Indian Rain Stick

The Indian rain sticks that are at some craft shows or Indian pow-wows fascinate children. If you haven't had a chance to see one yet, they can be quite addicting. The rain stick consists of a hollowed out wooden tube, which is closed at both ends. Inside are a series of pegs and small pebbles. When the rain stick is stood upright, all the pebbles cascade down the series of pegs, causing a sound similar to rain. Here, I will tell you how you or your child can make your very own rain stick.

Materials:

• Paper towel tube
• Rice
• Roofing nails
• Felt
• Cardboard
• Tacky glue
• Ribbon or yarn
• Scissors

Procedure:

1. Poke the nails through the sides of the tube, making sure they only go through the one side and don't come out the opposite side. The nails should be scattered over the whole tube. About forty would be a good number, more or less depending on the size of the tube. Just keep in mind that the more nails you have, the better the sound.
2. Cut two circles out of cardboard to fit on each end of the paper towel tube. Glue one circle on the end of the tube and save the other for later.
3. Pour about ¼ cup rice in the tube and close up the open end with the other cardboard circle you cut out in the previous step.
4. Measure and glue the felt to the tube. Cover the tube completely with the felt. The ends can be covered by cutting slits in the felt and folding over each other. Decorate with ribbon, yarn, sequins, or whatever you have on hand.

 As with any sharp objects, make sure you closely watch your child to make sure they don't injure themselves with the nails. This is a great project for Thanksgiving, or in conjunction with lessons on Indian culture.

If you do not see the table at the left, please click here.