Child Friendly Rain Stick

I am helping my daughter-in-law with home schooling by teaching my granddaughter, and her cousin, kindergarten science for half an hour once a week. Last week we learned about ice.  This week we are going to learn about evaporation and clouds.  I thought as part of our learning about rain, we would make rain sticks, so that when they turn it upside down and shake it (a little), it will remind them of the sound of rain falling.  I did some research for child friendly versions of rain sticks.  I didn’t want to have to push pins or skewers into the empty tube because that turns it into an adult project instead of a kid friendly project.  This Instructable is what I came up with.  So let’s go.

Supplies:
A cardboard tube 18 inches (206 cm) long or longer.
1 inch (2.5 cm) wide strips of light card board or card stock
Masking tape
Scissors
Plain scrap paper, cut into 2 - 3.5 inch (9 cm) diameter circles
¼ cup (4 in3) raw rice
Stickers
Color markers
Funnel (not shown)

Fold the circle of paper

around one end of the tube.  Use the masking tape to attach the paper around the end of the tube so that it is secure.  If the child who is making this rain stick is very active (read destructive), you may want to put tape over the end the paper to make it heavier and stronger.

Tape the strips of the light card board together so that they are 1½ times the length of the tube.  I made the strips 1 inch wide because the inner diameter of the tube is 1½ inches.  This left room all the way around the cardboard for the rice to move around.

Take the time to accordion fold the cardboard so that will all fit into the tube. 

Put it all into the tube.

Take the funnel and stick it into open end of the tube. 

Pour the rice into the funnel and then shake it into the tube.

Use another circle of paper to close off the open end of the tube.  Now you are done with the main part of the rain stick.

Now hand over the stickers and markers to each child and let them decorate their own rain stick.  Make sure each child puts their name on their rain stick.

Done.  You may need to shake the stick a little to get all the rice to get to the bottom.  The grandkids had fun making them. Not bad.  Enjoy!