Rain Stick

What you need: 

• Cardboard tube (from paper towel roll) 
• Straight pins 
• Masking tape 
• Rice 
• Grocery bag 
• Rubber band 
• Child-safe scissors 
• Markers and/or crayons 

What to do:

1. You may want to introduce this activity to your child by talking about how natives of the Amazon jungle believed they could coax water from the sky with rain sticks. Locate the Amazon jungle on a map with your child.
   
2. Show him how to poke straight pins into the tube at equal distances — approximately every inch. Assist him in winding masking tape around the tube to secure the pins.
   
3. He can cut two 6-inch circles from the bottom of a grocery bag. Place one circle over one end of the tube and secure it with a thick rubber band.
   
4. Have him pour a handful of rice into the tube and secure the open end with the remaining circle and a rubber band.
   
5. Invite him to decorate his rain stick with colorful patterns and designs. Then it's time to experiment with using the rain stick to create the sound of rain!

From Fresh & Fun: April by Jacqueline Clarke

(Scholastic Professional Books)

About the Author

Jacqueline Clarke is the author of two recent professional books for teachers, Best-Ever Activities for Grades 2-3: Graphing (Scholastic Inc., 2002) and Best-Ever Activities for Grades 2-3: Vocabulary (Scholastic Inc., 2002).