Category: Music

I got to teach a “Music Maker Week” at our Summer Camp. I had about 10 kids Kindergarten-5th grade. Each day we did a Body Percussion song, STEM activity, and made an instrument. For younger kids we watched Little Einsteins.

Day 1:  Wind Chimes

Homemade Instrument: Wind Chimes

1. Paint your stick if you choose and let it dry.
2. Tie a string or pipe cleaner to a jingle bell and add several pony beads. You will need to make 3-5 of these.
3. Tie the other end of the beads to your stick.
4. Twist 1 pipe cleaner around each side of the stick to hand the wind chimes with.

YouTube Body Percussion video: Pink Panther 

STEM Activity: Paint on a Sheet Music

1. Print out some sheet music. We chose some easier ones, like the ABC’s; and some longer ones about a rose and about sunshine.
2. The kids used watercolors to paint on the music.

Day 2: Egg Shaker Maraca

Homemade Instrument: Egg Shaker Maracas

1. Place rice in an Easter egg.
2. Place the egg inside of 2 plastic spoons.
3. Tape the spoons and eggs together.
4. Dance to Spanish music.
5. Play Freeze Dance

Egg Shaker Songs:

We Don’t Talk About Bruno

Surface Pressure

YouTube Body Percussion video: Happy 

STEM Activity: Dancing Oobleck

Oobleck comes from the Dr. Seuss book called Batholomew and the Oobleck. It is a non-Newtonian liquid; which means that Oobleck has properties of both liquids and solids. You can look at the mixture sitting there as it appears like a liquid, you can even stick your fingers in it and it will feel like a liquid. You can also grab a handful of it and squeeze it into a ball, then it feels and looks like a solid until it relaxes again.

Here is a video of The Big Bang Theory doing the same experiment.

You need about 2 cups of Corn Starch to 1 cup of water, and then add food coloring for fun.

1. You can search for “subwoofer test MP3” and download different test tones and play to see what works best.  Use 40 Hz, 50 Hz, and 63 Hz, and turn the volume way up.
2. Place a cookie sheet onto the speaker of a subwoofer, and pour in the Oobleck.
3. Before you play the MP3 you will need to place your fingers on the edge of the cookie sheet with gentle pressure to hold it flush against the sub.
4. Turn on the music and watch the Oobleck jump and dance.

Day 3: Jingle Bell Anklet

Homemade Instrument: Jingle Bell Anklet

1. Place the jingle bells and pony beads on the pipe cleaner.
2. Dance with music that moves your feet, to hear the jingles.
3. Play Freeze dance

YouTube Body Percussion video: I Like to Move It 

STEM Activity: Colored Ice Drums

You need about plastic tubs of different sizes (we mostly used large ice cream tubs), Just add water and then add food coloring for fun. Put in the freezer for a day or two.

1. Freeze water colored with food coloring in different-sized food containers and bowls.
2. When frozen, remove the ice shapes from their molds and place them in a tub (we used a plastic kiddy pool).
3. Add drumsticks and objects for beating the ice drums.

Day 4: Spin Drum

Homemade Instrument: Spin Drum 

1. Cut the tube into 1 or 2 inch pieces (each child gets 1 pieces)
2. Take the tube and trace its circumference on the cardboard sheet twice, to make two circles.
3. Cut out the circles from the cardboard. 
4. Use a sharp object to cut a slot on the side of the cardboard tube ring. The slot should be big enough to insert a straw through it.
5. Insert a straw through the slot of the tube section. Apply glue to the areas where the straw and the cardboard tube meet to attach them firmly.
6. Take a long piece of yarn and attach a jingle bell to one end of the strand. Tie a knot to secure the bell.  
7. Use something sharp to poke a hole on each side of the tube.  The holes should be on either side of the straw.
8. Place some tape around the end of the yarn to poke it threw the hole, twist around the straw and poke it though the hole on the opposite side. (the bell should be just long enough to wrap around the drum and hit the drum in the middle)
9. Pull the yarn through the other side of the roll. Add a jingle bell to this second side. Make a knot to secure the bell and cut off any extra yarn. Try to keep a roughly equal amount of yarn on this side as you have on the other side of the roll.
10. Glue your cardboard circles to both sides of the ring to close it
11. Use colored craft papers or paint to decorate the plain cardboard parts of the spin drum. Embellish as you’d like.

YouTube Body Percussion video: We will Rock You 

STEM Activity: Musical Chairs

1. Make a circle with chairs. Have one less chair than there are students.
2. Play the music for about 20-30 seconds and then stop it.
3. As the music plays the children walk in a like around the circle of chairs, and when the music stops the children need to find a chair.
4. The person without a chair is eliminated.
5. Remove one chair and repeat until there is only one student left.

Day 5: Paper Plate Tambourine

Homemade Instrument: Paper Plate Tambourine

1. Decorate 2 paper plates with crayons.
2. Use a hole punch to punch holes around the paper plates.
3. String yarn through the holes adding a jingle bell every once in a while.
4. Add a few dry beans in the middle if you want.
5. Play with Tambourine music.

YouTube Body Percussion video: Try Everything 

STEM Activity: Water Xylophone

You can use the water xylophone to teach kids about pitch.

1. Fill 6 mason jars or glasses with different levels of water. Each should have slightly more water than the previous one. We added food coloring for fun.
2. Have your children to use their drumsticks or a spoon to gently tap on the jar.
3. You should hear different pitch for each jar that is tapped.
4. This tap creates a vibration sound wave that travel through the water. The sound waves change with different amounts of water in the jar. Higher sounds have less water because the sound waves travel closer together. Lower sounds are in the jars with more water producing a lower sound.