How to make an elastic band guitar

You will need

• Tissue box, or small cereal box with an oval hole cut in the front
• Poster or acrylic paint
• 2 lolly sticks
• Long cardboard tube (for example from a roll of foil or baking paper)
• Elastic bands of different sizes and thicknesses
• Coloured paper
• Buttons or decorations (optional)

Equipment

• Paintbrushes
• PVA glue
• Scissors
• Sticky tape
• Newspaper, for the table

Method

1. Place the end of the cardboard tube up against the end of the tissue box and draw around it. Carefully cut out to create a hole. Paint the cardboard tube and lolly sticks and allow to dry.
2. Remove any plastic from the tissue box and then open out and lay flat. Paint the inside and allow to dry. Cut a piece of coloured paper and stick it to the base of the tissue box (this will become the inside of the guitar).
3. Glue the box back together with the painted side on the outside, and allow to dry. Insert the cardboard tube into the hole you cut at the top, then secure in place with sticky tape.
4. Glue the lolly sticks in place at either end of hole in the front of the box, as shown (pictured above). Allow to dry, then stretch the elastic bands around the whole box.
5. Finish with decorations of your choice – we chose buttons, but you could use sequins, ribbon, pom-poms or whatever you have in the house. Try experimenting with different elastic bands and see if you can make a song!

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