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KiwiCo crate box

recycled craft materials

recycled

sounds

sound science

musical instrument

music

Create a recycled musical instrument using just an empty cardboard box and rubber bands. Then decorate, play, and explore sound vibrations!

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Open your crate and paint the bottom and inner sides with a bright and fun color acrylic paint. Wait for the paint to dry. 

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Close the box and find a round shape to trace for the main sound hole of the guitar. We used a medium sized bowl, but a wide drinking glass or a CD would work too. Close your crate and lay the round item on top of the lid so it's centered width-wise on the crate, but closer to one end. Trace the edge with a pen or pencil. 

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Using a craft knife, make the initial cut into the traced line. Always make sure to cut away from you! Continue cutting along the traced line around the entire circle. If needed, have a parent help with this step.

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Now turn your crate and look at the side panel of the box near the big hole. Place your craft tube on the center of the top panel and trace it. With a parent's help, carefully cut out the traced circle.

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The craft tube will serve as the neck of the guitar. Decorate it and get creative! We wrapped bright paper around the neck and also added pom poms to represent the tuning pegs of the guitar. If you like, you could also decorate it with paint or washi tape. 

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Insert the craft tube into the smaller hole along the side of the box. If necessary, add some hot glue to the sides of the hole to keep the neck in place.

Fold a piece of cardstock paper a few times over, like an accordion. Glue the folded paper below the large hole, on the opposite end of the guitar neck. This will serve as the bridge for your guitar, lifting the rubber bands off the crate.

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Loop four long rubber bands (2 on each side of the craft tube) around the crate.

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Strum the DIY guitar! We found that adding different thicknesses and sizes of rubber bands to create different tones! We also tied a ribbon to our guitar to represent a guitar strap.

empty crate

craft tube

4 rubber bands

card stock

craft knife

scissors

pen or pencil

pom poms

acrylic craft paint

paint

small bowl

glue gun

Cardboard Guitar

art project

craft

cardboard crafts

painting

Use a mailing tube and some acrylic paints to create these beautiful didgeridoos from Australia.

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Gather books and/or print outs from the internet of traditional Aboriginal symbols to share with your child. Look at the symbols and talk about what they mean. Choose a few favorites to put on the didgeridoo.

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Prepare mailing tubes by removing the plastic end caps and any stickers that might be on them.

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Prepare your palette. Remember to choose earth tones when selecting colors.

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Paint the symbols and designs on the mailing tubes to create the decorations for the didgeridoos.

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Allow the didgeridoos to dry and then try them out!

mailing tubes (1 per child)

acrylic paint (in earth tones)

paintbrushes

Make a Didgeridoo

summer

summer crafts

summer fun

My children love to make shakers. We have made them with all kinds of materials and for all kinds of themes. As we begin to celebrate the arrival of summer a watermelon maraca seemed only appropriate. 

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We had these paper coffee cups on hand already, but they were a bit tall so I cut them down. 

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My two-year-old added a few scoops of dried beans and rice. We only made one maraca on this day, but in the past have made several with different kinds of dried goods. It's fun to hear the different sounds they make.

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Once he settled on the amount to fill the cup with we placed the other cup on top and sealed it with a half sheet of pink duct tape.

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He added green duct tape to the sides and was starting to figure out just what we were making--a watermelon!

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All that was left was a few seeds that my little guy drew on with a black sharpie.

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Time to shake away!! Of course, when big sis got home we made another one.

paper cups

Dried Beans or Peas, or Rice

duct tape sheets

permanent marker

Summer Break

Summer Fun Watermelon Maracas

pretend play

This microphone was the start to hours of imaginative play for us. I loved seeing my daughter turn into quite the performer right before my eyes!

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We cut just about an inch or so off the paper roll to make it the perfect microphone size. 

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Next, I blew up the balloon just the size to fit on top of the paper roll. 

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We covered it with foil and used a rubber band to secure the foil.

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Some fancy washi tape was the perfect way to cover the rubber band and dress up our microphone. You could always make it even fancier with markers.

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My rock star was ready for her big show! She was in total bliss with her new DIY toy.

paper towel roll

balloon

aluminum foil

rubber bands

washi tape/colored tape

Rock Star Microphone

My kids (ages 5 and 2) love making music by banging on pots and pans. So making instruments out of pie tins was right up their alley! As soon as we made a set, they pulled out a shaker and marched around the house in a mini-sized marching band. It was so cute I had to grab the video camera!

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The kids and I sang up little made-up songs to get us into the music-making spirit. 

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My five-year-old helped me cut some tape and attached the chopsticks right to the back of each pie tin. She loves all the fancy duct tape they have in the art store now.

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My two-year-old was more about the glue and pom-poms. We got a system down: One would add glue and the other would stick a pom-pom. 

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We had to wait for the glue to dry. (To avoid this, just use stickers to decorate.)  

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Once the instruments were dry, it was time to march, sing, dance, and make sweet music with our homemade cymbals.

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foil pie tin

chopsticks

duct tape

tacky glue

pom-poms

Pie Tin Cymbals

household craft

This crafty little musical project, made out of everyday recycled items, is sure to have your little ones dancing.

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Gather your materials (not shown - paper plates, ruler & clothespins).

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Start by squirting out your desired paint colors onto the paper plates.  V chose green & blue (blue is her favorite color & she has claimed green to be her little brother's favorite color!)

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Next, paint your bottle caps, two of each color.  We started by painting them on the plate but they were moving around too much and V did not want paint on her hands.  So, enter in a quick mommy solution - a clothespin!  It actually worked amazingly well!  We clipped it onto the bottle cap like shown and it made it easier for her to maneuver around to paint the entire bottle cap.

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Next, let the bottle caps dry.  we let ours dry overnight just to make sure they were indeed completely dry.

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Next, cut your corrugated cardboard into two long strips, approximately 5-1/2 inches (14 cm)&nbsp;in length by 1-1/2 inches&nbsp;(3.8 cm)&nbsp;in width (this seemed to be a perfect size for her little 3-year-old hands).  I first traced out the shapes on the cardboard and then let V cut them out herself.  Depending on the thickness of your cardboard it may be more difficult then regular paper to cut, so it may be necessary to lend a hand, as I had to do with V.  Once cut, fold your cardboard strips in half, like shown.

Once the bottle caps are dry, turn each one over and fill to the top ridge with glue.  Make sure to fill it completely full, almost over-full, so that the excess will touch the cardboard.  V had a lot of fun with this step - she couldn't believe she was squeezing that much glue out!  Attach the cardboard, like shown on each end.  Let dry overnight to secure.  We opted to place a book on top of them once they were stable, to tighten the attachment process (it also served as a coverup of the project so that it could dry completely away from curious little hands).

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Once dry, turn on some music and have your child try out their new musical instrument by tapping away to the beat!

paints

bottle caps (4)

corrugated cardboard (a relatively small piece, at minimum 7"x4")

Ruler

white glue

Scissors

paper plates

clothespin (optional)

Finger Cymbals

homemade craft

useful craft project

I don't know one child that doesn't love to sing, dance, and make music. Music is pure happiness in our house, and when you get to make your own instruments, it can't get much better. 
This super fun tambourine craft lets your child jingle and jam! 

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First, punch seven holes around your paper plates. (If you can punch through both at once it will be much easier to line up the holes for threading later.) I did this step since it took more strength than my five-year-old had. 

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Next, tie one end of your ribbon through a hole and add a bell. It's easier for kids to thread if you start it for them.

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Your child can continue threading the ribbon through the plates. Add a bell before moving on to the next hole. 

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Once the ribbon has been threaded all the way around the plate, time the ribbon to the first loop and trim off the excess ribbon.  

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Decorating is always the best part! We used music note stickers and markers. 

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My daughter added some personal touches by drawing a picture of her guitar on the front of the tambourine and of course claiming it with her name across the front. 

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Now time to shake, move, dance, and sing to the beat of your beautiful tambourine! 

15 at-home musical instrument projects for kids

Screen-free fun!