Submitted by Kristi Keast, Mount Vernon, Iowa
Idea posted December 16, 2002
You may need an extra pair of hands, or take a lot of cotton garden gloves for this rainstick idea.
Buy the white poster mailing tubes. Buy chicken wire and cut it ahead of time, just long enough for the tube, but needing to be rolled up a few times. That's where the gloves come in. The students roll up their chicken wire, slightly crushing the roll. Insert into the mailing tube. Glue the bottom cap on. Add corn, small pebbles, or rice to suit for sound, then glue on the top cap. Students can decorate by gluing on scraps of tissue paper, tie fabric with raffia over the ends, and even insert turkey feathers, etc. into the raffia. I have also heard that the plastic rings from six packs can work instead of the chicken wire, but you need to collect those!
(With the chicken wire I'd suggest fourth grade or older, OR have some willing parent helpers come in to do the rolling of the wire. The sound is terrific!)