Difficulty Rating -

Fun to make and a great accompaniment to the classic carol Jingle Bells, just shake to the beat. Who would have thought that rubbish and junk could sound so festive?

All you need to make a jingle bells musical instrument is...
16 metal bottle caps, paint, brass nails, sandpaper, hammer and some scraps of wood.

First paint the out side of the bottle caps a nice metallic colour. Spray paint is quick and easy, but applying paint with a brush is just as good.

When the paint is dry, use a large nail and hammer to make a hole in the centre of each cap. Have the cap sitting face up as it would do on the bottle, that way the rough edges are created on the inside of the 'bell'.

The bells are fixed to a piece of wood, roughly 2cm by 3cm and 28cm long. Give the wood a good sanding so that it doesn't have any rough surfaces. You could paint or varnish the 'handle' if you wish to. Working on one side of the handle at a time, attach the capes in pairs with the insides of the caps facing one another. Push a brass nail in the holes of the caps and offer it up to the wood.

Place the first set of bells 5cm away from the end. Don't hammer the nail in too far into the wood. The bells need to move freely on the nail and clatter together.

The second set should be 8.5cm away from the end.

The third set should be 12cm away from the end.

Now turn the handle over to attach bells to the other side. Use scraps of wood to prop up each end of the handle so that it is clear off the workbench. Otherwise you will spoil the bells that you have already attached.

Add bells in pairs in the same way as you did on the other side, but this time the first set of bells 1.5cm away from the end. Add the other sets of bells so that they are level with the bells on the other side of the handle.

Then turn the handle over to attach the remaining set of bells. Again use scraps of wood to prop up the handle.

And there you have it, a set of jingle bells. Young children should be supervised when playing the jingle bells.

If you find it difficult to obtain bottle caps, you could ask an adult to approach a public house or bar, they have no use of the caps. You could also maybe write to a local brewery requesting some bottle caps. Alternatively look in the winemaking department of Boots or Wilkinsons for new bottle caps.