I recently had the opportunity to create some crafts inspired by one of our family’s favorite movies, the Sound of Music!!!!!!!! Any fellow fans out there!? I’m just going to assume you’re all raising your hands… 😉
So today, I wanted to share my ideas for three different Sound of Music crafts for kids all of which can be made with recycled materials you likely already have in your home! Best part is, they are all things that kids can play with long after the crafting and movie watching is done, too!
Cardboard Guitar
Where would the movie even be without Maria’s beloved guitar!? I loved making tissue box guitars as a kid, and this is a slightly upgraded version of exactly that! I’ll share an in-depth supply list and step-by-step tutorial at the bottom of this post, but an old box, a cardboard tube, scrap cardboard and rubber bands are all you really need!
You can easily adjust this project for kids of all ages but using different sized boxes. Small shipping boxes, tissue boxes and shoe boxes all work great. Choose accordingly so it feels like the right size for your little one!
We had fun decorating ours to look just like Maria’s, but kiddos can also go crazy designing their own unique guitar with paint, markers, stamps or crayons!
And now for my favorite project…
Lonely Goatherd Marionettes + Theater
This is without a doubt the most re-played scene in our house. The Lonely Goatherd song is just too fun! Good news is, you don’t need a real puppet theater in your house to have a puppet show!
You can turn any desk, table, learning stool or play kitchen into a marionette theater with just a simple DIY scenic background, made from cardboard or foam core, paint and some clips! We added some scrap fabric (you could use sheets, dish towels or pillowcases!) to turn our play kitchen into a full theater. It was so easy!
And then it’s time to add the marionettes! Guess what they’re made out of? Toilet paper rolls! We replicated two of the goats from the movie, but you could also apply this same technique for other animals and make a whole farm, jungle or herd!
Read below for the step by step tutorial!
The Sound of Music Kids Crafts
Materials
Cardboard Guitar
- 1 Cardboard Box (Tissue, Shoe, Shipping or Otherwise!)
- Scrap Cardboard
- 1 Cardboard Tube
- 4 Rubber Bands
- Markers or Paint
- Scissors
- Hot Glue
Lonely Goatherd Marionettes + Theater
- 2 Toilet Paper Rolls (per puppet)
- Paper in desired colors
- Scrap Cardboard (Cereal boxes are great for this!)
- Paint and/or Markers
- Black Rope, Yarn or Ribbon
- White/Neutral Rope, Yarn or Ribbon
- 2 Popsicle Sticks
- Scissors
- School Glue or Hot Glue
- Cardboard, paint and sponge for background
Instructions
Cardboard Guitar
- If using a shipping box, remove flaps from the box.
- Draw a guitar shape on a separate piece of cardboard. It should be a few inches bigger than your box. Cut out.
- Use any round object in your house to draw a circle in the top half of your guitar shape and cut out.
- Cut out two small strips of cardboard, about 3-4" wide, and hot glue one on top of the other. Then glue them to the center of the bottom half of the guitar as shown.
- Color or paint the small strip you just glued on, the handle and around the circle a darker brown as shown.
- Poke four holes just below the strip you glued on. Then cut four rubber bands so they become long strips.
- Tie a double knot in one end of each rubber band. String one through each hole, with the knots on the back side of the guitar.
- Now hot glue your box to the back of the guitar and hot glue a cardboard tube to the back of the handle, and to the top of the box. This will make the handle extra secure when "playing" the guitar!
- Poke four holes through the top piece of the guitar's handle. String the rubber bands through each hole and tie another double knot. The rubber bands should be taught, cut down if needed depending on your guitar size. You're ready to play!
Lonely Goatherd Marionettes + Theater
- For each goat you will need to cut the following out of paper: two rectangles (one should be 6"x4" and one should be 6.5"x4", cut fringe on each 4" end), two ear shapes (fringed), one tail ship (fringed), one beard shape (fringed). You'll also need to cut out two horn shapes from cardboard, and cut one of your toilet paper rolls in half.
- Paint the half-toilet paper roll that you cut, this will become the head. Decorate and add a face to the it as desired. You can make a paper hat by rolling a half circle shape into a cone and folding up the bottom edge.
- Glue the horns, ears, beard and any other adornments to the head.
- The other (whole) toilet paper roll is going to become the body of the goat. Poke four holes in the bottom of it. Cut four short pieces of black rope or yarn. Tie a knot in one end of each and feed one through each hole you poked from the insdie of the toilet paper roll out (the knot will hold it in place!). Then knot the other end to become the feet.
- Glue the larger fringed rectangle over the toilet paper roll. Then glue the smaller one on top. Glue the tail to one end.
- Cut a long piece of neutral/white colored rope or yarn. Poke a hole through the top of the head and the bottom of the head on an angle (see photo) and string the rope thorugh both. Then poke two hole through the top of the body, one at the front and one at the back. String the same rope from the head through both holes on the body.
- Glue two popsicle sticks together to make an "X" shape. Tie each end of the rope to opposite ends of the popsicle stick "X".
- To make the theater background, paint a large piece of cardboard blue like the sky. Then cut out several mountain shapes and paint those with different shades of brown and green using a sponge. Glue to the sky background. Attach to a table or other item in your home with clips or zip ties to use as a theater! Now you're ready for a puppet show!
elsie larson says
GIRL! You just made my life! This is so amazing!
Evi says
wow!!!!! I’m speechless!!! Fantasttic idea!!!! Well done!
animal crossing says
Great idea, these crafts are interesting, thank you for sharing, I also love watching this movie.
Hannah Hanbury says
Hey, what did you attach your puppet theater to? I’m not sure what to use.