Fun Freetime: Teacarina

Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate this post. All opinions are my own. The St. Louis School of Music developed a fun gift for music lovers and tea or coffee drinkers - a tea cup that's also a flute. The Teacarina is a form of an ocarina, a pocket-sized wind instrument with roots in the dawn of history. Each product comes with an instruction booklet. Music is produced by blowing through an air chamber, changing pitch by fingering four holes of various sizes on the side on the cup. 

I play flute, so it took me no time at all to figure it out. The advantage it has over other flutes is the size - the holes are close enough that even kids are going to be able to play it. My six-year-old daughter was able to finger all the notes, although learning songs is taking her a while - but it would with any instrument. The site sells a variety of ocarinas, from low-cost kid-friendly shapes and colors to high-end instruments for professionals. You can even get Zelda-themed ocarinas! If you're looking for a way to encourage music with an easy-to-learn instrument (that has a pleasant sound even for beginners), getting an ocarina is a great option!