Grade 3 Art And Craft Sculpture – Shakers Notes
Art & Craft — Sculpture
Subtopic: Shakers (make & decorate)
Age: 8 • KenyaA shaker is a small instrument that makes a rattling sound. In Art & Craft we can make shakers as simple sculptures — useful for music and for showing Kenyan patterns and shapes.
What you will learn
- How to make a shaker using safe, local materials.
- How to decorate it like a small sculpture (shape, colour, pattern).
- How shakers can be used in Kenyan music and storytelling.
Materials you can find in Kenya (safe and simple)
- Empty plastic bottle or small clean tin can, or a dried gourd (calabash).
- Filling for sound: dried beans, maize (corn) kernels, small pebbles or seeds.
- Paper, glue (PVA), strong tape, scissors (adult help), markers or paint.
- Decoration: beads, sisal rope, fabric bits, shell pieces, stickers.
Steps — make a simple bottle shaker
- Clean an empty small plastic bottle and dry it.
- Put fillings — add a small spoon of dried beans or pebbles (start small; you can add more).
- Close the bottle lid tightly. Put glue around the lid and tape it so it cannot open.
- Decorate the bottle: paint it, wrap sisal rope around it, glue beads or fabric to make patterns. Think about shapes you like — animals, sun, waves.
- Turn it into sculpture — add a paper-mâché head or clay strip to make your shaker look like a bird, fish, or person. Let it dry fully.
- Play — shake gently and listen. Try different fillings for different sounds.
Safety tips
- Ask an adult to help with scissors and glue.
- Make sure the lid is glued and taped so children cannot open it and swallow small pieces.
- Use non-toxic paint and glue.
Creative ideas (Kenyan theme)
- Paint Kenyan colours or patterns: bright kitenge-style shapes, Maasai red and blue, or simple geometric patterns.
- Use a dried gourd (calabash) and carve or paint simple designs; gourd shakers are part of many African music traditions.
- Make a shaker family: big, medium and small shakers and display them as a sculpture set on a board.
- Turn your shaker into an animal that lives in Kenya: a bird (nyani?), a fish, or a turtle — add small legs or a tail from clay or paper.
Activity (classroom or at home)
Make one shaker each. In groups, create a short performance: use the shakers to make a rhythm, then place your decorated shakers on a small "sculpture table" and explain what your sculpture shows.
Questions to think about
- What sound do you like — soft or loud?
- How can you change the shape to make your shaker look like a story character?
- What Kenyan colours or patterns will you use?
Simple assessment
Show your shaker and tell: what materials you used, how you glued it safely, and one reason your shaker is also a small sculpture.
Have fun making and decorating! Remember: great art can be made from simple things found in our neighbourhoods across Kenya.