Phillips-at-home: Making Musical Maracas

Get craft with your recyclables! You can use water bottles and toilet-paper rolls to make musical maracas at home with your family. This project is fun, engaging, and accessible for all ages.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• Toilet paper rolls or water bottles (you can use both, or one or the other)
• Beads or any dried food in your kitchen pantry, such as beans, pasta, or rice.
• Decorative materials (colorful duct tape, tissue paper, scrapbook paper, pipe-cleaners, etc.)

SUGGESTED AGE:

• 4 and up (possible for younger ages with adult supervision)

TIME FRAME: 

• 30 minutes-1 hour

HOW TO BUILD A MARACA:

There are two easy ways to construct your musical maraca.

Option 1

Step 1: Clean, rinse and dry plastic water bottle. Any size bottle will work!

Step 2: Select beads or dried food for the inside (beads/food may be visible so think about the colors you want to choose)

Step 3: Pour beads/dried food into the water bottle

• Tip: Use a piece of paper as a funnel to make this process easier and cleaner
• Tip: Fill up halfway to allow room for beads to shake

Step 4: Close water bottle cap

Step 5: Decorate the outside of your maraca!

To further extend your project, create two maracas and attach a toilet paper roll in between to form a handle. Duct tape is recommended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Option 2

Step 1: Select a toilet paper roll or paper towel roll

• Tip: A toilet paper roll will create a hand-held maraca; a paper towel roll will create a rain stick

Step 2: Pinch one end together and seal by stapling

Step 3:  Pour beads/dried food into the tube

Step 4: Close other end with staples

• Tip: You can either pinch the edges together in the same direction as the other end or in the opposite direction to create a triangle shape (see photograph below)

Step 5: Decorate the outside of your maraca!

Re-purposing materials is a great way to save money, think creatively and reduce waste!