{"id":671,"date":"2022-02-08T14:50:01","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T14:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/?post_type=activity&#038;p=671"},"modified":"2026-03-10T16:27:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T16:27:06","slug":"build-a-xylophone-in-your-garden","status":"publish","type":"activity","link":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/activities\/build-a-xylophone-in-your-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"Build a xylophone in your garden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"is-style-intro\">Make music in your garden with a homemade instrument by building your own xylophone using jars and rocks!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This guide is part of our Sense Arts, Sport &amp; Wellbeing programme. This activity can be done at a time that suits you, either at home or in an educational setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"wp-block  box    is-style-textured-grey-tint-10\">    <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who is this for?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a musical and crafting activity for people who are deafblind or have complex needs and can be enjoyed by anyone.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  <div class=\"wp-block  box    is-style-textured-primary-tint-10\">    <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why does this make a difference?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a sensory activity that promotes wellbeing and learning, helping people their senses to connect with their surroundings, exploring touch and sound while supporting independent choice and creativity.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to do this activity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What you\u2019ll need<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-primary-bullets\">\n<li>Jam jars of different sizes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two spoons or sticks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dirt<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Grass<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rocks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Leaves<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Water<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stones \u2013 or anything else you can find in the garden!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block  slab    is-style-textured-secondary-tint-10  align-full\">\n  <div class=\"wrap\">  <div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n<div class=\"grid  grid-flexbox  grid-3-cols\"><div>\n<div class=\"card\">\n  \n  <div class=\"card__content\">\n    <h2 class=\"card__title  h4\">\n              Step 1\n          <\/h2>\n\n    \n    <div class=\"card__description\">\n\t\t\tHave fun collecting a variety of stones, leaves, grasses, flowers and sticks from around the garden or outdoor space. Then, fill each jar with a different type of material to create different tones \u2013 one could be filled with just leaves, the other with rocks.\r\n\r\n\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div>\n<div class=\"card\">\n  \n  <div class=\"card__content\">\n    <h2 class=\"card__title  h4\">\n              Step 2\n          <\/h2>\n\n    \n    <div class=\"card__description\">\n\t\t\tPlace them on their sides on a bank of soft dirt, or leave them standing upright if you prefer.\r\n\r\n\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div>\n<div class=\"card\">\n      <figure class=\"card__figure\">\n      <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Jar-Xylophone-12-600x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-card-supportive size-card-supportive\" alt=\"Two hands holding sticks playing the jam jars like a xylophone \/ --\" \/>\n    <\/figure>\n  \n  <div class=\"card__content\">\n    <h2 class=\"card__title  h4\">\n              Step 3\n          <\/h2>\n\n    \n    <div class=\"card__description\">\n\t\t\tPlay the jars! Tap their glass with the sticks or spoons to create different sounds.\r\n\r\n\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Top tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Try filling the jars with different combinations and amounts to create different sounds<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Using spoons will make a different noise to sticks \u2013 experiment with using different quantities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Make music in your garden with a homemade instrument by building your own xylophone using jars and rocks!\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","format":[61],"activity_cats":[72],"location":[151],"interest":[56],"class_list":["post-671","activity","type-activity","status-publish","hentry","activity_cats-wellbeing","location-in-your-own-space","interest-music","format-written-activities"],"acf":{"geolocation":null,"display_address":"","short_location_description":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/activity\/671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/activity"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/activity"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/activity\/671\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"activity_cats","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/activity_cats?post=671"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=671"},{"taxonomy":"interest","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/interest?post=671"},{"taxonomy":"format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/format?post=671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}