Nothing delights kids quite like making noise — so hand them a homemade band they built themselves. Turning recyclables into musical instruments is a craft and a music lesson rolled into one: a tin becomes a drum, a tube becomes a rainmaker, a box and rubber bands become a guitar.
It costs nothing and keeps them busy twice — once making, once playing. Here are the best DIY instruments from your recycling bin.
A safety note
Seal shaker fillings tightly, since loose rice or beans are a choking hazard, supervise toddlers, and mind the snap of stretched rubber bands.
The best recycled instruments
Shakers and rattles
- Bottle or tin shakers — fill with rice, dried beans, or pasta and seal tightly.
- Egg shakers — pods from an egg carton taped shut with rice inside.
Drums and percussion
- Tin or tub drums — an old tin or oatmeal container; stretch a balloon over a jar for a drum skin.
- Clackers from two lids or sticks.
Strings and wind
- Box guitar — rubber bands stretched over a tissue box or cardboard box with a tube for a neck.
- Rainmaker — a long wrapping-paper tube with foil coiled inside, filled with rice and sealed at both ends.
Make it a band
Decorate the instruments, hand them out, and play along to a favorite song or make up a rhythm. A homemade band is the loudest, happiest craft there is.
What did your band build? Share it in the comments at ecoxee.com — the noisier the better.
Keep reading: Rock Painting for Kids: Ideas & Tips, Easy Recycled Bird Feeders Kids Can Make, and How to Make Nature Suncatchers With Kids.
