The wind is air that is moving around the Earth, it can be a gentle breeze or an extremely powerful gust, but did you know that it’s the Sun that controls the wind? As the Sun warms the Earth’s surface, some parts receive more heat than others, so the air is warmer. Hot air always rises, so as the air moves upwards, cold air rushes in to take its place. This movement of the air is called wind.

Scientists use lots of different instruments to measure the speed and direction of the wind, but its strength is measured on the Beaufort scale and is explained by the condition of the sea.

Wind chimes are musical instruments that are played by the breeze, they are a lovely way to connect with nature and can be a beautiful decoration. Let’s make a recycled wind chime…

Making a wind chime out of old things is a great excuse to raid the recycling box and even use up some colourful plastic that might be headed to landfill. This is your chance to be creative... just use what you can find!

Things to find

hammer
nail
string
scissors
large plastic tub lid
beads
charms
bottle caps
keys
buttons
old cutlery

Instructions

1. Ask a grown up to make four (or more) small holes around the edge of the large plastic lid, plus an extra one in the centre for hanging. This will be the top of the wind chime.

2. Now ask your grown up to make a small hole through any bottle tops and caps that you've collected.

3. Cut a long piece of string - the length will depend on how long you'd like the chimes to be. First tie a bead or button towards one end of the string, leaving a little string spare.

4. Start threading your treasures onto the string. Perhaps you could alternate between colours or materials or just mix it up! Make sure you leave enough spare string to tie the chime to the top of the wind chime.

5. When you've filled up most of the length of string, tie another bead at the end to secure your treasures. At this stage you might like to add a heavier metal object (like an old key, piece of old cutlery or a charm) to the bottom of the chime, so it clangs in the wind.

6. Tie the other end to the charm to the top. Now repeat this process 3 or more times, so you create at least 4 hanging charms.

7. Thread a final piece of string through the hole in the middle of the top so that you can hang it in the garden. Enjoy listening to the wind whistling past!

This recipe is taken from our wild weather themed Tool Kit For Eco Heroes.

Each of our themed Tool Kits are packed with hours of activities to gently teach children (and their families) about our environment. Find out more here.