Activities

Magic marbling

These beautiful decorative patterns are from the ’endpapers’ of books in the State Library — these are the blank pages at the start and end of a book. 

Check out the books in your home — you might find some interesting endpapers in these too!

A book with a colorful pattern

Create your own marbled paper

Work with an adult to complete this activity — you may also want to use gloves for the steps involving food dye.

  1. Spray a layer of shaving foam into a baking dish.
  2. Add a few drops of food dye on the shaving foam.
  3. Stir the foam using a chopstick to a colourful, swirly pattern.
  4. Press a piece of paper or cardboard onto the shaving foam and carefully peel it off.
  5. Lay your paper flat and use a piece of hard cardboard to push off the excess foam.
  6. Leave your paper to dry.
Several books with colorful designs