Let’s Have a Beach Day!

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is go the beach. What is not to love about the beach? It is a perfect place to sit and relax, build sand castles (or bury people under the sand), and, of course, to go swimming. While swimming in the ocean isn’t always my favorite, I do love just sitting on the beach listening to the sound of the waves. It is one of the most relaxing things to me. With the summer coming to an end, and having missed relaxing at the beach so far, I wanted to share a way for you to bring the ocean to your house. At least, how to bring the sounds of the ocean to your house.

Here is a quick and easy way to make an ocean drum with things you can get at the dollar store!

Let’s Make an Ocean Drum

Materials:

• Pie plate or small metal carry out container with a top. I like the metal carry out containers with a flat cardboard top best, as they are easy to decorate, but either option is perfect.
• Rice, beans, or small beads
• Markers, crayons, stickers, and anything else you would like to decorate your drum!

How to:

1. Take the top off of your pie plate, and pour some rice into the bottom. You don’t want to fill up the whole pie plate, just enough to almost cover the bottom. You can also experiment with a variety of things inside, such as mixing beans and rice, or rice and beads. Whatever you use will make the ocean drum sound slightly different.
2. Next we will decorate the top. I like to use makers and stickers to make a beach picture on top. You could draw some fish swimming in the ocean, or people on the beach, or maybe both!
3. Now, put the top on your pie plate, crimp the edges, and you have your finished ocean drum! Some tops will fit more securely then others. If you are afraid of your rice falling out (or little fingers playing with the seam), you can secure it more with some glue around the edges.
4. It’s time to play! Slowly tip your drum from side to side. Does it sound like the waves at the ocean?

Now lets set the mood. Do you have some moon sand at home, or maybe a small kiddie pool? Bring these together with your ocean drums, and have a beach day at home! You could even turn on a fan to give you an “ocean breeze” and pretend that you are relaxing at the beach for a while!

Did you enjoy making this instrument? What materials did you use? What kinds of pictures did you draw on yours? Do you have any other ideas for a beach day at home? Share with us in the comments!