Aksel's Rainstick

While Lachen slumbered off a fever, Aksel sat chomping on his after-school snack. He lamented how he hadn't made any instruments this year. You see, the school music teacher invites students to make instruments and bring them to music class. Lachen made several shakers last year, as well as a great shoebox and rubber band guitar. Aksel said he wanted to make a rainstick. We used to have a real one from Mary, but at some point it broke and slowly littered our house with little stones. Before putting it in the compost bin (it was made out of a certain tree trunk), I examined its structure. Toothpicks had been tapped in all over the place, and the sound of the rainstick is made by the rocks hitting the sticks.

Lo and behold, I had stashed away the cardboard tube that some drapery fabric had been wrapped around. Sometimes my pack-ratting tendencies come in handy! Here is Aksel's creation. We used aluminum nails and rice to make the tinkling noise.