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Make a cuíca (“kwee-ka”), a traditional Brazilian musical instrument that originated in Africa. Played primarily in Brazil, now you can play it at home, too, with this Exploratorium produced activity.

In this activity, learners will build an instrument from common household items. Explore sound through vibrations created by your vocal chords and captured by an instrument.

Listen to the beat of gravity. By taking two strings with weights tied to them at different, yet uniform intervals, you can hear the uniformity (and rhythm) of gravity's accelerating pull.

Create an instrument that you don't play--you just listen to it through tubes of various lengths.

Oboes's unique sound originates from the two small reeds a musician blows into. Make your own double reed instrument out of straw!

We listen to stereo music systems, tv's, and radios because it simulates being where the sound originates.

Do you have an extra portable cassette tape player hanging around?

In this physics activity (page 4 of the PDF), learners will--using nothing more than a coat hanger and some string--explore and understand sound energy and how it moves.

Discover how sound travels and what materials make better sound conductors. Can you hear better with your fingers in your ears? Find out with a coat hanger and some string!

In this activity, learners create a straw oboe to explore sound and pitch.

In this activity, learners investigate sound wave science, in stereo! Learners construct a "stereo" out of a metal coat hanger and piece of string to explore sound vibrations.

This is a virtual representation of a sound mixer containing pre-looped sounds of animal, insect, and environmental noises.

Build a phonograph record player using a cactus needle, a record, LEGOs gear box, and a piece of paper! This activity uses a Pico Cricket to turn the motor.

In this fun snack and craft activity, young learners make "Ants on a Log" and their own model of an insect. The purpose is to learn the three main insect body parts—head, thorax and abdomen.

In this online activity, learners test their ability to hear different frequencies and compare their frequency range with the frequency range of other animals and insects.

Make your own simple speaker so you can listen to your favorite radio station. Just wind a coil, attach it to a piece of cardboard or Styrofoam, hold a magnet nearby, and listen.

This is a virtual representation of a sound mixer containing pre-looped sounds of animal, insect, and environmental noises.

In this activity, learners build a cuica or chirping bird using straw, string, and a bottle cap. Use this activity to explore the interplay of motion and sound.

This is a series of three quick science activities to do with a spoon, knife, and fork. In the first two activities, learners use the flatware to explore optics, mirrors, reflection, and distortion.