Tissue Paper Music and Movement Stick, by Didi

New friends!!! A special word of welcome to Didi of DuckDuckOctopus fame. She is the latest in my series of Guest Authors who have pitched in to keep things interesting here under my Rainbow Banner. You're going to LUV this DIY project!!!!! Thanks so much, Didi for sharing such an original idea here with my readers first!!! I hope that they all 'pin' it to bring you lots of visibility!!  -- Debbie --


Tissue Paper Music and Movement Stick

We are a musically inclined family, meaning there is always some form of music in our daily lives. We sing, play instruments (real & homemade), and often have music playing in the background while we go about our activities.

That is not to say we are musically gifted; in fact I'm pretty sure my singing is 100% off key. Sometimes, the cat hides under the sofa when I get really passionate about a song. I don't think I could hit a clear note if my life depended on it! However, there is such joy experienced in the act of singing that I sing anyways...loudly. I'm one of those people that sing about every little thing, and my kiddo thinks it is hilarious. I sing about washing the dishes, doing the laundry, and even getting dressed. I'm the crazy lady at the supermarket who quietly sings about picking out apples and bananas.  Next time you hear me in the produce department, stop by and say "hi". :-)

My child has grown in a musically rich environment, and loves to dance boisterously. We put together a very neat and simple tissue paper movement stick that was inspired by our love to dance and sing.

Materials

•Cardboard paper towel tube

•Four sheets of colored tissue paper

•Glue

•Scissors

Instructions

•Roll the paper towel tube up in the first piece of tissue paper, and glue the edge of the tissue paper to encase the cardboard tube.

•The tissue paper should hang over the edge of the cardboard tube by several inches. Cut the tissue paper into strips up to the edge of the tube (see photo).

•Cut the second sheet of tissue paper into two pieces, and create strips as seen in the photo. Don't cut the strips all the way through because you want to have at least a three inch thick section of paper to wrap around the tube. 

•Glue the second piece of tissue paper on either end of the tube.

•Repeat the last two steps with the third and fourth pieces of tissue paper. When gluing the third and fourth pieces onto the tube, make sure they do NOT overlap perfectly. This way the strips of paper become longer with each new layer.

 This is a close-up of how the tissue paper layers should look to maximize the ribbon lengths.

•Allow the glue to dry for an hour or two. Then turn on your favorite tunes, and dance around while you sing along!

Do you love to sing and dance? What is your favorite way to appreciate music?

Didi is an outdoor educator and the founder of duckduckoctopus.com, a blog about play-based learning, outdoor adventures, and mindful-parenting.