How to Make Homemade Drum Set

Your homemade drum set may not look this elaborate, but it can look this colorful.

Building a homemade drum set is a fun and cost-effective way to entertain your kids. By involving them in the project, you will provide them with a valuable opportunity to learn to work with their hands and be creative at the same time. Not only will you introduce them to music, you might tire them out before bedtime. Just be prepared for the noise once the drum set is ready to go.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic containers of various sizes with lids
• Glitter
• Stickers
• Scissors
• Old magazines
• Coloring markers
• Strong double-sided tape
• Chopsticks
• Paint brushes
• 1 cup of uncooked rice or pasta

Instructions

1. Gather together two 5-qt. ice cream containers with lids, two 32-oz. yogurt containers with lids, and five 8-oz plastic containers with lids. Attach the original lids to ensure a tight seal on your drums.

2. Decorate the drums with your kids' help. Cut out images from old magazines and glue them onto the containers. Use coloring markers to personalize the drums, and apply glitter and stickers to add more pizazz.

3. 

   In a real set, the largest drum--the bass--sits on its side and is played by a foot-operated pedal.

   Arrange the containers on a flat surface such as the floor or a table. Set the two 5-qt. containers side by side. Place the two 32-oz. containers on either side of the contact point between the ice cream buckets. Place two of the 8-oz. containers on either side of each of the 32-oz containers so that they also touch the two 5-qt. containers.

4. Cut off 14 pieces of double-sided tape in the following lengths: two 5-inch pieces, four 4-inch pieces and eight 2-inch pieces. Use the 5-inch pieces to attach the ice cream containers together. Use the 4-inch pieces to attach the 32-oz. containers to the ice cream containers. Use the 2-inch pieces to attach the 8-oz. containers. Use additional double-sided tape as required for reinforcement of your drum set.

5. Beat the drum set using chopsticks and paint brushes sturdy enough to withstand a few drumming sessions. Switch them up to make different sounds.

Tips & Warnings

• Make a shaker by filling the fifth 8-oz. container with uncooked rice or pasta and sealing it with the lid. It's a party favorite and makes for drum accompaniment.