I can't believe it's so bloody hot in February. I absolutely was enjoying the blistering heat wave we were having. It's the perfect temperature for a dragon, but not so much for people. The heat radiated off my silky smooth wings and glass-like scales as I basked in the sun. As I was curled up under the rays I thought of how my teammates were handling the heat. So, decided to head on over to the SOUP offices to see. Taking flight I accelerated to a comfortable gliding height and caught the Windstream all the way to the offices. Upon arriving I walked in and the only one not sweating buckets was the other dragon in the office. I overheard Katie and someone else wishing for rain, so decided to get everyone together to build rainsticks and maybe dance (that probably wasn't happening but one could hope). Hopefully, it would distract everyone from the boiling temperatures in the office.
In many cultures, summoning rain often included the use of musical instruments. One well-known example is a rainstick, an instrument that mimics the sound of rain. They are traditionally made from dead cactus tubes with cactus spines hammered to the inside and filled with tiny pebbles. The origin of the rainstick is not fully known, but many people think that it probably came from a group of indigenous people known as the Diaguita from the deserts of northern Chile. A lot of cultures also had a rain dance they would perform during ceremonies to summon the rain spirit to request rain.
Materials
-A long cardboard tube that is about 1 1/2-2 inches (4-5 centimeters) in diameter (the cardboard tube from a roll of wrapping paper works well or you can tape two or three paper towel rolls together; you can also use a narrow poster tube)
-Marker (any color)
-About forty 1-inch (2.5-cm) nails for every 12 inches (30 cm) of tube
-Masking or packing tape/sticking charm
-Two 3 x 5 index cards (or plastic end caps if you are using a poster tube)
-Scissors/cutting charm
-A few handfuls of raw rice or small dry beans or seeds, or a mix of such things
-Magic Wand
instructions
1. If you're using paper-towel rolls, tape them together to form a long tube.
Paper tubes have spiral seams. Use a marker to make dots about half an inch (1.25 cm) apart all the way down the spiral seam of your tube.
2. Now poke a nail all the way in at each dot. (Make sure the nails don't poke through the other side of the tube.) You'll need about forty nails for every 12 inches (30 cm) of the tube.
3. Next, wrap the tape around the tube to hold the nails in place.
4. Cut two circles from the index cards just a little bigger than the ends of the tube. Tape one of the circles over one end of the tube.
5. Cover the circle with tape so the whole end of the tube is sealed shut. If you use a poster tube with end caps, insert the plastic cap on one end of the tube and secure it with tape.
6. Put a handful of raw rice or beans into the open end of the tube. Cover the open end with your hand, and turn the tube over a few times, listening to your rainstick's sound. Add more rice or beans until you like what you hear. (Beans will make a harder sound; the rice will make a softer sound.)
7. When you're ready, tip the tube up, put the second index-card circle or plastic cap over the open end, and seal the tube shut with tape.
Once your rainstick is complete, you can shake it like a rattle, use it as a percussive instrument, or gently tip it back and forth to make soothing environmental sounds. I love the sound the rain sticks make. I hope you have as much fun as I did making this with my friends in the SOUP office. Unfortunately, no one wanted to dance, lol. Have fun and happy crafting- Little Dragon.