CAN You Make A Wind Chime?

Materials:

• Clean tin cans (best to have various sizes and shapes, and include some lids)
• Paint
• Paint brush
• String
• Hammer
• Nail
• Metal washers or nuts
• Glitter (optional)
• Tape (optional)
• Newspaper or tarp

Directions:

1. Put down some newspaper, a tarp or plastic trash bags to help with the cleanup
2. Check your cans for sharp edges and put tape around the rims to be safe and prevent any cuts
3. Paint your cans with whatever paints you have – get creative and mix colors together or try adding glitter to your paints
4. Sprinkle your extra glitter over your cans for some extra sparkly wind chimes
5. After the paint dries, and with the help of an ADULT, use a hammer and nail to punch a hole in the bottom of each of your tin cans and lids
6. String a long piece of yarn through the holes
7. Tie two washers onto the end of the string, inside the cans
   1. One washer is used to hold the yarn in place and the other is placed at the end of the string to make that famous clanking sound of a wind chime
   2. If you do not have washers, you can use nuts or rocks instead – just make sure the material is hard enough to make a noise when it hits the can
8. Get outside and hang up the cans, making sure they overlap each other for maximum noise
9.  Sit, observe and enjoy the sounds of your masterpiece!

Activity by Erin Bigelow, Upham Site Coordinator
Photo Credit: www.handsonaswegrow.com