Earth Day Crafts

Rainstick

Supplies needed:

A paper towel tube or other long cardboard tube

Aluminum foil

Small dried beans (like lentils), unpopped popcorn, dry rice, or tiny pasta.

Brown paper (from a grocery bag) or construction paper

Glue

Scissors

Crayons or markers

How to make It:

*Trace around the end of your tube onto a piece of brown paper (or construction paper).Draw a bigger circle around that circle and then draw a lot of spokes between the two circles.

*Cut along the spokes.

Put glue on the spokes and glue the cap onto one end of your tube.

Cut a piece of aluminum foil that is about one and half times the length of your tube and about 6 inches wide.

Crunch the aluminum foil into two long, thin, snake-like shapes.

Then twist each one into a spring shape.

*Put the aluminum foil springs into your tube.

Pour some dry beans, dry rice, or unpopped popcorn into your tube. The tube should only be about 1/10 full. You can experiment to see how different amounts and different types of seeds and beans change the sound.

*Make another cap from brown paper (the same as the first three steps) and cap your tube.

Optional: Decorate the tube by covering it with brown paper or construction paper, and then making designs with crayons or markers (or cut-out paper or stickers).Rainforest designs are nice, especially brightly-colored butterflies, frogs, and flowers. Tiny construction paper butterflies (like the one on the right) are nice glued onto the rainstick.