I'm very happy to welcome back Maggy from Red Ted Art today with a guest post about the Science of Music. I love Maggy's blog because she makes everything so pretty, whereas I only manage functional items. Maggy has made "shooters" and explained roundabouts in previous posts, but today, it's all about making music!
You could investigate how banging a drum harder makes a louder noise, or for older children, try making the drum from different materials to see how that changes the sound. With the guitar, you could try different length and width elastic bands and see how the sound is different with each. Or, how about using boxes of different sizes to investigate how that changes the acoustics?
It has been a little while since I last visited the lovely Science Sparks!! I adore this website, as it makes science so easy, fun, and accessible. So many people think that they can't do science with their kids because it is too hard. But Science Sparks shows us otherwise. It is all about observing your environment and asking lots of questions (even if we don't know the answers).
Normally, you will find me over at Red Ted Art getting crafty with the kids. So today, I will share some crafty projects with a science element: MUSICAL CRAFTS! Yay. (After all, acoustics is science, right?!).
First up, we have some simple homemade drums. We made these years and years ago, when my son was just 2 years old. He loved them, and later, his little sister enjoyed playing with them too. They are a great craft/ music/ science activity for preschoolers.
Once older, we decided to make a Guitar with the kids. I was trying to awaken an interest in music and thought this would be a great instrument to "try". The science is all about the rubber bands' acoustics, amplified by a plastic box...
We love these maracas, as they are made from REAL eggs—yep, REAL eggs. If you papier-mache them, they become strong and won't break (you could talk about the science behind that, for starters). You could also fill them with different things and explore the different sounds. We made maracas AND shakers (basically, the same but without the "sticks").
We have lots more ideas that we want to try SOON—making sound using water glasses or bottles, different "click clack" toys, or jingly bells.
Watch our little video to see and HEAR more ideas....
If you are after the web-links to show how to make the crafts in the video, check out our music crafts.
About the Author: Maggy Woodley, is a mum of two and loves all things crafts! She loves nothing better than to recycle and forage for craft materials –making crafts economical, a bit more environmentally friendly and fun.
Last Updated on March 27, 2025 by Emma Vanstone
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