Making a Rainstick is an easy and educational craft for kids of any age. Rain makering is also called “wishing on a star” because that’s what students do with their paper towel rolls to make it work – they wish upon each drop of water that comes out of the roll.
Homemade Rainstick: The Materials You’ll Need
Rain makers provide an amazing opportunity for kids of all ages to express their creativity through artistry. Kids can construct rainmakers with just paper towel rolls or the larger cardboard tubes from toilet paper or paper towels.
Rainmakers can be as simple or complex as children want them to be, so start out with the basic materials and then let your child’s imagination take center stage!
Rainstick Craft for Kids: Educational Paper Towel Roll Construction
Rain makers are simple to make with just a paper towel roll, some rubberbands, glue, and scissors! The materials needed can be found around the house or in your kitchen cabinet. Rain makers are easy and inexpensive to make, so go ahead a try it out!
Materials
- Paper towel roll
- Rubber bands
- Rice
- Tinfoil
- Toothpicks
- Glue
- Stickers, paint, construction paper or other things to decorate with
Instructions
- Cut two squares of tinfoil. Fasten to one end of the paper towel roll.
- Cut a long piece of tinfoil and crunch up and twist (not too tight). You can add toothpicks throughout it too if you'd like. This will be placed inside the tube.
- Pour one to two handfuls of rice into the tube.
- Cut to more squares of tinfoil and fasten to the opposite end of the roll.
- Now tape, glue, paint the outside to fasten it all down tight and decorate it!
Crafting Rainstick Instrument: The Steps Involved for a rainstick without rice
Start by having kids paint their paper towel rolls white (or brown, if they prefer). Let dry for a few hours, or overnight if necessary.
After the paint has dried on your paper towel rolls and toilet paper tubes (or whatever material you are using), have children cut strips from construction paper to use as “rain”. You can use different colors of construction paper for a multicolored effect! Rain makers work best when there is one color per tube.
When you’ve got your paper strips cut and the paint has dried, have kids glue their colored construction paper to one end of the roll. Kids can do this by themselves or with a little assistance from an adult. Once children have finished gluing their rain onto the tube, they will be ready for play! You might want to lay out a few sheets of newspaper before letting them play to help with clean up.
Making Rain Makers: The Science Behind the Fun of a rainstick activity
Rain Makers also provide opportunities for learning colors and shapes while teaching children how to work together on a project as well as strengthen their hand muscles and improve fine motor skills. Rainmakers teach little ones about the water cycle while allowing them to express artistic creativity as well.
What is a rainstick used for?
Kids learn that rain comes from clouds and then make it happen themselves by creating a little precipitation in their own home. Rain makers are not only a fun activity, but they’re also an educational one! Plus making rain makers is also great fun on hot days when you’re stuck inside.
For older kids, you can talk about the science behind rain making and why it works. You can teach children that when water vapor turns into droplets of liquid in clouds, those droplets need to grow so large that they become heavy enough to fall to earth. Rain makers show children that when paper becomes saturated with water, the weight of those droplets is to pull itself free from the tube and make a little rain!
How to make a rainstick a stem activity:
Rain Makers are a great way to teach children about recycling. Kids will learn that when you cut up things like paper towel rolls into pieces they become new things like rain makers!
Making rain makers with children of all ages is a great activity that is both educational and fun. Rain makers are simple to make, inexpensive, and allow children of all ages to express their creativity through artistry! Rainmaker making can be done with just paper towel rolls or larger cardboard tubes from toilet paper or paper towels.
Making rainmakers provides kids with an opportunity to express their creativity through artistry. Rainmakers can be as simple or complex as children want them to be, so let your child’s imagination take center stage!
