How to Make a Kazoo From Cardboard

You don't need a fancy store-bought kazoo to make music.

One of the simplest instruments to play -- it only requires a hum -- the kazoo is one of the earliest instruments many children play. You don't have to go to the store to get your child her first kazoo. Show her how to improvise one out of a few household items, and she can make her own kazoo, and her own music, whenever the mood strikes her.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard toilet paper tube
• Waxed paper
• Scissors
• Rubber band
• Pen or pencil

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of waxed paper with scissors that is about an inch bigger on all sides than the diameter of a toilet paper tube.

2. Place the waxed paper over one end of the toilet paper tube and secure it with a rubber band wrapped around the barrel of the tube.

3. Punch a small hole with a pen or pencil tip near the end of the tube where you attached the waxed paper.

4. Put the open end of the homemade kazoo up to your mouth and blow into it to start making music.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with different materials to seal the tube and different air hole locations and sizes to alter the sound of your kazoo.

• Use a paper towel roll if you don't have an empty toilet paper roll handy.

References

• Savvy Source: Cardboard Kazoo

Resources

• Penn State University: Strike Up the Band!