Make a squonk!

“What's a squonk?”, I hear you ask. Well, believe it or not, it’s a musical instrument! A squonk is probably from the bagpipe family, and can be made quickly from a few simple materials.

Squonks make a wonderful, deep 'mooing' sound. Great for playing along with the rhythm at songtime, or as an icebreaker to get everyone laughing and joining in! Dads especially love them.

You will need:

• A length of pipe (small diameter, say 1.5cm, is easiest to blow)
• A latex glove
• An elastic band
• A drinking straw
• Sellotape

How to make a squonk:

• Stretch the wrist of the latex glove over one of the ends of your pipe and fix with an elastic band.
• Cut a small hole in the thumb of the glove. Insert the end of the drinking straw through the hole and seal with sellotape.

To play your squonk:

• Tension the glove so that it is flat across the bottom of your pipe, forming a light seal.
• Blow very hard through the straw so that the glove inflates and the part tensioned across the bottom of the pipe vibrates. (It may take a bit of practice!)

Last Updated 06 December 2010