Musical Bottles
This activity is fun for kids and grownups.
At our house, we’ll lay out a mixture of mason jars and tall-neck bottles across the table and fill them with different colours of water. It’s an easy activity that can be left out for anyone to play as they walk by.
You’ll Need:
A variety of glass bottles
A wire dish scrubby
A sink of hot soapy water
2 pencils with erasers on the ends
Water
Various craft supplies to embellish
Optional: Food Colouring
1) Gather up an array of glass bottles. I chose ones different in colour because I knew they’d be so pretty in the sun. Pop them into a sink with hot soapy water to wash out the insides and to soak the labels off.
2) Use the scrubby to remove the labels from the outside. If you have any foil labels, you may need a spoon to scratch them off.
3) Dry your bottles on the outside
4) Fill them up with various levels of water. The higher you fill them, the more the sound changes. Make sure they’re all different. Add colour if your bottles are clear.
5) Arrange them in a beautiful pattern on a flat, sturdy surface.
6) Now you can add your decor. Consider using beads on a string to give your bottle a necklace, or use a paper collar around the bottles neck. Feathers, buttons, bows, or even paper cut outs will make your project more beautiful.
7) It’s time to experiment with sound. Use the eraser end of your pencils as the drumsticks, and listen to the sound that each bottle makes.
8) You can add water to some bottles and take some away from others to change the note you hear.
Did you know…
*An octatonic scale is a collection of 8 notes. Try using 8 bottles to make your own scale!
*The musical sound you hear when you hit your bottle is actually a vibration. The sound waves travel to your eardrum or your tympanic membrane causing it to vibrate.
*Only 28% of the glass bottles in Canada are recycled each year. When you’re finished with your music-making, remember to recycle your bottles.
Jacquelyn Toupin lives with her family in a heritage farmhouse that has been in her family for several generations. You can follow on Instagram @raisinghay
