Additional Resource for Me and My World, Lesson 2, Strategy #5
Classroom Instruments: Bashing Trash
Instruments that you HIT or STRIKE:
 Make a simple drum
o Coffee can or any other container with a plastic lid
o Cardboard boxes of any size (drums can be square!)
o Bottles filled with different amounts of water
 Hit them with your hands
 Strike them with
o pencils
o wooden spoons
o chopsticks
o old pens that are out of ink
o Other old kitchen utensils
 Wrap a rubber band around the end and see how the sound changes!
Instruments that you SCRAPE
 Look for objects that have a rough surface and scrape them with something
else
o Coffee cans (the sides work great!)
o Water Bottles
o Sand paper
Instruments that you SHAKE
 Fill a bottle or can with birdseed, rice, beans, or soda tabs -- then seal the
top and shake away!
 You can use:
o Plastic bottles
o Aluminum cans
o Plastic Containers with lids
o Paper or Plastic Cups taped together
o Egg carton cups taped together
 Add a handle and you have made some maracas!
Once you figure out the sounds for your instrument, be sure you decorate it. You can use
recycled materials – plastic bag streamers, old newspapers and paper bags, recycled
wrapping paper – even old rubber bands!
For more ideas go to Bash the Trash Instrument Building zone at
http://03573d8.netsolhost.com/Instruments_Intro/Instruments.html