Kerry made this very cool eerie sounds device two years ago. I made one today with my children, and they LOVED the spooky noises it made. They kept scaring me, hiding around corners and creaking.
This activity is a great Halloween science activity, perfect for learning about sound and its amplification.
How to make a spooky noise maker
To make a spooky noise machine you will need
- A paperclip
- Ribbon
- Water
- Thick tissue or paper towel.
- A plastic cup
- Something to make a hole in your cup
How to make a spooky noise maker
1. Carefully pierce a hole in the top of the cup. Ask an adult to help.
2. Thread the ribbon through the hole and tie a small knot at the end.
3. Attach the paper clip.
4. Wet a small paper towel.
5. Fold the paper towel around the ribbon and pull it down!
The spooky noise maker should sound like a creaky door.
How does it work?
The cup acts like a soundboard. If you rub the towel down the ribbon without the cup attached, no sound is made, but with the cup attached, the vibrations from the movement amplify, creating a spooky noise.
More ideas
Try different ribbon widths and listen to how the noise changes.
What if you pull the ribbon through the cup? Does it still make a noise?
Find out how we hear sounds, and try a simple activity that lets you see sound!
Don’t forget to check out my other Halloween science experiments and my FREE Halloween quiz!
You might also like my book Gross Science, which is full of icky, sticky and stinky science experiments for kids!
Last Updated on October 24, 2025 by Emma Vanstone
This reminds me of the moose calls I used to make using a large coffee can and braided string…great adaptation for small hands!
You do such a great job with kid-friendly science activities! Thanks so much for sharing this one with us at After School.
Keep on writing and chguging away!
That’s really thinikng at a high level