Make Musical Maracas!
Maracas are musical rattles found in the Caribbean and Latin America. Historically, they were made out of gourds and filled with pebbles. Here’s how you can make maracas out of recycled materials at home.
Materials
For 1 maraca (double up to make 2)
2 toilet paper rolls
Duct tape
Paint and paint brushes
Rice (or popcorn or dry beans) for filling
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Scissors
Instructions
Seal the end of one toilet paper roll with the duct tape, making sure there are no gaps as you don’t want the filling to spill out. (You know what I mean: mess = trouble!)
Fill the toilet paper roll halfway up with rice (or popcorn or dry beans). You may find it easier to pour the rice into a wide-brimmed bowl first and then scoop it up with the toilet paper roll.
Seal the other end of the roll with the duct tape, again making sure there are no gaps.
Cut the second toilet roll down the side and wrap it around the rice-filled roll; this will help make your maraca stronger.
Glue the outer toilet roll down using the glue gun.
Now it’s time to paint your maraca: First of all, paint it all over in a strong base colour and allow it to dry. Then you can paint on any design or pattern you like, in your favourite bright colours.
Once the paint is dry, go outside and shake, shake, shake your maraca. Make some noise and have fun!
