Sound Station – Maker Fun Factory

There are times when I come up with completely new ideas and times when I use the VBS curriculum provided ideas. I LOVE the sound station idea provided by Group!  For our sound station, we made the wrench chimes suggested by Group as well as another interactive sound station that we created.  I’m so glad we made these sound station items – they turned out so fun!  We also made a homemade xylophone, but it ended up in another area.

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SOUND STATION WRENCH CHIMES

Supplies:
Wooden or metal rod
Pool noodle
Metal wrenches
Rubber bands
Wooden drumsticks or small dowel rod pieces
String
Duct tape

Instructions:

1. Attach wooden dowel rod to a base so it will stand on its own.  We actually found a metal stand that was the right size, so we used it instead of a dowel rod.
2. Slide pool noodle over the dowel rod to soften it up.
3. Attach wrenches to pool noodle using rubber bands.  I used two rubber bands on each wrench to make sure it was secure.
   
4. Find small wooden drumsticks or dowel rods to use as drumsticks.
5. Attach drumsticks to pool noodle using duct tape and string.
6. Play away!  I used this in our Sound Station in the church foyer.  Kids and adults alike really enjoyed playing it!  Since our base was metal, I covered the bottom with foam and added some yellow flags so no one tripped over it.

SOUND STATION HOMEMADE INSTRUMENTS

Supplies:
Frame
Paracord
Duct tape
Scissors
Handheld drill
Noise items {anything plastic or metal}
Drumstick items {dowel rods, kitchen spatulas, etc}

Instructions:

1. Find or build a frame.  We found a swing frame on a local sale site for $10.  After VBS, I took the decorations off and attached my daughter’s swing to it.  Win-win!
2. Find or purchase noise-making items.  I got some of ours from our supply closet and some from Dollar Tree.  The burner covers from Dollar Tree were fantastic – they were a lot thicker metal than the disposable pie tins. Our swing sound station had {left to right}: a plastic salad spatula, plastic funnels {spray painted blue and green}, metal pie pans and burner covers, orange plastic desk organizers, small pieces of white PVC pipe, metal soup cans and coffee cans and another plastic salad spatula.  Note: If I were doing this again, I would find heavier plastic or metal spatulas.  The salad servers broke before VBS week was over.
   
3. Drill a hole in the center of each item {if it doesn’t already have a hole}.
4. Hang items from the frame.  We used paracord {leftover from Cave Quest VBS} to tie the items to the frame.  Don’t forget to burn the ends of the paracord with a lighter to seal them!  We used duct tape on the inside of the items to reinforce the hole.  This was definitely necessary because our kids were pretty… musically inspired {read: they were a little rough on the musical station}.

I am so glad we made these items for our sound station!  The kids really enjoyed the interactive stations!

I am a long-time Vacation Bible School lover.  I’ve lead in several capacities throughout the VBS world and am currently our church’s VBS director.  It is a joy for me to be able to share VBS ideas and resources with others!  I will continue to share ideas here for Maker Fun Factory and other VBS programs.  Follow the blog to see more of your ideas and planning!  Please let me know if there are any specific VBS items or ideas you need help with.