Music in Our Schools Month: DIY Rainstick

We're back with another installment of our Music in Our Schools Month DIY! Today, we're making Homemade Rainsticks. In elementary school, we would have a day every few months when our music teacher would bring out every odds and ends instrument she had collected over the years for us to jam with, including a giant rainstick from Chile that stood taller than her. When she'd flip the stick end over end, all the contents inside would run down and create a beautiful, rainy chiming that was mesmerizing. So again, in honor of "Music in Our Schools Month" (and to continue inspiring the littlest music makers), we've created another kid-friendly musical instrument for your little rockers! This week, we're making Rainsticks. What You'll Need: Mailing Tube (we used an 11x2 inch tube with ends) Aluminum Foil 3 tbsp Rice 3 tbsp Unpopped Popcorn Broomstick Hot Glue Masking Tape Optional: Glue and construction paper Instructions: 1. Tear a 2 ½ foot length sheet of aluminum foil and crush it lengthwise into the shape of a long cylinder. 2. Wrap it around the handle of a broom (or comparable-shaped object) to form a coil. Remove from broom. Coil should measure about the length of your mailing tube) 3. Create a 2^nd coil by repeating step 1 & 2. This time after, removing the coil from the broom, continue twisting the aluminum to create a tighter coil. 4. Place the small coil within the larger coil. 5. Place the two coils into mailing tube. 6. Use hot glue or masking tape to secure the ends of the foil inside the tube about ¼ inch from opening. 7. After one end of the mailing tube has been securely closed off, pour in rice and popcorn combination. 8. Secure both ends. Tip and let it rain!