Update: Our Outdoor Music Area

5 comments

Published on Friday, June 4, 2010 in Music, Outside

For those of you who have been following the development of our outdoor area, this is the most recent update.

The giant xylophone is now reinforced with 2x2s but needs to be connected to a post in the ground. It seems as though using the 2x2s is a much better option than the string. The sound is great, and the structure is more secure.

We have also added a few sets of chimes. One is made from bamboo that we found at the Dollar Store and cut into various lengths. (I think the longest one is 30 inches and each smaller one is 2 inches shorter than the last.). The other one is made from metal pipes that we recycled from broken clothes racks. Again, we used the same method, however with this one, we went all the way down to a 2 inch piece. (We had a lot of metal pipe!).

We have also made some homemade "tambourines." We took a bunch of lids from canned foods, nailed holes in them and strung them with beads on a wire coat hanger that we cut into pieces. (We have a great can opener from Tupperware that cuts the cans safely and allows us to use the lids for craft projects).

We also hung a mini "yooper scooper" from the fence. It makes great music too!

We're getting closer to finishing up this area. We have some copper conduit pipes that we have cut into chimes, and some that we found the exact lengths to make a musical scale. (The directions for this can be found here.) We were also able to get a large piece of plexi-glass donated that we are having cut into a drum head. We will place that in the center of the huge tractor tire. A friend of ours has a cow bell to add, and we will continue to add smaller pieces as we find them!

For our previous blogs on the Music Area: Making the Xylophone, Making Music in the Yard Part II.

5 Response to Update: Our Outdoor Music Area

Kelly

June 6, 2010 at 8:43 AM

This is really cool! A local science museum has an area like this and my kids love, love it. Great idea!

jenny @ let the children play

May 3, 2011 at 6:03 AM

Hi Amy - I just shared this on my blog because I think it is all kinds of fabulous :)

http://progressiveearlychildhoodeducation.blogspot.com/2011/05/ideas-for-music-play-outdoors.html

Kathy Pitt

October 23, 2011 at 11:36 PM

This is just awesome!! What a wonderful thing to have for children. I am looking at making one too, but I am wondering how it goes in wet weather, in the rain. No rusting ect?
thanks
Kathy
mzcally@hotmail.com

Growing a Jeweled Rose

March 30, 2012 at 11:57 PM

How did you hang the chimes?

Amy A @ Child Central Station

April 2, 2012 at 7:25 AM

The chimes are hung with heavy duty fishing line. The only thing that we have had problems with in the weather is the bamboo... It molded out, but everything else seems to have lasted quite well.

Child Central Station