Rain sticks make the most wonderful sound, like the soft patter of rain. With a little creativity, they can also be a beautiful piece of interactive artwork, perfect for display. The history of rain sticks is somewhat elusive. Some say that rain sticks were used in rituals in parts of South America to bring rain, but there is no solid documentation. To learn more about the history of the rain stick, go to Tinyurl.com/5ftfv.
Supplies
For building the rain stick
• Hammer
• Cardboard tube (a paper towel roll will work, but a thicker mailing tube is best)
• Nails (a quarter-inch shorter than the tube's diameter)
• Tube end-caps (or ascaps made from additional cardboard)
• Glue (or hot glue gun)
For decorations
• Colored tissue paper
• Scissors
• Decorative papers, special wrapping paper, or cutouts from magazines
• Medium-sized paint brush (about one-inch in length)
• Watered-down Elmer's glue
• Metallic, sparkle paint or sparkle glue
Tips
• Rainsticks can be any length - even six feet long! - but a minimum of one foot is best.
• If tubes are of thicker cardboard, you may need to drill holes for the nails.
• The “rain” sound can be made by using beads, beans, pebbles, seeds, rice, or any combination.
• Children love working with tools - make sure to show them how to properly use a hammer and nails.
Making the stick
1. Cap one end of the tube. If it didn't come with caps, cut a piece of cardboard the same size as the hole. You can cut tabs, as in the diagram and bend them to fit the diameter. Hot glue it securely to the end.
2. Hammer nails along a spiral one-half to one-inch apart in the opposite direction of the tube seam (see diagram). The more nails used, the more prolonged the “rain” sound.
Time to decorate
3. Dip brush in watered-down glue and apply a small amount to tube. Take a 4×4 square of tissue paper and place on the glued portion of the tube. Apply glue on top of the tissue with a brush until it fully adheres to tube. Continue applying tissue paper, overlapping various sizes and colors, until the tube is covered.
4. Brush on a transparent layer of metallic or sparkle paint.
5. Cut shapes of specialty paper and either glue them randomly around the stick or create a design, perhaps a vine spiraling up the stick.
6. Put your “rain” material into tube. Turn the tube upside down and cap the open end. Experiment with different amounts of “rain” by adding or removing material. When it sounds good, cap the open end and glue securely.
7. Let it rain!
Elizabeth Greenbaum is founder and executive director of ArtiCulture, an artist, and the mother of Cayla and Maia (two budding artists in their own right). ArtiCulture is a nonprofit arts organization in South Minneapolis, offering visual arts education, including classes, summer camps, school artist residencies, collaborative endeavors, and special projects. For more information, go to Articulture.org.
