New Years Noise Makers DIY
The New Year is right around the corner and we want to ring in the new year with a little noisy fun! We also know this time of year we are busy and tired, so we have some easy DIY noise makers for the kids. They are fun, low mess, high engagement ideas that will have the kids ready to make some noise and celebrate the new year. As a bonus, these simple New Year’s Eve STEM crafts combine some art with the science of sound. So we are learning while we are crafting. Let’s create some memories to ring in the new year!
New Years Noise Makers for Kids
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While you are getting your supplies ready for this STEM craft, have a chat with the kids about why we celebrate the new year.
A new year means new beginnings. They can think of it as turning the first page in a big blank book and talking about all of the things you would like to accomplish or explore in the coming year. It is also a great time to reflect on everything they have accomplished and how much they have grown in the past year.
New Year’s eve celebrations are celebrated all over the world. Often with big festivals or parties with friends and family. Traditionally, making noise during these celebrations was believed to help ward off evil and protect you in the coming year. So let’s make some noise with these fun and easy, celebration noise makers.
Supplies
What do we need?
You can use all sorts of craft supplies to make your noise makers, I will include the list of items I used, but really you are only limited by your own imagination and creativity.
Crinkly Sounding Cellophane
Toilet Paper Tubes
Craft Beads – Plastic or Metal
Large Wooden Beads
Ribbon
Plastic Easter Eggs
Clear Plastic Cups
Cardboard
Gift Bags
Tape
Glue or Glue Gun
Paper
Scissors
Ideas for New Year’s Noise Makers
Noise Makers for Preschoolers
My first idea was for little hands. We filled plain plastic easter eggs with plastic beads. Closed them up and then taped them shut just to keep them secure. We then wrapped them in cellophane and ribbon making them look nice and festive. We left the top of the cellophane just gathered. These cute little noisemakers make both a shaking sound from the beads and a crinkly sound from the cellophane. They easily fit into tiny hands and were pretty sturdy!
Christmas Crackers Noise Makers
Next up we used the cellophane again, but this time put a handful of beads into a toilet paper tube. We rolled the tube in cellophane and tied off each of the ends. These resemble Christmas crackers when they are finished. These too make both a shaking and crinkling sound and were great for any age.
As a bonus both of these options look pretty too so you could even leave them out as decorations over the holiday!
Cups ‘n Beads Noise Maker
Another idea one of the kids had was to put metallic beads in clear cups. The cups were then taped together and tied with ribbons which we curled up on the ends. These festive new years noisemakers both made pretty shaking sounds and glittered and glinted because of the reflections off the cups, the beads and the ribbons!
Clacker Style Noise Maker
Another super easy option – we had some oversized wooden beads that we tied on ribbons and then tied the ribbons together. These work more like a clacker with the beads hitting each other as you swing the ribbon handle around.
Spin Drum Noise Maker
The last, and probably my favorite was the spin drum! If you’re of a certain age you may remember these drums from a certain karate movie in the 80’s. To make these drums I used some sturdy cardboard, pencil, paper, an old gift bag and a few beads. It turned out so cute!
First, cut two equal sized circles out of the cardboard. You can use a plate to trace and then cut out the circles.
Grab some thick string. I recycled the handles from an old gift bag, the rope handles were just the size I was looking for! The string should hang over the sides of the circles by about three inches.
Secure a few beads on each end of your string by tying them on.
Tape the string across the middle of one of your circles with the beaded ends hanging off either side.
Perpendicular to the string, place a pencil. The pencil will be your handle that will allow you to spin the drum.
Secure the string and the pencil with sturdy tape or glue. You can even use both. You want it to stay secure during the excitement of the countdown!
Next, place second circle on top of the first sandwiching the string and pencil in between. I used hot glue to make it extra sturdy and secure.
Decorate both sides of your drum. You can use markers, paint, craft paper, stickers, etc. Get creative and make your spin drum your very own.
It’s now time to make some noise! Spin the pencil back and forth in your hands by rubbing your palms together with the pencil in between. The strings will swing around and hit the drum making a sound. The faster you spin, the more sound it will make!
The Science Behind Sound and Noise Makers
Shakers
When you shake them in your hand, the beads inside start moving. As the beads move, they collide with each other and with the inner walls of the toilet paper tube. These collisions create vibrations. Those vibrations move through the air as sound waves and that’s what we hear! Even though we used the same beads in the eggs and the toilet paper tubes, the two noisemakers will produce different sounds because the outside materials (the egg and the cardboard) and the shapes of the materials are different so the sounds the beads make will be different.
Spin Drums
These drums also use vibration to make sound. The beads on the strings swing around and hit the cardboard making a sound. The cool part about these drums is the use of centrifugal force. As you spin the drum, the rotation creates centrifugal force. This makes the beads move out, away from the axis of rotation, in our case the pencil. As they move outward, they strike the drumheads and create a force that causes vibrations, which we hear as the striking of the drum!
I hope these ideas create a little fun activity for you to share with your kids to ring in the new year. Ready, set, make some noise and celebrate!
More New Years Project Ideas for Kids
Want more ideas for New Years? Check out these project ideas for the kids.
