Poet-Tree Project
Participate in the Poet-Tree Project
During fall 2023, the Voices of Lake County committee collected seeds from College of Lake County's Living Lab Trail, a 1.5 outdoor loop around CLC's Grayslake campus. The trail serves as a living laboratory, demonstrating sustainability (placing equal value on the environment, economy and human equity), promoting health and wellness, honoring cultural diversity and encouraging global outreach.
The seeds were incorporated into homemade seeded paper made out of recycled paper bags. The seeded paper leaves are used for classroom projects, poetry writing activities, and reflection opportunities following some of our sustainability events. Participants write short reflections and poems on the leaves cut from the seeded paper. The leaves will be on display at CLC during our spring 2024 Sustainability Fair on April 22.
In May 2024, the trees will be planted on campus and the seeded paper leaves will be planted on the Living Lab Trail, and the words of our participants will return to the soil to bear fruit to another generation of native plants.
We invite faculty, staff, students and community members to create their own seeded paper leaf poems or writing reflections. We will gladly collect them for display on our Poet-Trees for the entire campus and community to enjoy.
If you would like to participate, please email CLC.Voices@clcillinois.edu for information on how you can obtain native seeds from the Living Lab Trail to incorporate into homemade seeded paper. (In order for your seeded paper leaves to be on display and planted on the Living Lab Trail, we ask that you please use seeds from plants on the trail.) Follow the instructions below to make your own homemade seeded paper!
How to Make Seeded Paper
Print Instructions - Scroll to view both pages or click top right corner to download
How to Make Seeded Paper Flyer.pdfTips
Once your paper is dry, you can use a leaf-shaped cookie cutter to draw outlines of leaves on the sheeted paper or use a printable leaf template. Next, cut out the leaves. Use a hole puncher to make a hole on the top and run twine through the hole to make a small loop.
Amazon sells affordable mould and deckles for creating your paper, but you can always make your own if you'd like!
If you are making paper for your own garden, you can use any seeds you would like – wildflower seeds, veggie seeds, etc. However, if you would like your seeds to be planted on CLC's Living Lab Trail, please contact Voices of Lake County at CLC.Voices@clcillinois.edu, so we can give you native seeds to use in your paper.
Small seeds work better for seeded paper. If the seeds are too large, they won't set into the paper.
Add pieces of dried leaves and flowers to your paper for visual appeal.
If you want colored paper, add a natural food dye to your paper pulp before you use the mould and deckle to extract the paper. We recommend plant-based food coloring, since the seeded paper will be planted. You can purchase plant-based food coloring or make your own.
Gel pens and fine-tipped Sharpies work great for writing on seeded paper! However, we recommend that you test the paper first to make sure the ink doesn't bleed too much.
Have fun!