Activity Overview
Construct a Rubber Band Guitar out of a few recyclable materials and some rubber bands. Young musicians and artists will have just as much fun with the decorating and assembly of this cool instrument as they will strumming along in their homemade instrument band.
By varying the width of the bands on the homemade guitar, you are adding variation of sounds that the guitar can make. So, in essence your craft is a also a science experiment. Thinner rubber bands vibrate more quickly than thicker rubber bands so they make higher sounding notes than thicker bands.
Materials Needed
- Shoe box
- Cardboard paper towel tube
- Paint or markers
- Coffee Can
- Several elastic bands that are similar in length both vary in width.
How to Make It
- Trace a coffee can on to the center of the inside of a shoe box. Use markers or paint to paint the circle in a vibrant pattern.
- Paint or use stickers to decorate the sides of your shoe box.
- Take your varied width elastic bands and stretch them evenly around the center of the box from short side to short side. 4 or 5 works well. Preferably arrange the bands in order of thickness.
- Take your paper towel cardboard tube and snip four 1 inch cuts with your scissors in one end of the roll.
- Fold the four tabs that you just made on the paper towel tube upward.
- Use these tabs to attach the cylinder to one end of the shoe box and secure with duck tape.
- Paint or draw on the paper tube to make it look like the handle of a guitar if you desire.
