Kids delight in National Kazoo Day Discovery Museum helps young visitors make instruments from recycled materials

BANGOR – The Anderson family had a long drive ahead of them Sunday night, gearing up for the three-hour journey back home to Van Buren.

The family of five, however, will not be listening to hard rock on the radio for the return trip, much to Ralph E. Anderson’s dismay.

At 3 p.m. his three children, Tyler, 12, Makayla, 10, and Nicholas, 3, were performing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” on their homemade kazoos made during the Maine Discovery Museum’s celebration of National Kazoo Day.

Tyler and Makayla tirelessly hummed into the paper towel rolls decorated with feathers and stickers, each attempting to outdo the rendition of the other.

“That’s what you call premature gray,” said Ralph V. Anderson, the children’s grandfather, as he pointed to his son’s hair. The eldest Anderson enjoyed poking fun at his son about the impending drive that inevitably placed three kazoo-armed children in the back seat of the vehicle.

All joking aside, the father of three said he did not mind the tunes, and was happy to see all his children enjoying the same activity.

“This is something we don’t have up there [in Van Buren],” he said. “We come from a family of music, and this is an instrument they didn’t have around.”

Early Sunday afternoon, about 10 to 15 children showed up to construct the paper towel masterpieces, with wax paper affixed to one end, which kept smiles on the faces of parents and children alike.

“When I look at the calendar I look for fun opportunities for kids to learn something,” said Trudi Plummer, director of education at the museum. “National Kazoo Day is just one of those weird days that people don’t know about.”

Plummer hoped that kids who participated in the celebration would not only learn about music, but also have fun in the arts and crafts portion of the project.

Nicholas Matt, 5, of Lincoln made his own kazoo, decorated with orange bumblebee paper. Yet, when the wax paper, which muffles the volume, fell off the end, his mom, Michelle Matt, actively sought a replacement, stating “maybe I should go find that.”

Parents seemed to take the clamorous melodies in stride, and simply enjoyed watching their children have fun and learn at the same time.

“They enjoy it every time they come here,” Melissa Milner, the mother of two young boys, said. “There’s always something new for them to do.”