I first got my hands on an authentic spin drum when a good friend brought me one back from her annual trip to Senegal as a gift. The tan handle was made of dried bamboo. The round drum was painted with small, reddish-brown giraffe spots, and the sound, despite how loud it could get, was mellow. I later learned that Africa wasn’t the birthplace of the handheld little noisemaker with the soothing sound. Spin drums are said to have originated in Peru. But you don’t have to travel to another continent to get one. You can make your own spin drum out of a few things you might find around your house.

Here’ s what you’ll need:

A piece of corrugated cardboard.

Scissors.

Strong glue.

A stick.

String

Two beads

Fabric scraps

Modge Podge

Paint brush

Something round to trace or a compass

Marker

Here’s how I put it together.

I drew two circles on my cardboard paper. I traced a long strip of cardboard (about the size of the ruler) out. I used a dowel (you can use your marker) to roll up my strip. This curves it into a circular shape so that it’s easier to glue one circle to the bottom and one to the top. But before you glue, put one small mark on the top, bottom, left, and right of your stapled circle.

Cut slits in the cardboard where the marks are (as seen on the video).

Cut a 7-inch piece of string. Tie one bead tightly to each end.
Spread the string out and slide it down into the left and right slits you cut.

Glue one circle to the bottom of the strip hoop, then slide the stick through the bottom slit, then through the top slit. and the other one at the bottom. Push the ice cream or chop stick through the bottom and top slits.

Glue the second circle to the top of the strip hoop. You can use a blow dryer to speed up the drying process.

Cut two circles of your fabric that are a little larger than the cardboard circles you’ve glued down, generously apply glue to the sides and front of the spin drum. Glue the fabric to the top and sides. Do the same thing on the other side.

To give the sides a finished look, I glued some crafting rope around the drum. But you can use more fabric if you don’t have that.

Let it dry. Now spin it!