Family craft: tea-stained Address to a Haggis scroll

How to create your tea-stained scroll

Step 1

Place the teabags into your tray and cover them with water.

Step 2

Carefully stir the teabags in the water until you see it start to change colour.

Step 3

While you’re waiting for the water to turn really brown, you can rip your piece of paper so it has an uneven edge on the top and bottom – this will help make your scroll look old!

Step 4

Once you’re happy with the colour of the water, squeeze the teabags and take them out.

Step 5

Place your sheet of paper in the water.

Step 6

Once the paper’s a bit wet, take it out, crumple it, then place it back in the water. This will create lines on your scroll, making it look even older.

Step 7

Once you’re happy with how stained your sheet of paper looks, take it out and pop it on a rack to dry.

Step 8

When your scroll is dry, take your ruler and pencil, and draw seven lines (one for the title of the poem and six for the lines of the first verse).

Step 9

Ask an adult to hop over to our story on Address to a Haggis, so you can use your pen and copy the lines of the first verse of the poem.

Step 10

When you’ve finished, you can roll up your scroll and tie it with a ribbon, ready to impress your family and friends on Burns Night!

Top tip

Using warm or hot water will help the teabags to steep and release more colour. Remember, hot water should only be handled by an adult.

Share your pics!

Ask an adult to help you share your creations on Instagram, tagging @nationaltrustforscotland

Burns the bard

Robert Burns wrote his first poem when he was 15! He then wrote and revised some 550 poems and songs, including ‘Auld Lang Syne‘, which is famously sung to celebrate the new year. 

To find out more fun facts and learn more about the life of Robert Burns, you can visit Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway – they even have a pair of his 200-year-old socks on display!