Make Maracas

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Learn step by step how to turn some household materials into musical maracas! Join host Dave Jadico as he teaches you step by step!

2 identical cups (paper or plastic)
Dried beans, rice, pasta, pebbles, or sand
Colored plastic tape
Sticky foam
Stickers

REMEMBER THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS WORK UNDER ADULT SUPERVISION. SOMETIMES WE USE THINGS THAT CAN BE HARMFUL, LIKE SCISSORS, SO DON'T EVER ATTEMPT TO MAKE THESE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS ALONE.

Take one of your cups and fill it with your rice/beans/etc. Fill the cup up about an inch and a half from the bottom. Different cups and fillings will create different sounds and pitches.
Take your second cup and place it on top of your first one so that the open ends line up to each other. Use colored plastic tape to seal the ends together. Wrap a strip of tape around where the cups meet and then use your fingers to push it down firmer.
Time to decorate. Cut out strips of colored sticky foam and wrap them around your cups however you like, cutting off the excess as you go. Once you have the right lengths cut, peel the backing off the foam and stick it to the cups.
Now your maraca is complete and ready to shake. Hold it on its side and give it a good shake!