DIY: Water Xylophone

Has your child ever played with a xylophone before? How about a water xylophone? In this activity, we will learn how to make and play a water xylophone. We’ll be using a few simple household materials: 4-6 glass jars or cups, water, a spoon and food coloring. At the end of this activity, your family will be ready to sing and dance!

• A metal utensil (butter knife or fork)
• A wooden utensil (chopstick) 
• 4-6 glass jars or cups of identical size
• Water
• Optional: Food coloring

1. Fill your glass jars with different amounts of water. In this video, we used 5 jars. Jar 1 - almost filled, Jar 2 - 75% filled, Jar 3 - 50% filled, Jar 4 - 25% filled, Jar 5 - just enough water to cover the bottom of the jar. (1:30)
2. Optional: Add food coloring to the water in the jars. We used the primary colors: blue, yellow, and red. We made green by mixing blue and yellow and we made orange by mixing red and yellow. (2:05)
3. Using a wooden utensil, gently tap on the top or side of each jar and listen to the different sounds each jar makes. (3:19)
4. Using a metal utensil, gently and carefully tap on the top or side of each jar and listen to the different sounds each jar makes. (3:52)