Rainsticks
Lesson submitted by Lisa Confora
Lesson Title: Rainsticks
Level: Any
Class Time: 3 to 4 Classes
Focus: Art History and Production
Lesson Overview: Create a rainstick decorated with repeated patterns of shape and color.
Objectives:- Knowledge: Students will know that a rainstick was used to make it rain. Students will know how a rainstick was originally created
- Skill: Students will be able to make a rainstick using household and recycled items.
Materials: Paper towel tubes, aluminum foil, dry rice, brown Kraft paper, glue, tape, scissors, paint, printed paper with designs, yarn (all colors), foil paper.
Activity: Show students on the map where Chile is in South AMerica. Compare the distance to New Jersey in North America. Explain why the Chilean people need rain and how they solved the problem. Explain how the Chilean people created their sticks (dried cactus roots, dried cactus needles, lava pebbles and rice). Show pictures of traditional rainsticks, point out the repeating shapes and colors. Bring out a real rainstick. Let students touch and play with it. Show teacher example and explain that recycled materials can be used to make one. Begin creating rainstick folowing directions below:
- Trace around the end of your tube onto a piece of brown paper.
- Put glue on the spokes and glue the cap onto one end of your tube.
- Cut a piece of aluminum foil that is about one and a half times the length of your tube and about 6 inches wide.
- Cruch the aluminum foil into a long, thin, sanke-like shape then twist the foil into a spring shape.
- Put the aluminum foil spring into your tube. Pour some dry beans, dry rice, or unpopped popcorn into your tube. The tube should be only about 1/10th full. You can experiement to see how different amounts and idfferent types of seeds and beans can change the sound.
- Make another cap from brown paper (the same as the first three steps) and cap your tube.
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