Bottle Orchestra
Five bottles, five water levels, five notes.
- Ages
- 4–11 yrs
- Play
- 15–35 min
- Prep
- 8 min
- Mess
- some
- Energy
- lively
- Where
- at the table
You’ll need
Things you probably have at home.
- five bottles or glasses
- water
- a metal spoon
Optional
- food coloringDon’t have it? Amazon
- a measuring cupDon’t have it? Amazon
- tape and a pen to label themDon’t have it? Amazon
How to play
Before you start: Line five identical bottles or glasses up and fill them with different amounts of water — empty, a quarter, half, three quarters, nearly full.
Tap each one with the spoon and listen. Fullest is lowest, which surprises most people.
Ask them to put the bottles in order from lowest note to highest, by ear alone.
Color each one differently so the order is visible as well as audible.
Tap out a simple tune together — three notes is enough for a real one.
Pour a little water between two bottles and hear the note slide.
What it helps with
Keep it safe
- Plastic bottles rather than glass with younger children.
- Do this on a tray or a towel — bottles get knocked over.
Make it different next time
- Blow across the tops instead of tapping, which reverses which is highest.
- Let them add water a spoonful at a time to tune one bottle to another.
Cleanup: Tip them out. Keep the labels if you want to do it again.
Three more like this
Burn energy
Shaker Making
15–35 min 3–9 yrs Some mess- small bottles or tubs with lids
- rice, beans or pasta
- tape to seal the lids
- Good for siblings
