The Aboriginal culture of Australia has used the didgeridoo in ceremonies for centuries. Making a didgeridoo in class or at home teaches children about sound, pitch, and how different materials used to compose the instrument can effect the sound it emits. For an easy didgeridoo, use poster tubes or plastic tubing of different sizes and give different sizes to each child or a team. Have children paint the didgeridoos as desired and then blow into the uncovered tubes. Discuss how the longer tubes emit different sounds then the shorter tubes and ask the students to hypothesize why that occurs.
Using an empty tissue box or a basic shoebox with lid, children will make their own string instrument. If using a shoe box, cut out a circle in the center of the lid and place back onto the box. Take thick rubber bands and wrap the rubber bands around the box so that the appearance is like that of a guitar with the strings across the hole. Students can pluck the strings along with songs played in class. After playing the box with thick rubber bands, have students play a box made with thin rubber bands and discuss how the type of rubber band affects pitch.
It takes sound time to travel. Take the children out to a track or athletic field on a sunny day and take a drum and drumstick or other percussion instrument for a group of children. Beat a drum near the children and then have a group of children take the drums across the entire athletic field and beat them again. The children should notice that they see the other students beat the drum and then hear it a second later. Discuss how it takes time for the sound of the beating drum to travel to their ears through that distance and why it sounds different.
All sound, even music, are vibrations. Music can supplement conversations regarding echolocation of dolphins, bats, and other animals that use vibration to navigate or see. It's also worth mentioning that many deaf children learn to understand the science of sound through musical vibrations. Have children lay on the floor on on thin mats and place their ears to the floor. Play an instrument such as a bass guitar, piano or drums and have the children notice the vibrations and tap out the rhythm that they "hear" through the floor.