Building instruments at home is a very fun entertainment to do with children. We can have a good time collaborating in its elaboration, and then feel satisfied with the result, and then the children will surely show off in front of their friends.
Today you I will explain how a 'rain or water stick' is made: It is an ideophone instrument (almost all of its body is a sound producer) of South American origin (most likely its use began in the Mayan culture.
It is called a rain stick because when we hear it we think we are listening to the ringing of water drops on the ground. And if you have had the chance to see a real water stick, your size will have impressed you: they are huge. And they are also very beautiful when they are original because they are made with dried cactus trunks with the spines 'inside' and stuffed with seeds
The process is a bit laborious but with children over six years it can be achieved as long as we help them a little. I made one for my children four years ago and again this summer we have all reworked it together (they are almost nine years old, and six).
Materials you will need:
- The cardboard tube of a roll of kitchen paper, preferably choose one of rigid cardboard, a package of fine nails that are about two centimeters (or two and a half) long, a small hammer, rice and legumes, cardboard, paper colors, adhesive lining, transparent seal, adhesive tape, and decorating tape (optional).
In addition we will also use scissors, white glue and colored pencils.
How is the rain stick made?
It takes about two hours to complete it, but it's nothing complicated. First the nails are introduced along the tube (on the outside)If the latter is hard you will need a little help from the hammer. You should leave about two centimeters between the nails, cover the entire surface of the tube, and try to insert some of them diagonally so that they cross inside.
The next step is to hold the nails so that they do not hurt and do not move, for this you will use transparent adhesive lining paper. And then we cover one of the openings at the ends with a cardboard cover that is circular in color but with a diameter greater than the opening, it sticks well with a transparent seal.
In this link you can see a photo to get the idea of how to place the nails, only that they have used wooden sticks (of the skewers), having previously drilled the tube. I like more the sound effect it produces when nails are used metallic
Through the opening that we still have 'free' we introduce a handful of rice and one of green soybeans (or mugo bean). You can also put chickpeas but only if they are very small (so that they are not hooked between the nails), and some large seed such as raw pipes, but the appropriate size would be that of green soybeans (it gives a special sound).
It is time to seal the other cover and decorate the 'stick on the outside'. To do this you can use wrapping paper, print drawings that children like and color them, make a composition with various papers (crepe, colored cellophane, patent leather, etc). The point is that it is beautiful, and so that it is also durable the papers are glued to the tube using white glue and this is lined again with transparent lining.
With colored masking tape or decorating tapes you can increase the decorative effect
You have ready your 'water stick' that will produce a pleasant and relaxing sound. And it is much better than the plastic one you bought for the kids when they were babies, sure.
Variations
For more experienced children or more patient parents, it is possible to join (use transparent seal because it holds more than heat) several tubes with each other and perform the whole process. It will cost more but the result will be more spectacular.
This tutorial video of 'Gustamonton' explains how to do it differently (the author builds a kind of metal balls and introduces them into the tube), but what I like most is how seals caps to make them more resistant.
UPGRADE: We would like to point out that this craft cannot be used by children (especially when they are without adult supervision) as a toy, since elements that can be dangerous are used: nails. On the other hand, it is not suitable for children under three years of age, as it contains legumes or seeds potentially causing asphyxiation by ingestion.
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