How to make a rainstick musical instrument

Here’s an easy guide to show you how to make a rainstick musical instrument.

How to make a rainstick musical instrument

Have you ever heard a rainstick? It makes a lovely, gentle sound which does sound just like a shower of rain, and is very soothing. It’s a great accompaniment to the more lively noise makers in our rainbow band.

To make a rainstick you’ll need a thick cardboard tube. We found the inner piece of a roll of kitchen foil was perfect.

Then you’ll need some nails, which are the right size to fill the space inside the cardboard tube, but not long enough to poke through to the other side. Use a hammer to push in lots of nails all along and around the cardboard tube. My daughter loved this bit. I’m a great believer in showing children how to use real tools safely and letting them have a go but you know your own child best, so decide if they will join in with this bit or whether you will do it yourself.

Can you see how the nails criss-cross inside the tube? This is going to stop your rice filling from falling too quickly from one end of the rainstick to another. The jumble of nails will slow the rice as it falls, and give you that lovely shower of rain sound.

Once your rainstick is filled with the nails, tape up one end using masking tape. Pop in some rice and cover the other end with your hand, while you try out the rainstick. Tip it up and down and test out the sound, adding more rice if you want to. Then tape up the other end of the stick to secure the rice inside.

Finally, you can decorate the outside of the rainstick. To add an extra layer of protection you might want to wrap the tube with a piece of card, or some masking tape, so the nails are all tucked away. We added stripes of acrylic paint in rainbow colours.

Make a whole band of Wild Rumpus homemade musical instruments

Head this way to see how to make a whole band of homemade musical instruments and for details of the Big Wild Rumpus parties.