This musical noisemaker is based on a Brazilian instrument called a cuica (kwee-kah). The cup acts as an amplifier for the sound made by the string's vibration -- and be prepared, it's surprisingly loud!

Materials

• Paper cup
• Yarn or thick string

• Paper clip
• Water

Instructions

1. Make a hole in the bottom of a paper cup. Poke one end of a 2- to 3-foot length of yarn or thick string through the hole from the inside of the cup. Tie this end to a paper clip, as shown.

2. To play the cuica, dampen the string with water, then lightly pinch the yarn and drag your fingers down the yarn's length. For a laughing sound, drag your fingers down the yarn in bursts, pausing a split second every few inches.
   
   

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• November 2009