Trashy Thursday – Making Music

Here is a neat little musical instrument little man and I made for our new friends in Toronto, the Village Mama and family.  We had to go for a nature walk to find just the right sticks for the project.  The only requirement was that they had to form a ‘Y’ shape.  The two sticks we found weren’t that strong so be sure to look for some sturdy sticks. 

The next step was to paint the sticks with your favorite paint (we used acrylic paint from the craft store) and let them dry.  While they are drying we got to go outside and have some fun with the bottle caps.  Since we have someone in the house that drinks beer it’s not hard to find bottle caps lying around.  We took the bottle caps (you can use as many or as few as you like…they make more noise with more caps) outside and hammered a nail into the middle of each one to make the hole for stringing.  Next we sanded each one with a small piece of sandpaper so the paint would adhere well.  Finally we painted each bottle cap and strung them on some thread.  You can use any kind of ribbon, thread or string you have around the house.  Tie the string around each side of the ‘Y’ and you have completed your musical maraca’s from nature!  They actually have a really cool sound when you shake them. 

Since we sent ours to our new friends in Toronto I guess we need to make another set for around the house.  Some additional accessories you can add are feathers and string around the handle.  Have fun and get creative with all that trash around your house!