How to Hold an Outdoor Concert

Looking for outdoor activities to do with kids? This idea from The Highlights Book of Things To Do Outdoors will create magical musical moments!

Put on an outdoor concert by creating your own musical instruments from recycled and reused materials.

Cardboard Box Guitar

What You’ll Need:

• Recycled cracker or cereal box 
• Decorating materials 
• Duct tape 
• Marker 
• Scissors 
• Paper towel tube 
• Extra-large rubber bands 
• Box cutter (optional)

What You’ll Do:

1. Tape all the openings of the box shut. If you want, decorate the box with construction paper or tape. 
2. On the front of the box, use the marker to draw or trace a large circle. Have an adult use box cutters or scissors to cut out this circle. 
3. Using the paper towel tube, trace another circle onto the top of the box. Cut this one out as well. 
4. Using the scissors, make small cuts—about half an inch long—all the way around one end of the tube. Set the tube aside. 
5. Wrap four to six rubber bands around the length of the box. 
6. Fan out the cut edges of the tube and position the tube against one end of the box so the cut edges lie flat. Use duct tape to secure the tube to this box end. 
7. Strum your guitar!

Tip: You can make a smaller guitar – or ukulele – by using a rectangular box.

Can Drums

What You’ll Need:

• Large, recycled containers like coffee tins or other similar-sized tin cans 
• Balloons 
• Scissors 
• Rubber bands 
• Decorating materials

What You’ll Do:

1. Remove the lids from your containers or cans. 
2. Cut off the bottom of each balloon so that you can stretch the balloon over the top of a container or can. 
3. Secure each balloon in place with a rubber band. 
4. If you want, decorate your drums with construction paper or paint.

Safety tip: Be careful with the edges of a tin can which can be sharp.

Bottle Shakers

What You’ll Need:

• Recycled plastic bottles 
• Gravel, pebbles, old dry rice or beans, recycled beads or other small noisemaking items 
• Decorative materials

What You’ll Do:

1. Fill each bottle about a third to halfway with your noisemaking objects. 
2. If you want, decorate the shakers.

Extend the Fun: 

Grab some friends or family members and create your own band. Think of some fun band names.

What songs do you want to play at the concert? Hold some outdoor jam sessions to practice. When you’ve decided, create a setlist.

Set up an outdoor stage and a place for your audience to sit.

Design some invitations to your outdoor concert!

The Highlights Book of Things to Do Outdoors is the essential book of curiosity, exploration and the great outdoors. Kids ages seven and up will find answers to countless nature-related questions and hundreds of ways to build, experiment, craft, cook and help protect the planet.