Rainsticks from Recyclables

by Andrea Mulder-Slater

An Arts and Crafts Activity

Age: Upper Elementary and Up
Time: An hour or more
Type of Activity: Art

Materials needed:

Cardboard carpet tube (these are usually 3" to 4" in diameter. In this case, the bigger the better)
Corrugated cardboard (an old box will do just fine)
Packing or masking tape that is about 2" wide
Glue (hot glue, white glue, carpenter's glue -- its your choice)
A power drill or an awl -- ADULT ASSISTANCE REQUIRED
Flat head spiral nails (about 2"-3" long)
A hammer
Scissors
Paints & paintbrushes
Water
Found objects for decorating and noise making objects like rice, corn kernels, sunflower seeds or pistachio nut shells.

What to do

Do your kids have some time on their hands? Want to make a fantastic creation? Super! Creating a rainstick is more than a rainy day activity -- it's fun!

Ready, set, go and cut a piece of carpet tube to about three to five feet. An adult should help with this step. Next, have an adult drill tiny holes (smaller than your flat head spiral nails) around the entire area of the carpet tube. This will make hammering the nails easier and safer. If you don't have a drill, or are uncomfortable using one, just use an awl to poke your holes. Now, using a hammer, put the flat headed spiral nails into the holes that you have drilled. When you look into your tube, you should see a maze of nails.

Now you're ready to "plug" one end of your tube by placing it on a piece of cardboard, tracing around the tube and cutting out the circle. Repeat the process so you have a circle for both ends. Attach the cardboard circle using glue or tape. When one end of your tube is sealed, put a few cups of sunflower seeds, rice, corn kernels, or a combination of all three, into the tube. You will start to hear just how many or how few cups it will take achieve the desired sound. Remember, you don't want to make the rainstick too heavy, so don't put too much filling in. Once you are satisfied with the sound, you can seal the other end of the tube with the second circle.

Finally, it's decorating time! Paint fun designs using bright bold colors and attach whatever is at your fingertips: fabric, tree bark, raffia, sand, shells, feathers ... found objects. All that's left to do is shake your color rhythm rainstick and wait for the thunder.

Younger children can use small cardboard tubes instead of large carpet tubes. Paper towel rolls, gift-wrapping or mailing tubes will all work wonderfully. Poke holes using an awl (or a sharp pencil) and use toothpicks instead of nails. You may need to add a dab of glue to hold the toothpicks in place.

Facts

Legend has it that the Chilean People invented the rainstick to make rainy weather. The rainstick is a type of tubular rattle that has been used by many cultures in various ways. The rainstick has an unusual internal structure: an interior maze formed of cactus spines, wooden pegs, bamboo, or palm slivers is what makes the rainstick different from other tube rattles. The cylinder is filled with pebbles, hard seeds, beans, sand, rice, or tiny shells.

One traditional method of making rainsticks is to use cactus. The spines or thorns are "hammered" inward and lava rock is poured inside the hollow tube. The sounds created when the lava rock hits the many thorns inside the cactus tube mimic the sound of rain falling on the leaves. Now you know.

Add a Comment (0)