Paper Straws
Help keep the Earth healthy by ditching single-use plastic items. You can make a paper straw to use instead of a plastic one, which is one of the top items found at beach cleanups and can hurt ocean animals that mistake them for food.
STEP ONE
Print out the Nat Geo Kids straw pattern and cut it out, or use a piece of printer paper cut into 1.5-inch-wide strips.
STEP TWO
Add a long line of glue on the side without the pattern.
STEP THREE
Place a chopstick at an angle on the back of the paper. Then roll the paper around the chopstick until it's completely covered. (Be careful to roll the paper on top of itself so you don't get glue on the chopstick!)
STEP FOUR
Wait 10 minutes for the glue to dry, then wiggle the chopstick out from inside the paper tube.
STEP FIVE
Cut both ends of the tube to make them even.
STEP SIX
Grab a parent and put the wax in a glass jar. Melt the wax by either putting the jar on a candle warmer or in a pot of warm water on the stove.
STEP SEVEN
Dip the paper tube into the melted wax one half at a time (this part might get a little messy!) Then gently wipe the tube with a paper towel to get off any extra wax. Let the straws dry about 10 minutes before using.
PLANET PROTECTOR TIP
These paper straws will last only about a day. Ask your parents to purchase reusable straws made of bamboo, metal, glass, or silicone that you can use forever!