Welcome to Multicultural Crafting with Kids 2011! This week we'll be featuring three countries from around the world and crafts to go along with them. These crafts were done with about 30 children during our church's missions conference and are geared to be cheap, easy, and quick to do. So, let's get started with the Dominican Republic...
The Dominican Republic is known for it's love of music, especially pan pipes. These instruments are usually made out of five or more pieces of bamboo that have been cut with increasing lengths. To stay within budget, our set only included two pipes.
Supplies:
1/2 inch PVC - 1 foot per child
PVC cutters
colored plastic tape or duct tape
gorilla glue
cork to fit PVC (2 for each set you are making)
permanent markers
Approximate Cost: $.50
Directions:
Cut the PVC beforehand into 5 and 7 inch lengths.
Place a little bit of gorilla glue on the inside of the bottom edge of each pipe and insert cork until flush (or almost flush) with the edge. Let dry completely. The parent/teacher will want to do this part so that little fingers don't get glued together!
Align the top edges of the pipes and tape together with colored tape, wrapping several times.
Decorate the pipes with permanent markers. Mine included a little play on the Dominican Republic flag, but some of the kid's pipes looked like grafiti. Whatever floats your boat!
To play:
Center one of the pipes on your bottom lip and blow across and down into the hole - kind of like how you'd blow across a coke bottle to get a sound. Tip: Start with the longer pipe. It's easier to play! You'll need a good deep breath! I'm a flutist and even I was surprised at how much air it took to "play" this instrument. If you don't get a sound at first, try blowing harder or repositioning the instrument. Don't give up! It will play two notes! Just remember to play each pipe individually. The longer pipe will play a deeper/lower pitch; the shorter will play a higher pitch.
These instruments do not make a loud sound, so I didn't feel bad sending them home for the parents to have to listen to. Not too bad anyway....
Extra Activity:
Play a game of baseball: the regular version if you have time and space, or Bible baseball for an indoor version. The Dominicans LOVE baseball!
