Household Orchestra

Materials You Need: Saucepans; Baking pans; Plastic pots; Metal spoons; Wooden spoons; Metal whisk; Glass bottles; Water; Elastic bands; Shoebox

What You Can Do Together:

Step 1

Have a look at the equipment list and encourage children to start making noises with objects you’ve collected from around the house. The metal pots and pans will make the core of a percussion section. How does each ‘instrument’ sound when struck with either a wooden and metal object?

Step 2

Fill some different size glass bottles with differing amounts of water. Blow sharply across the top of the bottle’s opening and you will create a ‘whistle’. Use old milk bottles or sauce bottles, but glass works better. That’s your wind section sorted. You can also tap these (gently) and they will create a glass bottle xylophone.

Step 3

Stretch some elastic bands around a shoebox. You can experiment with cutting a round hole in the middle of the box, like a guitar. Different thickness bands will make different noises and smaller or larger boxes will reverberate the sounds differently. Experiment with your string section.

Step 4

Children can add to their orchestra using electric equipment (with adult supervision) that makes different noises. Whisks, kettles, vacuum cleaners and washing machines all make excellent background noise to your orchestral marvels.

Did you know that the word ‘orchestra’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘to dance’? When you’re making music, make the time to dance to it as well!

What Your Child is Learning:  Kids love making noise! Give them some time with no noise limits to explore the possibilities of different sounds. This activity will get kids thinking about how sound and music are made, as well as what makes the best, or loudest, sounds.