Toddler Violin!

My little one has shown a lot of interest in music lately, so I have been trying (when I'm able) to cultivate this curiosity and interest!

I played the violin when I was 10 and 11 years old, but when forced to decide between orchestra and art as my school elective, I chose art. I don't regret the decision, but it would have been nice to do both I suppose!

Thanks to Little Einsteins and the Fresh Beat Band, my little one loves dancing and musical instruments!

Here's how I made a toddler violin out of cardboard:

1. After finding measurements for 1/32 size violin (toddler-sized), I marked approximate measurements on a piece of cardboard. (Total length 13" and body length 7.5")

2. I folded a piece of notebook paper in half and sketched the body shape, cutting it out and then unfolding it to maintain symmetry.

3. I traced the shape onto the cardboard, then used a ruler to draw the neck and strings. I drew the other details and traced everything with a black permanent marker.

4. Using a sharp pair of scissors, I carefully cut out the violin. The pegs aren't extremely detailed because I wanted to maintain the strength of the piece.

5. I painted the violin with black and shades of brown. For the neck piece, I painted with a black wash so the "strings" were visible.

6. On the back of the violin, I hot-glued two wooden dowel rods for added strength. Once dry, I painted the back brown.

7. Once the entire violin was dry, I painted the entire violin with three coats of mod-podge to seal it, letting it dry between coats.

The next day, we had violin day!

We watched a couple of the above episodes featuring violins, and we read Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin (a Caldecott book). It is wonderful, beautifully written and illustrated book.

Then, I unveiled the violin along with a wooden dowel rod to use as a bow. She loved it!

The violin has held up really well, and we now pull it out when we have music time!