Materials
Large pictures of flowers (flower catalogs are great to use enlarge flowers on a
copy machine)
Instructions
1. Ask parents to save drum-shaped containers and bring them in. Collect enough so
that each child has at least one (having two for each child is even better).
2. Two weeks before the date of your "Drum Workshop Party," design and send
out invitations to all the parents. Make sure you include the fact that they will
be helping their children make a drum.
3. Make several posters illustrating the steps of making a drum. Post these in the
room the day before the party.
4. A day before the party, help the children make simple round cookies and tea
to serve the parents.
5. On the day of the party, give each child a container and some construction
paper. The children and their parents can work together to color and
decorate the paper as they wish. Encourage the use of stickers or cut paper
applied with glue.
6. Ask the parents to help the children fit the paper to the outside of their
containers. Cut off the excess paper and tape in place.
7. If desired, put rice or pebbles in the containers before sealing. When the
children shake or drum on the drum, it will make a neat sound.
8. Use tape to secure the lid to the container. You now have decorated drums
for playing.
9. Play some music and drum along.
More to do
Make mallets to use with the drums. Ask the children to collect large sticks and
bring them in. Cut scrap fabric into 6" squares. Place fiberfill on the fabric square
and lay the stick on the fiberfill. Fold the fabric over the fiberfill and stick. Tie
securely with yarn or string. Add tape as necessary to keep the pad from falling
off the stick.
More Music: Make rainsticks to go along with the drums. Cover old potato chip
or tennis ball containers in the same manner as described above. Crumple some
aluminum foil and insert in the container. Add a few tablespoons of rice. Seal the
top with tape. Shake the container or turn it over and over to listen to the
musical sound of the "rain."
Outdoors: Take your drums outdoors and have a parade.
