Turtle Tambourine

turtle tambourine

Make and shake this wild tambourine!

What You Need

  • About 36 medium-size beads with holes large enough to thread onto yarn or string. (Beads also need to be large enough not to slip through holes made by a hole punch.)
  • Round plastic bowl (the type that holds frozen foods)
  • Construction paper
  • Hole punch
  • Markers
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • Yarn or string

What You Do

  1. Punch Holes in Bowl
    Use a hole punch to make 12 evenly spaced holes around the outer edge of the bowl. You will need to help your child make the holes because it can be a bit tough to punch through the plastic.
  2. Thread String and Beads Through Holes
    Cut a piece of yarn or string about 2 feet long. Thread one end of the string through one of the holes, coming from the inside of the bowl to the outside. Thread 6 beads onto the string and then thread the string into the next hole on the bowl’s rim, going from the outside to the inside. Thread the string back through the next hole, from the inside, and so on. Repeat stringing beads and threading the string until you get all the way around the bowl.
  3. Tie String
    Tie the loose ends of the string together on the inside of the bowl. Tie the string snugly, but not too tight. The beads should shake freely.
  4. Assemble Turtle
    Cut the turtle’s head, tail, and feet out of construction paper. Tape them in place around the outside of the bowl as shown. Use a marker to draw in the turtle’s eyes. Your tambourine is now ready to shake!

    turtle tambourine