Ring in Lunar New Year with this Musical Chinese Pellet Drum Craft

Lunar New Year is quickly approaching and Parker and I are getting into the spirit by creating DIY pellet drums. Pellet drums are double sided with a pellet connected to each side of the drum. To play the drum, you simply turn the stick between your hands and the pellets swing back and forth, hitting drum head. This musical craft is sure to bring lots of luck and noise to your home!

Materials needed

-2 Paper bowls (Paper plates would also work)

-Acrylic paint of your choice (red and gold/yellow are lucky New Year's colors)

-Paintbrush

-Tape

-Hot glue gun/craft glue

-2 Monkey images

-Wooden dowel or chopctick

-String

-2 Wooden or plastic beads

Instructions

1. Paint the exterior side of the bowls and let them dry completely. The drying process will take at least 30 mins depending on how thick you lay on the paint.

[This is the messiest part of the project. Parker was very concerned about the paint on his hands.]

2. Cut out the monkey images and glue them to the face of each plate.

3. Tie the beads to strings that are 2/3 the diameter of the bowl in length. If your bowl is 6 inches in diameter, your string will be 4 inches long. Adhere the end of the strings to each side of the bowl.

4. Adhere the wooden dowel/chopstick to the inside of one of the plates.

5. Attach the 2nd bowl to the first one using a hot glue gun. 

6. We added some fun pom poms to our bowls to give them a little more flair but that is optional. 

I had to reinforce Parker's stick with tape because...well because he is a toddler. Enjoy your new pellet drum! Please tag us (@parkerproject) when you post your pellet drum pictures on Instagram.