Worldly Weather: At-Home Activity

Our Creatively Shine Curriculum™ theme this month is “Worldly Weather”. This at-home activity will be sure to bring the rain with your homemade rain sticks. Rain sticks are fun instruments that when you turn them upside down it will sound like rain!

Supplies:

• Paper towel roll
• Aluminum foil
• Rice
• Clear tape
• Wooden spoon
• Broom handle
• Colored paper
• Optional: Funnel

Steps:

1. Tear a 10-inch long piece of foil.
2. Twist the foil into a stick-like shape.
3. Wrap the foil around the handle of a broom to make a spiral.
4. Tear a 7-inch long piece of foil.
5. Twist the foil into a skinny, wire-like shape.
6. Wrap this piece of foil around the handle of a wooden spoon in order to make a tight spiral.
7. Insert the smaller spiral into the larger spiral. (This step is the key to making the rain stick work)
8. Place the end of the paper towel roll onto a sheet of paper and trace a circle around it. (Do this once for each end)
9. Draw a bigger circle around the smaller circles you just drew.
10. Cut out the larger circles, and use scissors to make a lot of cuts from the edge of the paper to the inner circle.
11. Tape the paper to the end of the paper towel roll, wrapping the flaps you just cut up the side of the tube. Secure the flaps with clear tape.
12. Once one side is secure, insert the two pieces of foil into the open side of the paper towel roll.
13. Add 1/4 cup of dried rice into the tube.
14. Secure the 2nd side.
15. Use lots of tape to make sure everything is secure.
16. Wrap the tube with a sheet of colored paper to make it bright and colorful.
17. Let the rain dance begin!