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When it's too hot and dry outside, you can make a rainstick and hope that it will bring in rain! People have done all kinds of things to try and summon rain when there just hasn't been enough of it. There are rain dances, rain turtles, rain spells and who knows what else! You can do a dance with your rainstick when you're done creating it and see if you can summon the rain!

Rainstick Materials

Paper towel cardboard tube
Metal nails shorter than the width of the cardboard tube
Uncooked rice or dried beans
Cardboard or cereal box
Scissors
Masking tape
Old newspapers
Colored paper or paint and paintbrushes
Glue
Decorative materials, such as beads, glitter glue, sequins, etc.

How to make that rainstick and bring on the rain!

1. Push the nails through the paper towel cardboard tube in a spiral direction all the way down the tube. You will want to be sure not to put them too close together, so that the paper towel tube holds up and doesn't get crushed easily.

2. Cut a circle out of the cardboard or cereal box the same size as the end of the paper towel tube. Cover one end of the tube with with that circle. Secure it with lots of tape.

3. Pour about two handsful of uncooked rice or dried beans into the tube. Cover the other end with another piece of cardboard and lots of tape.

4. Tear old newspapers into 1-inch strips. Glue all over the rainstick. When dry, cover the rainstick with colored paper, or paint in the desired color.

5. Decorate the rainstick with beads, glitter glue, sequins, etc. You could even make a Rainstick Man and have a big face on your tube.

6. To summon the rain, tilt the rainstick to make the rice or beans move down to the other end. You will hear the sound of rain!

7. Create your special rain dance, with pauses throughout, to tilt the rainstick and 'hear the rain' you have created.

Submitted by Leximom