Exploring music in the kitchen with water and glasses

Do you remember that scene in the movie Miss Congeniality where Sandra Bullocks character is dressed like a Bavarian cream puff playing glasses filled with water? I was always fascinated by that scene. I would wonder 'Is that just a Hollywood trick or can you really play glasses filled with various amount of water like that?' While I don't have the musical skill to set up something as extravagant as what was in the movie, I did get to thinking about how we could try something similar but keeping it at a basic level. Something that would be easy for my 3 year old to understand and enjoy.












Here is what we ended up doing for our musical glasses experiment.


What we used
food colouring 4 various colours
a jug of water
4 glasses of the same size and shape
1 teaspoon
1 measuring syringe that you use for measuring 5ml of medicine for children.(usually comes in a box with Panadol or Nurophen 

  To start this musical experiment we started by using the syringe to fill the glasses with different amounts of water. By using a measuring tool we could record how much water made what sound. We could test how many more milliliters of water was needed to make a noticeable difference in sound between two glasses. If I has a guitar tuner I could measure small amounts of water in order to create specific notes, but unfortunately mine is in Australia.  Something that precise might also be better for older children to explore rather than my 3 year old.

Between filling the glasses with different amounts of water we would play the glasses to test the difference in sounds and if we were able to achieve different notes.  We found that there was not much difference between 25 mls and 50 mls but there was a noticeable difference between 25 mls and 100mls. In order to remember our findings we made a quick note about how many measuring syringes we used for every glass. This could be something older children could do themselves. 

 

Once we had our desired notes we coloured each glass with a different colour using food dye. The reason for doing this was this...

By having different colours you could write a piece of music, well not in a technical sense, but by following the colours your child would be able to play a simple song. Ours is for Mary Had a Little Lamb.

I think the beauty of this activity lies in its educational value. There is so much maths involved. 

• Counting out how many times you've squirted water in each glass.
• Comparing different amounts
• Following patterns
• Recognising colours

It is also a very lovely kitchen science experiment that costs close to nothing, just a bit of food dye. The experiment could be extended by using different materials to tap the glasses with. While I don't have a photo of it, we also used a wooden spoon to tap the glasses which gave us a totally different sound quality. Using different size or shaped glasses also affects the sounds produced, something for us to try and experiment next time.

Even if you are not interested in its educational potential this activity does seem to involve the two things toddlers and preschoolers love best. Water play and hitting things to make music. I know my daughter enjoyed herself immensely. I hope you get to try it too!

Until next time, happy playing.

Water play threading, a sensory and fine motor skill experience

I am a sucker for browsing in those cheap dollar shops, always looking out for little bits and pieces I can use for play experiences. Today I was blessed with a real treasure of a find. The longest neon coloured straws I have ever seen. I
don't even know why they are manufactured because from a drinking straw perspective they are as useful as a waterproof teabag. I mean who keeps their drink a meter away when drinking? I guess you could have your drink on the floor and use the straw so you don't have to pick it up but really these straws were screaming for a repurpose! The other awesome find I found was foam beads! I can't believe they sell these. I bought a packet for 99 cents that were flower themed. 

I know there will be a hundred different ways I can turn these straws into a fun activity but last night they became the key piece (or pieces if you will) in a bath time game. That game was Water Play Threading and it kept my daughter busy and happy for a whole half an hour. It would have been longer if I wasn't concerned about the level of wrinkliness her hands and feet were sporting. For the activity I just cut up a few of the straws and gave my daughter a plastic stringy thing ( I'm not sure of the technical term) to use to thread them through. It became a lot more fun than normal threading because she had to sieve through the bubble bath foam to find pieces. Kind of like a treasure hunt game and threading all wrapped in one activity.

So that I can show you some photos of the activity ( I couldn't get any of her in the tub where her pink bits didn't show)  I set up the activity again in a tub for the play room. The little one enjoyed it just as much as she did in the bath which is great because sometimes you just want to play with water without having to shampoo your hair at the end!

As you can see in this photo, before I really foamed thing up with dish washing detergent, I just needed to add the foam beads, cut up straws and a plastic thread.

Note: bit of a bubble/foam hack- use a whisk to make bubbles and foam without having to splash about! So easy and quick!














This activity is more than just water play, it is also very good for developing fine motor skills while honing in on the sense of touch. You see the pieces are hardly visible when hidden in the bath foam so my daughter only has her sense of touch that she can use to find the pieces. You can also give your child pattern making charts that he/she can use to thread colour patterns making it also a numeracy experience.

I have to say using the plastic thread makes it much easier for younger kids to complete the activity too. Unlike regular string it is quite stiff and stays straight while a child threads things on. The wider circumference of the straws also makes it easy to thread. I highly recommend using these items for first time threaders!

If you are interested I'm developing a pirate and mermaid theme version of this activity so stay tuned!

Happy threading and happy playing.

P.S Thanks Papa for letting us girly you up a bit!