How to make a homemade insturment for elementary school?

Question

i need some suggestions on making a homemade insturment for my 10 year old and 6 year old for school. thanks

Answer 1

take a coffee pot and fill it with rice as a shaker or leave it empty for a drum. you can make a guitar w/ an empty kleenex box and use rubberbands and an empty toilet paper roll. you can put beans on a paper plate and staple another plate to it as a tambourine/shaker

Answer 2

Take an empty tube (like a papertowel tube) and fill with beans or rice, cover ends and secure with rubber bands. will sound like maracas.

Take multiple oatmeal containers, fill with varying amounts of beans, etc, cover with some strong material and secure.  Take wooden spoon and play as drums.  The varying amounts of stuff in the container should make tones different.

Take top off of shoe box.  Use either part, use different sizes of rubber bands to string across (thick, thin, thinner) and then strum.

Answer 3

Let's Make Music!: An Interactive Musical Trip Around the World by Jessica Baron Turner  

    Buzz disks, castanets, rainsticks etc...your instructions and patterns are there for you.  Check your local library.

Answer 4

you can get a tissue box and attach rubber bands to it.. and each rubber band will make a different noisee.

=)

Answer 5

put waxed paper over the end of a toilet paper tube with a rubber band - hum through it like a kazoo

Rubber bands on a box makes a guitar

rain sticks - toothpicks through a paper towel tube, tape both ends, fill with rice before taping.

google it too -you will get lots of suggestions there.

Answer 6

My sister and I made maracas out of light bulbs. Rip a bunch of newspaper in pieces (quarter size), then dip the pieces one by one in glue, and put it all over the light bulb. You might want to do about 3 layers so the glass doesn't fall through when you break it. Let it dry overnight and once it is done lightly tap them on the floor or table to break the glass inside. And there you go..... you have your maracas. You can paint the outside however you please! Its a fun activity to do with you child as well!

Answer 7

Check with your children and see what THEY would like to make...Here are a few ideas to add to the above.

BONGO DRUM

Cut two pieces of paper to fit around two cardboard oatmeal containers with lids. Decorate the paper with crayons and markers. Attach the paper around both containers with tape. Set the containers side by side and tie them together with two long pieces of string or yarn. Tie one piece of string around the upper section of the containers and the other around the lower section. Place a dab of glue under the string in several spots to hold it in place. Play your bongos by tapping on the tops with your fingertip.s

Belt Drum

Collect a round box, such as an oatmeal box or a potato chip container. Carefully make two small slits, about 2 inches apart, near the top of the box. Thread the box onto a child's belt (or a shortened adult belt).

DRUM STICK IDEAS

Use hands to tap on the drums--- a wooden spoon, metal spoon, rubber spatula, whisk or a basting brush. Make drumsticks with two unsharpened pencils with erasers. Or…Attach an empty thread spool on one end of the pencils or wrap a thick rubber band around one end of each pencil. Have children experiment with the variety of sounds and tones they can make.

PLASTIC SHAKER

Find a clean, empty plastic container with a s***w-on lid, such as a peanut butter jar or a individual serving juice or milk bottle. Put a spoonful of rice or dried beans in the container. Put some glue around the edge of the container and s***w the lid on tightly. Allow the glue to dry before shaking. Decorate with stickers or colorful masking tape.

WRIST BELLS – String three or four bells onto a chenille stem. Twist the ends together to form a bracelet.

JINGLE WAND

Hold 5 OR 6 chenille stems together and tape them securely in place with electrician's tape or masking tape. Thread a jingle bell on the untaped end of each chenille stem. Twist the end of the chenille around to hold the bell in place. Let your child shake the Jingle Wand to make the bells jingle.

TAMBOURINE

Glue or staple two foil pie pans or paper plates together with the front sides are facing.  Paper plates can be decorated first with crayons or markers. Make holes about 2” apart around the rims of the plates or pans with a hole punch. Use string to tie a bell from each hole. You can also place a handful of dried beans or rice between the plates before attaching them together. Shake to play.

TRIANGLE:

Tie a string around the top of a wire coat hanger and bend the hook closed. Hold onto the string and hit the hanger with a metal spoon.

GUITAR:

Cover the bottom of a shoebox with  gift wrap paper. Save the lid for another project. Stretch 5-7 rubber bands around the. Place the rubber bands 2”-3” apart. Use rubber bands of different sizes and widths. Strum the guitar with fingers or use the plastic tags that fasten bread bags closed as guitar picks.

RECORDER:

Cut a piece of paper of fit around a paper towel tube. Decorate the paper with crayons or markers and attach it to the tube with tape. Use the end of a pen or pencil to place a row of holes along one side of the tube. Squeeze one end of the tube together and staple it in the center, leaving two open portions on either side of the staple. Hum or sing into the open end.

FINGER CYMBALS

Punch two holes in two identical small jar lids. Then poke a small chenille stem through the holes and twist to make finger handles. Child puts one on each pointer finger and bangs them together.

BOTTLES: Blow over the tops of bottles to make interesting sounds; Fill the bottles with different amounts of water to find out if the sounds you make change.

Answer 8

you need 2 kfc buckets, you put the first one on the bottom with the opening down and then put the second one on top of it with the opening to the top, now cover the top opening with wax paper to make a drum . and you can decorate the side with cool decorations to make a drum

Answer 9

All the previous suggestions are great. But have you asked the children what they would like to make? Give them the suggestions and let them decide.

Answer 10

Poor pearl you are alright!!! I agree......do they have any musical interests? A 6 and 10 year old can most assuredly tell you what it is they think would be cool. I can offer you a few things I have done but it is up to them. I would suggest that this is a great opportunity to promote ownership and problem solving with them. I have seen a lot of parents with such sincere intentions actually take away form the children what they should be gaining from something like this. I propose that the intent of something like this is to encourage some interaction between you and your children.

OK now for some ideas that you want. I would say that many of the ideas above are tremendous. I will add a novelty for whimsy. If you take 1" schedule 40 PVC pipe (pipe for drinking water that is cheap) and apply a natural rim of bees wax on one end you have a didgeridoo. You can cut this at different lengths to get higher/lower sounds. I cant tell you everything but will propose some problem solving for all of you.

1) what is a didgeridoo?

2) where are they from?

3) what is a onomatopoeia?

4) how do sound waves travel?

5) will the didgeridoo sound higher or lower when you cut it to make it smaller?

6) how is a traditional didgeridoo made?

You could also paint this to be traditional.

I hope whatever you decide that the kids have a voice to make some personal decisions.......good luck!!!!!!!!

Answer 11

theres one way you can use your hands..

Answer 12

A box of Raisens, empty the box and close it blow through the lid it should vibrate and you have a weird whisle.

Answer 13

Drums/Bongos out of coffee cans!!!! You can decorate them with construction paper.