Straw Pan Pipe Craft for Kids

My daughter came home very excited that she had made a pan pipe out of drinking straws at camp. However, she had left the homemade craft instrument there and wanted to make another one. I helped her figure out a way of making one at home. Ours was a little different and she really liked it.

Materials:

• plastic drinking straws
• tape (clear or decorative Washi tape)
• scissors
• yarn or thread (optional)

Directions:

1. Cut the drinking straws in increasingly smaller sizes.

2. Tape the straws in size order. We wrapped the tape around one straw, then added the second straw (leaving a little space if you plan to also use thread or yarn), then wrapped the tape around both straws, then added the third straw, etc. We wanted to use Washi tape but couldn’t find ours–I think that would be a cute addition.

3. We wrapped gold thread above and below the tape, over two, back one, then tie off at the end. You could even remove the tape if you wrap tightly enough. I think this gives it a more traditional look…well, as traditional as neon plastic straws can look.

You aren’t going to get a loud sound out of it but maybe that’s a plus? My kids certainly had fine playing the pipes until they got dizzy.

Educational Connections:

• History / Culture: Find out where the pan pipes got their name. Where else have cultures developed similar pipe instruments? What materials do they make to use them?
• Science / Mathematics: How do you make a sound on the pan pipes? Why do the different lengths of pipes make different pitched notes?
• Music: Try to play a simple song on your pan pipes.