Supplies: 
  • 1 large empty coffee tin
  • Piece of red paper, sized to fit around coffee tin
  • Baking paper
  • Straws
  • Safety scissors
  • Tape
  • 1 large elastic band
  • 2 small elastic bands
  • 2 blunt pencils
  • Some modelling clay
  • Polenta (or rice, beans, lentils, etc.)
  • Ribbon (optional, if you want to wear the drum around your neck)
  • Glue
Instructions: 
  1. Wrap a piece of red paper around the coffee tin and secure with tape.
  2. Cut the bendy bits off some straws.
  3. Use tape to stick the straws onto the coffee tin in a "V" pattern.
  4. Place the coffee tin on a piece of baking paper and draw a circle on it about 1 inch bigger than the coffee tin.
  5. Place the baking paper on top of 3 other pieces of baking paper and cut out the circle (this should leave you with 4 circles all together).
  6. Glue the circles on top of each other, leaving a 1-inch gap around the sides. Leave to dry.
  7. To make the beaters, roll two small balls of modelling clay and push a blunt pencil into each.
  8. Wrap a small piece of baking paper around each ball of modelling clay and secure using a small elastic band or tape.
  9. Pour some polenta (or dry rice, lentils, beans, etc.) into the coffee tin.
  10. When your circles of baking paper are dry, they should feel hard in the middle. Place the circle on top of the coffee tin and wrap a big elastic band around the paper, folding it down the side of the coffee tin.
  11. To wear your drum around your neck, attach a long length of ribbon to the sides of the drum.