We have been doing Music Monday since E and V were newborns. It has been such a great way to focus on a particular instrument, movement, composer, or artist. Crafty or Art Tuesday has evolved as E and V’s skills have. What began with opportunities to create has now included the study of artists and techniques. (If you’d like an idea of what a typical week looks like check out January’s homeschool plans.)
E and V have shown a great interest in the trumpet, pretending to play anything and everything that looks like a trumpet mouthpiece. While I’ve been keeping my eye out for a trumpet (looking at piccolos), I haven’t felt ready to go through with purchasing one yet. While they have many percussion instruments I wanted to give them the opportunity to play something with their mouths.
As we’ve been reading more books about simpler times and homesteading, I decided to look around the house to see what we could create rather than just jumping on Amazon. I want to start instilling a greater appreciation for items by assisting in the creation of them as well as that joy we receive.
What do you need:
-Toilet paper roll.
-Wax paper. This was pure luck to have found in the house. Something that my husband has had for years in a drawer and I never use as I greatly enjoy my sister-in-law’s bees wax cloth.
-Rubber bands.
E and V decorated their toilet paper rolls using crayons while I cut the wax paper to size. Once they were finished, we placed the wax paper over one end, securing it with a rubber band. This created the vibrating membrane for when they hummed. While different than a trumpet, as there is no blowing required, they still enjoyed the sound, albeit short-lived.
This experience not only provided them the opportunity to play music but seeing how to create an instrument. In time, there will be more interest in understanding the vibrations and how different syllables can create different sounds. We could also use different size tubes and membranes, such as a plastic bag.
This post contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you.
.
.
.
