Lesson/Activity Topic: Origin of the Rain Stick

Thoughts in planning:

A rain stick is a fun and fairly easy instrument to make. I would use this for third graders and above. I say third grade because the tooth picks could be a bit dangerous for younger children. If short on time I would make the holes in the paper towel roll ahead of time.

Goals for the learner:

Students will make a rain stick using the material provided in a safe environment.

Students will use their creativity to make their rain stick unique.

Students will learn the one believed origin of the rain stick and be able to apply their background knowledge of cactus and deserts.

Assessment:

At the end of the activity each table will be asked one of the following questions: What plant were the original rain sticks made from? Why was this plant used? What materials were used to make this rain stick? Why is it called a rain stick?

Materials/Media:

·  Paper towel roll

·  Toothpicks

·  Thumb tack

·  Rice or beans

·  Wax paper

·  Two rubber bands

·  Construction paper, one per student

·  Markers, glitter glue

·  Scotch Tape

Introduction:

Ask students to name an instrument made from a plant. Explain, “Today we are going to learn about an instrument called the rain stick, this instrument is made from a cactus. Remember when we talked about the cactus? Where do cactus grow? Yes, that’s right the desert. Legend has it the Indians used Rain Sticks during their ceremonies to call on the spirits of rain. Today, The Rain Stick is used mainly as a musical instrument.”

Procedure:

·  Hand out one paper towel roll to each student

·  Instruct students to place tooth picks through the holes already poked in the rolls (use thumbtacks to do so before class. Make holes across from each other horizontally).

·  Once students have about 7 toothpicks in, have each student place the construction paper over the roll using tape to keep in place.

·  Allow students to decorate the paper using materials provided. Encourage creativity.

·  Once decorated, hand out wax paper squares to students. Instruct them to cover one side of the roll bye covering it with the wax paper and placing a rubber band around the roll.

·  Have students come up to the front of the room and grab one handful of rice or beans and place into roll.

·  Students will then cover the other side of the roll.

Resources:

·  Origin of rain stick: http://windsongspirit.com/therainstk.htm

·  I knew how to make the actual rain stick through teaching camp crafts; I do not know the specific resource. However, here is one that is close: http://www.make-stuff.com/kids/rainstick.html

Standards

K 4.1 Science: Give examples of plants and animals

K.2 Music: Students play rhythms using body percussion and classroom instruments. They maintain a steady tempo when playing with a group.