Homemade Kazoo

I am a children’s librarian, and I do not like to do crafts.  This is an uncomfortable situation to be in, because I believe there exists an unwritten code of ethics somewhere that states all children’s librarians must enjoy crafts, but I do not.  I do not squeal excitedly at the sight of glue dots.  Glitter makes me nervous.  After a storytime, when crafts were expected, my enthusiasm was limited to handing out a poorly photocopied coloring page, and half the time I forgot to set out crayons.

So when I find a craft I DO like, I want to shout it from the rooftops.  Here are the instructions for a homemade kazoo.  It’s ridiculously easy, can be assembled using common household items, and children from ages 3 to 10 like making it.  

What you need:

Empty paper towel roll, or anything similar 

4"x4" square of wax paper

Rubber band

What you do:

Secure the wax paper to one end of the roll.  Hum your favorite tune into the non-wax paper end.

And that's it.  My kind of craft.  If you want to extend the activity, the kids can decorate it with markers, crayons, etc.  Smaller kids may have a hard time grasping the concept of humming into the kazoo and not blowing into it, but with practice, they'll get it.