Recycled Rain Sticks

Creative time with my little ladies Lydia & Zoe is one of my favorite parts of the day. We are constantly looking for projects where we can recycle bits and pieces from around the house…

It’s been SUPER hot here in the Boston area. So we decided to beat the heat and stay inside to make rain sticks! We first saw this activity over on the Happy Holigans blog (so many great ideas!).

What you need:

  • Recycled Tube (paper towel, wrapping paper, tin foil, etc.)
  • Paper (we used some leftover wrapping paper bits)
  • Tin Foil
  • Stickers
  • Glue and/or Tape
  • Scissors
  • Wax Paper
  • Rice

What to do:

Cut the scraps of wrapping paper up. I cut up a few bits for my little ladies as we are still learning to master scissors. If your kiddos are older they can do it themselves. Lay out the paper bits, stickers and paints and let your little ones decorate the outside of their tube.

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Once done, use wax paper and tape to cover one end. Next measure and pour rice into the tube (great for fine motor skills!). Crumple up a piece of tin foil and stuff it into the tube. Then seal off the open end and Tad Dah! You have a super cute piece of fun functional art. Shake! Shake! Shake!

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What we thought:

We had lots of fun! The rain sticks took us about 45 minutes including a little shaking play time at the end. It’s makes a bit of a mess but loads of fun for the kiddos.
PS: We’ve been shaking the sticks hoping for some rain to end the dry spell here in Boston. Fingers crossed.

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