How to Make a Set of Bongo Drums
Making toy bongos with kids is a great way to get them interested in music, and a fun craft project besides. Coffee cans, oatmeal containers and pretty much any other canisters will work. Use felt, craft paper, markers, paints and other art materials to decorate.
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Things You'll Need
- Coffee cans
- Oatmeal canister
- Felt
- Scissors or metal snips
- Construction paper
- Paint
- Paint brushes
- Glitter glue
- Craft glue
- Hot glue gun
- Hot glue
- Wooden block
- Awl
- Ribbon
Instructions
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Get two canisters, such as coffee cans or oatmeal containers. Ideally, you want your bongos to be different sizes so you get different tones out of them, but in a pinch you can use two of the same type.
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Consider gluing felt to the top of the lids. They are going to be your drum skins, and adding felt makes a deeper, more muffled tone. You can experiment by holding a piece of felt over the top and hitting it, then removing the felt and trying again. Once you have added the felt, glue the tops onto the containers.
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Consider cutting off the bottoms of the drums. More sound will project if you do.
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Paint the drums. Decorate with bright festive colors, or draw pictures on the sides.
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Once the drums have dried, use any other decorations you want. You can add glitter glue, cut out pieces of construction paper and fabric, or whatever else you like. Let them dry again.
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Put a small wooden block between the drums and glue it to each drum to connect them. Let the glue dry thoroughly before moving the drums.
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With the awl, punch two holes in the sides of each drum so that you can pass a strip of ribbon through both drums. Tie it so that it makes a big loop. You can now wear your bongos around your neck and play them on the go!
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Tips & Warnings
Always supervise kids using scissors or hot glue guns.
Don't let kids cut the bottom out of a metal canister. Do it yourself, and be sure to bend back any edges so they can't cut themselves.
