Beware! Creating a wind chime from recycled materials is a dangerous proposition. There is a high risk of sparking a desire to make all kinds of creations from household materials and things you probably would rather throw away. Enjoy this incredible art and science project at the risk of creating a master recycler!
Materials:
- 4-5 clean, dry tin cans
- Masking or electrical tape
- Hammer and nail or punch
- Yarn or string
- A handful of metal washers
- Tempera paint and brushes
- Optional: clear coat spray paint
- Optional: glitter and/or stickers
You may want to do this project outside or place down a newspaper or a shower curtain to contain the mess.
Beforehand, make sure your tin cans are clean and dry, have labels removed, and have no sharp edges. You can use masking or electrical tape to cover the edges and ensure no little fingers get cut during the project.
Hand your child the brushes and let your little Picasso decorate the outside of the cans. If you want to apply glitter, you should do so while the paint is wet. Otherwise, when your child is finished painting, allow the cans to dry. Once dry, your child can decorate with stickers.
Using a hammer and nail or a punch, make holes in the bottom of the cans. (grown-ups only) Then, string the yarn or string (about a 2’ section) through the hole in each can. Tie one washer about 3” from the end of the string. This will hold the can onto the string. Tie another washer to the very end of the string. This washer will be clapping inside the can, making noise as it moves around in the wind.
Once all the cans are strung and have washers, tie them all together so they hang at slightly different lengths but still touch. Then, choose a location outside to hang your wind chime where you can hear it from indoors.
Teaching moments:
- While working on this project, talk to your child about recycling: what it is and why we do it. Discuss how reusing the cans to create something new and useful instead of throwing them away is a form of recycling that reduces the amount of waste your family creates. Ask them if they can think of any other ways to recycle.
- Your wind chime is a great segue into conversations and exploration of weather topics. Research and read about what makes wind. (Your previous project about convection will come in handy here!) Observe how the wind chime behaves differently on different days and in different weather conditions.