Connecting with COSI: Making Papyrus Paper

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Storm Team 4’s meteorologist Liz McGiffin caught up with Alyssa Cassabaum-Smith, a scientist at COSI, to do an activity similar to how ancient Egyptians made paper.

In ancient Egypt, they would use the papyrus plant as a writing surface. This was created from strips of the pith found inside the stalk laid down in layers. To demonstrate this process, we can use a paper bag cut into strips, water and glue.

You can watch the discussion in the video player above.

Once the papyrus was dried, the ancient Egyptians could write hydrographs on them, similar to what you can see at the upcoming King Tut exhibit.

"Tutankhamun: His Tomb and his Treasures" will open at COSI on March 18 and be there through Labor Day 2023. This exhibit requires a ticket separate from general admission. Tickets are on sale now, and you can reserve your ticket in advance by clicking here. You can also click here to learn more about the upcoming exhibit.

To look into exhibits that are currently open, or check when they are open, you can visit COSI.org.

Check out some other experiments and demonstrations below:

Explaining Pressure by crushing cans

Decoding a Secret Message

Meet Nigel the Opossum

Getting ready for King Tut exhibit

Indoor Snow

Floating Dry Erase Drawings

Milk Fireworks

How to make holiday cards

How to make a lava lamp in a bottle

Inside Doc McStuffins and interacting with a blue-tongued skink

Inside “Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs” exhibit

Snakes!

Halloween Candy Experiments

Using Candy to demonstrate air pressure