Kiddipedia
Young kids enjoy making noise. You only have to spend a few hours with a toddler to realise just how much! From banging blocks to pushing buttons, experimenting is an important part of their development. It’s easy to make a cute music shaker at home with items you have around the house. Make two shakers – one for each if you – put the music on and shake-shake-shake together. Your toddler will love it!
While your toddler is having fun shaking, so much more is happening than we often realise. The brain is getting a great workout! They are not just shaking, they are learning how their bodies move in space, how their body parts interact with each other, how to listen and change sounds, follow basic musical concepts (temp and dynamics) and practice their fine motor skills. Try different activities, for example shaking fast and slow, or saying “stop” where they have to freeze.
To make your own rainbow bottle shaker, follow the instructions below.
What you need
- Clean plastic bottle with lid
- Uncooked rice
- Food colouring
- Ziplock bags
- Tray with foil
- Strong tape
Instructions
- Place a handful of rice in a ziplock bag.
- Seal the bag and rub the outside to coat the rice evenly with the colouring. Add more colouring and repeat the process until you have the desired colour saturation.
- Repeat this process with different colours. Use a separate ziplock bag for each colour.
- Line a baking tray with foil, and spread out your coloured rice to dry. This takes a few hours.
- Once dry, mix the rice together. Pretty!
- Use the foil to pour coloured rice into your empty bottle.
- Don’t overfill the bottle with rice, because you want to make sure it shakes! Screw the lid on and tape shut (to prevent any accidents).
That’s it! A fun homemade shaker that looks cute too.
Note: This activity is designed to be supervised by a parent at all times.
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