So simple yet fun musical instrument

At a music workshop presented by Parent to Parent at our library on October 12, they ended with a simple, fun craft.  Each child got a paper plate that had been folded in half, filled with beans, and stapled around the edges.  The children were all preschool age, even some babies, and they were able to decorate the plate using markers, paper and blue, or stickers.  Then they shook them all the way home.  You can fill the plate with other things you might have on hand – rice, beads, buttons, jingle bells, etc.  The key is to make sure your staples are side by side so that the plate is tightly closed and the little things inside cannot escape.  It might not last forever, but you can always make a new one.