ever macerate enough to become a pulp!  This paper was made entirely from linen rags:

Making your own printing press from stuff around the house

I always enjoy seeing what my son comes up with when he tries his own hands at making whatever we are learning about.  He started out making one entirely from Lego, but soon discovered that it wasn’t strong enough to make a printing press.  Each time he pressed it broke.  He was determined to use his Lego in some sort of capacity however, and eventually came up with a roller press:

Simple but effective.

He had decided to make a gift for A5, who will soon be A6.  He made his raised relief of Mr Tickle, cutting out a sheet of Vinyl and sticking it on another:

He primed it using orange and blue ‘ink’ he had made from paint:

Then, using his printing press, he printed some Mr Tickle rag sheets, from which he would be making his medieval book:

This wasn’t one of T’s favourite project based learning experiences, although this time it was through no fault of his own.  His first hurdle was his Lego press not being strong enough to press print, and his second and far more time-consuming hurdle was the making of the rag paper.  He was disappointed with this not working.  We had followed the instructions we had to a tee, but that cotton would not become pulp.  At all.  He had literally spent well over an hour cutting up the cotton, and a week boiling and shredding and was not at all happy with the outcome.  Buying some paper online saved his project somewhat, but he would have much preferred making it successfully.

He printed lots of pages with ease and plans to bind them into a Mr Tickle notebook for Little Miss A5 (soon to be A6), which I am sure she will love.