Paper is everywhere! From our earliest pictures stuck to the fridge by our parents to the letter telling us about the latest supermarket offers, even in our modern society, paper is still used for writing and drawing or passing on information. And who can imagine a world without toilet roll! From magazines to junk mail there are lots of ways to reduce the amount of paper we use in our everyday lives. Check out our resource pages to find out more about Paper.

Paper can be recycled everywhere in Devon from the kerbside (see our District Recycling Sheets). To find out what happens after the recycling truck leaves your doorstep watch our video about how paper is recycled in Devon.

Downloadable Worksheets and Paper Quizzes

We have created Science of Materials: Paper worksheets for all ages. Each worksheet is accompanied by a quiz to assess learning. Some also include a playlist of relevant videos.

We hope the worksheets on this page will help young people understand the science behind paper. We hope doing these activities will create better scientists and more critical thinkers. We know the wicked problems (complex and difficult issues like climate change and biodiversity loss) we are leaving the next generation will need some innovative thinking to solve them!

Why not try out our fun quiz at the bottom of the page too!

1
Created on By Millie Green

Science of Materials: KS1 Paper

Find out about the science of paper.

1 / 5

What is paper made from?

Image of newspapers

2 / 5

How many trees does it take to make one tonne of paper?

Tree from Bollow

3 / 5

How many trees are saved by recycling one tonne of paper?

4 / 5

Why does newspaper tear in straight lines in one direction but not the other?

Image of piles of paper

5 / 5

What can you do to reduce paper at home?

Image of 3 toilet rolls

Your score is

The average score is 80%

0%

0
Created on By Millie Green
Image of 3 toilet rolls

Science of Materials: KS2 Paper

Find out about the science of paper

1 / 6

What is paper made from?

Image of newspapers

2 / 6

How many trees does it take to make one tonne of paper?

Tree from Bollow

3 / 6

How many trees are saved by recycling one tonne of paper?

4 / 6

Why is plastic a problem when discarded in the environment?

Plastic sandwich wrapper and plastic bottle lying discarded in grass

5 / 6

How much paper do we use in the UK each year?

picture showing screwed up paper and a ring bound notepad

6 / 6

What can you do to reduce paper at home?

Image of 3 toilet rolls

Your score is

The average score is 0%

0%

0
Created on By Millie Green
Paper bridge

Science of Materials: KS3-4 Paper Bridges

A science quiz about paper bridges.

1 / 9

What would be the best materials to make a bridge from?

Road sign for drawbridge

2 / 9

What is the force called that makes a suspension bridge strong?

Forces on a suspension bridge

3 / 9

How much paper do we use in the UK each year?

picture showing screwed up paper and a ring bound notepad

4 / 9

How many trees does it take to make one tonne of paper?

Tree from Bollow

5 / 9

How many trees are saved by recycling one tonne of paper?

6 / 9

How much water does it take to make 1 sheet of A4 paper?

Drop of water

7 / 9

How many times (on average) is paper recycled in Europe?

Image of piles of paper

8 / 9

Every Christmas we waste enough wrapping paper to cover this many football pitches...

Image of inside football stadium

9 / 9

What can you do to reduce paper at home?

Image of 3 toilet rolls

Your score is

The average score is 0%

0%

13
Created on By Millie Green
picture showing screwed up paper and a ring bound notepad

Science of Materials: Paper

Test your knowledge of paper in all its forms!

1 / 7

How much paper do we use in the UK each year?

picture showing screwed up paper and a ring bound notepad

2 / 7

How many trees does it take to make one tonne of paper?

Tree from Bollow

3 / 7

How many trees are saved by recycling one tonne of paper?

4 / 7

How much water does it take to make 1 sheet of A4 paper?

Drop of water

5 / 7

How many times (on average) is paper recycled in Europe?

Image of piles of paper

6 / 7

Every Christmas we waste enough wrapping paper to cover this many football pitches...

Image of inside football stadium

7 / 7

What can you do to reduce paper at home?

Image of 3 toilet rolls

Your score is

The average score is 38%

0%