DIY Musical Instruments: Kazoo, Paper Plate Drum, and Rainstick

Ready to make some music! Give these DIY musical instruments a try that only need a few simple craft supplies Make fun humming music with a Popsicle stick kazoo. Or get your rhythm on with a cool paper plate and bead drum. The kids will love the maracas and rain sticks too. I teamed up with Popsicle to bring you these fun crafts as a part of Virtual Recess, a program filled with ways to keep the kids having fun this year.

How to Make a Popsicle Stick Kazoo

This first project is my absolute favorite! Kazoos! It’s a bit mind-blowing that you can make a kazoo out of just a few simple craft supplies. Check out the video below to learn how to make it and a little bit of the science behind the fun.

Supplies: Popsicle Stick Kazoo

• Popsicle sticks
• Paper
• Tape
• Rubber bands

Instructions: Popsicle Stick Kazoo

1. Cut two pieces of paper, each 2” long and 1” wide.
2. Place a piece of paper vertically on a table. Stack two popsicle sticks on top of each other, perpendicular to the paper. Tightly wrap the two sticks with a piece of paper, approximately ½” from the end of the sticks. Tape the paper to itself to secure. Repeat with the other piece of paper on the other end of the sticks.
3. Slide one of the popsicle sticks out of the paper wraps.
4. Place a rubber band longways around the Popsicle stick with the paper wraps.
5. Stack the other Popsicle stick on top of the rubber band and tightly wrap each end with another rubber band to secure the two sticks together.
6. To play the kazoo, hold the instrument between your fingers and blow through the center of the two sticks.

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How to Make a Paper Plate Drum

The kids will get some energy from this next instrument and get their wiggles out too. This paper plate drum is really fun to play!

Supplies: Paper Drum

• String (or yarn)
• 2 paper plates (or cardboard circles)
• Tape (or stapler)
• Popsicle stick (or straw or chopstick)
• 2 beads
• Scissors

Instructions: Paper Drum

1. Cut a 2-foot long piece of string.
2. Lay a paper plate on the table. Place the string across the center of the plate and lay a Popsicle stick on the edge of a paper plate. Top with another paper plate. Tape Popsicle stick in place.
3. Fold one edge of the string over the plate and pull until it reaches just past the center of the plate. Tie a bead on it and double knot.
4. Now lay the other end over the middle of the plate and cut it so that the end is in the middle of the plate. Tie a bead on it and double knot.
5. Decorate as desired.
6. To play, hold the drum by the Popsicle stick and rotate.

How to Make Paper Roll Rain Sticks and Maracas

Paper rolls make amazing DIY musical instruments! You just need to add a few supplies to make them shake. Here are instructions for both a rain stick and maraca.

Supplies: Paper Roll Rain Stick

Paper towel roll
Rice (or beads, beans, meltable craft beads, etc.)
Pipe cleaners
Tape
Paper
Rubber bands

Instructions: Paper Roll Rain Stick

1. Twist together two pipe cleaners end to end, then twist them around your fingers to create a spiral just smaller than the diameter of the paper roll.
2. Insert the pipe cleaners into the paper towel roll and tape one end of the pipe cleaner inside one end of the roll. Stretch the pipe cleaner spiral until it reaches the other end of the roll and tape in place. This will be used to slow the flow of rice in the rain stick.
3. Cut two 5” x 5” squares of paper. Lay one piece of paper on the end of the paper towel roll and fold it over the end. Rubber band in place.
4. Add 1 tablespoon of rice to the roll. Cover the other end with the other square of paper and rubber band in place.
5. Decorate as desired.

Supplies: Paper Roll Maraca

• Toilet paper roll
• Rice (or beads, beans, meltable craft beads, etc.)
• Popsicle sticks
• Paper
• Rubber bands

Instructions: Paper Roll Maraca

1. Cut two 5” x 5” squares of paper.
2. Lay one piece of paper on the end of the toilet paper roll and fold it over the end. Rubber band in place.
3. Add 1 tablespoon of rice, beans, beads, etc. to the roll.
4. Cover the other end with the other square of paper and rubber band in place.
5. Place a Popsicle stick on one side as a maraca handle and rubber band into place.
6. Decorate as desired.

More Virtual Recess Fun for Kids

Check out all of the fun activities we did with Popsicle for Virtual Recess this year! Try Secret Messages, Thaumatropes, a Miniature Playground, and these fun DIY Instruments.

More Ways to Get Creative With the Kids

Looking for some more STEAM inspiration that you can use right now? Instant gratification style? Check out STEAM Explorers!! The coolest creative experience for kids is here! It's a digital book of the month club filled with tons of fun stuff for the kids to do and learn. All engineer, teacher, and mom-approved. And most definitely KID APPROVED!⁣

What’s included?⁣

• A monthly digital magazine with cool themes that are fun to read
• Hands-on, exciting projects the kids will love.⁣
• Science, tech, engineering, art, and math learning YOU’LL love.⁣
• Delicious recipes the kids can make.⁣
• Fun printables and games⁣

Have fun as we reduce, reuse, renew, and recycle in April with the STEAM Explorers Recycle Issue! The kids will love upcycling old shirts into tote bags, building litter bug bots, making bioplastic, eating garbage cookies, renewing plants, making Earth sculptures, and so much more!  You'll love the helpful standards-based learning, printables, and tools that make STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, & math) exploration easy!

We’ve split the issue into four weekly themes:

• WEEK 1: PAPER POSSIBILITIES
• WEEK 2: TRASH OR TREASURE
• WEEK 3: MATERIAL SWAP
• WEEK 4: NATURE'S RECYCLERS