Rainsticks make Fun Christmas Crafts for Kids!
If you're looking for fun Christmas crafts, try turning a snowy winter day into a tropical rainstorm!
Rain sticks might not sound like fun Christmas crafts, but they're a great way to use up wrapping paper tubes. If you've ever seen kids play with rain sticks, you know how they're drawn to that trickle trick trickle sound! Rain sticks can take hours of time and be completed with minimal adult assistance. You probably already have the materials to make one, and when they're finished, the kids can turn these fun Christmas crafts into a Christmas concert all their own!
Materials
-Wrapping paper tubes
-A push-pin type thumbtack (one with an actual knob to hold onto)
-White glue
-Scissors
-Round toothpicks
-Makers, stickers, and glitter
-Duct tape
-Rice
Make It!
Use the push pin to make holes along the line that winds down the tube (the seam). Depending on the thickness of your tube, you might have to wiggle it a bit. Leave about an inch between holes.
Press round toothpicks into the holes. Push them through firmly so they "catch" on the opposite wall. Use the scissors to trim them as close to the tube as possible (if you're using good scissors, this is a breeze. Kids' scissors don't work at all).
Put a dab of white glue over each hole to seal the toothpicks inside. Let them dry overnight. If you're looking for fun Christmas crafts to finish today, use a hot glue gun instead.
Seal one end of the tube with duct tape (make sure you get all the edges). Pour a quarter cup of dry rice into the open end, then seal that end too. When you tip the tube, you should hear a rain stick sound of falling rice.
Now it's time to decorate! Use crayons, stickers, glue, whatever your heart desires.
Other Ideas
-If you don't have any wrapping paper tubes, paper towel tubes work just fine.
-Experiment with different sounds. What happens if you use popcorn instead of rice?
-Homeschoolers can use this as an excellent science lesson on sound waves
-To make really exciting rain sticks, cut magazine photos (or use a Christmas catalogue) and glue them all over the tube. Cover it in modge podge to make fun Christmas crafts with a personal edge!