Try STEAM learning with ocean sounds! This preschool ocean themed activity is a hands on science and art activity. STEAM is the combination of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math to keep learning fun and engaging for kids.

My two young artists love the beach. We are fortunate we live close enough that we can travel to the beach often. Lil B (5) and M-Woww (3) love to run through the waves and play in the sand.

Lil B asked a question about waves and that question set us off exploring about waves and the sound they make. Creating an ocean drum was the perfect follow up to learning about waves.  With an ocean drum you can experiment with how the sounds of the surf change as how the drum is handled. Read our tutorial below to make your own ocean drum.

Activity Objective- Child will discover how to create ocean sounds with a work of art and musical instrument they created.

Materials

Plastic container with clear lid (We used a plastic container designed to hold scrapbook paper 12 x 12).

Drum Filler: Something small and round (We used chick peas but beads, rice, or pebbles would also work)

Construction Paper

Crayons

Scissors

Tape or Glue

Tutorial

Step 1: Create your ocean scene. Use construction paper and crayons to draw out sea creatures and sea life for your drum. Attach your artwork to either the inside of the box or along the outside. Be sure to make sure the artwork is attached flat and secure to the the bottom.

This is Lil B’s whale that is eating fish and hiding in a kelp forest. We also used different shades of blue to represent the different ocean layers.

Step 2: Fill your drum. We used dried chickpeas. We also tried out rice and pebbles but my two artists thought chick peas sounded the best. Attach the lid securely to your plastic bin.

Step 3: Create ocean sound. Recreate the sounds of the ocean by tilting your drum back and forth. Have your child experiment with how fast or slow they move the drum and how that changes the sound.

Be sure to check out more ocean themed fun with our Creative Preschool Friends

 

Puffy Paint Ocean Collage | Artsy Momma

Octopus Kids Craft| I Heart Crafty Things

10 Ocean Crafts and Activities| Pink Stripey Socks

Ocean Sensory Play & Matching Game  | A Little Pinch of Perfect

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