When making this easy rainstick South America craft for kids you can include many subjects. That is what makes crafts so special when you include them in your unit studies. Also, look at my page South America Unit Study Resources for more ideas about South America.
Also, look at my Styles of Music Unit Study. A rainstick is a musical instrument.
It is a long, hollow tube filled with tiny things like beans, rice, or pebbles.

This simple, sensory-rich project isn’t just fun but also touches on multiple subjects, from science and geography to music and cultural studies.
Rain sticks are believed to have originated in South America, often made by indigenous peoples to call rain.
For example, it has been found north on the coasts of Chile, perhaps having been used by the Incas.
It was also believed to have been started by the indigenous people, Mapuche who were in Chili and part of Argentina. They often used dried cactus tubes and filled them with seeds or pebbles.
BOOKS ABOUT SOUTH AMERICA FOR KIDS
Also, look at these fun books to include facts about South America.
13 Resources for a Study of South America
Add some of these fun books and resources to your study of South America.
An incredible variety of climates and biomes span the territory of South America. As a result, the continent contains some of the greatest biodiversity on Earth.
Rookie Read-About: Continents series gives the youngest reader (Ages 3-6) an introduction to the components that make each continent distinctive and exceptional. Readers will get to know each continents' geography, history, and wildlife. In this book readers learn about the continent of South America, including the geography, native animals, people and more.
A full-color, compelling book for ages 7 to 10 offers a deep dive into the three sophisticated ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica―the Aztecs, Maya, and Incas― through hands-on STEAM projects, essential questions, and loads of fascinating facts!
Why were there more than 3,000 steps built at Machu Picchu? Why did the Aztecs roam Mexico for nearly 200 years before finding a place to settle? How did the Maya study the movements of the stars and the planets? Ancient Civilizations: Aztecs, Maya, Incas! With 25 Social Studies Projects for Kids takes kids ages 7 to 10 on a guided tour to experience the history, culture, economics, and daily life of the Aztecs, Maya, and Incas.
A man, his burros, and his books bring joy to children in remote Colombian villages in this inspiring book based on a true story by celebrated picture book creator Jeanette Winter.Luis loves to read, but soon his house in Colombia is so full of books there’s barely room for the family. What to do? Then he comes up with the perfect solution—a traveling library! He buys two donkeys—Alfa and Beto—and travels with them throughout the land, bringing books and reading to the children in faraway villages.
An Incan boy who tends llamas in a hidden valley in Peru learns the traditions and secrets of his ancestors.
In the sequel to On the Pampas, the author recalls her first year on the small Argentinian ranch purchased and managed by her mother, in an account that includes a visual dictionary of the Spanish words and geographical terms used in the text.
Atmospheric woodcuts illustrate this Newbery Award–winning collection of 19 South American folktales. Charles J. Finger heard the tales firsthand from native storytellers, whose fables of talking animals, witches, giants, and ordinary people in supernatural settings provide remarkable insights into regional values and culture. The first of the stories, "A Tale of Three Tails," tells of an age when the rat had a tail like a horse, the rabbit had a tail like a cat, and the deer's tail was plumed like the tail of a dog. "The Magic Dog" recounts an act of kindness to a stray animal that helps overcome a witch's curse. In "The Calabash Man," the creatures of the jungle assist a suitor in winning his bride, and in "El Enano," a greedy troll's insatiable appetite leads to his downfall. Packed with adventure and full of surprises, these and other stories emphasize the importance of hard work, courage, and loyalty.
In 1911, Hiram Bingham III climbed into the Andes Mountains of Peru and “discovered” Machu Picchu. While history has recast Bingham as a villain who stole both priceless artifacts and credit for finding the great archeological site, Mark Adams set out to retrace the explorer’s perilous path in search of the truth—except he’d written about adventure far more than he’d actually lived it. In fact, he’d never even slept in a tent.
With the memorable characters and plot twists she brings to her best-selling fantasies, acclaimed author Eva Ibbotson has written a hair-raising novel, set in turn-of-the-last-century Brazil.Accompanied by Miss Minton, a fierce-looking, no-nonsense governess, Maia, a young orphan, sets off for the wilderness of the Amazon, expecting curtains of orchids, brightly colored macaws, and a loving family. But what she finds is an evil-tempered aunt and uncle and their spoiled daughters. It is only when she is swept up in a mystery involving a young Indian boy, a homesick child actor, and a missing inheritance that Maia lands in the middle of the Amazon adventure she's dreamed of. Readers of every generation will treasure Ibbotson's lush historical adventure that harkens back to the beloved classics of Frances Hodgson Burnett and Louisa May Alco
Can you imagine living in a place where there is so much water some houses need to be built on stilts to protect them when the river rises? Or where it is so wet that some plants can grow on the sides of trees with their roots gathering water from the air? In This Place Is Wet, you'll find out all sorts of things about what it's like to live in the rain forest of Brazil. Try to imagine living there!
It is astonishing that Simón Bolívar, the great Liberator of South America, is not better known in the United States. He freed six countries from Spanish rule, traveled more than 75,000 miles on horseback to do so, and became the greatest figure in Latin American history. His life is epic, heroic, straight out of Hollywood: he fought battle after battle in punishing terrain, forged uncertain coalitions of competing forces and races, lost his beautiful wife soon after they married and never remarried (although he did have a succession of mistresses, including one who held up the revolution and another who saved his life), and he died relatively young, uncertain whether his
achievements would endure.
Ada Ríos grew up in Cateura, a small town in Paraguay built on a landfill. She dreamed of playing the violin, but with little money for anything but the bare essentials, it was never an option...until a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something special, so he made them instruments out of materials found in the trash
Mayans Aztecs Incas Coloring Book – Fun And Education For Adults and TeensMake the perfect gift for anyone who loves coloring! Enjoy this Mayans Aztecs Incas Coloring Book for Adults and Teens. Click the cover to reveal what’s inside!About this book:
- 40 original pages drawings of Symbols, Warriors, Masks and Mandalas.
Explore the Inca empire, including how the Incas survived in the mountains, how the empire was built, and why it disappeared.
A True Book: Ancient Civilizations series allows readers to experience what makes each ancient civilization distinctive and exceptional as well look at its influence on the some of the practices of the modern world. This series includes an age appropriate (grades 3-5) introduction to curriculum-relevant subjects and a robust resource section that encourages independent study.
Next, look at more hands-on activities for kids about South America.
KIDS CRAFTS ABOUT SOUTH AMERICA
- 9 Free South America Country Reports for Kids Notebooking Pages
- Free South America Printable Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Unit Study Ideas
- Appreciating the Culture of South America Through Dance
- Negrinho From Brazil–South America Unit Study
- South America Geography Salt Dough Map + Printable Pennants
- Humboldt Who? Hands On to Understand Ocean Currents & Their Effect On The Galapagos Islands
- How To Make A Blue-Footed Booby Bird Craft
- Fun Chocolate Unit Study and DIY Chocolate Candy Bar Activity
- How to Make Paper Mache Mountains to Celebrate Chimborazo Day

Then look at a few more facts about rainsticks.
FUN FACTS ABOUT RAINSTICKS
- Use it in rhythm lessons or explore how it compares to other percussion instruments.
- You can make a rainstick from lots of things. For instance, a long cardboard tube (like from paper towels or mailing tubes), toothpicks or nails, tape or glue, or dry rice, beans, pasta, or sand.
- The longer the rainstick, the longer the rain sound lasts.
- And the more things you put inside (like beans or rice), the louder it can be.
Finally, look at how to make this fun DIY rainstick.
HOW TO MAKE A DIY RAINSTICK
First, look at this easy list of supplies.
- 2 toilet paper rolls (or 1 paper towel roll)
- Aluminum foil
- Uncooked rice
- Construction paper
- Markers or crayons
- Scissors
- Tape
- Glue

Form the tube. If using toilet paper rolls, tape two together end-to-end to form one long tube.
Make sure the seam is secure and the edges are even.

Make aluminum foil balls.
Tear off a piece of foil and crumple it into a loose ball, barely small enough to roll freely inside the tube. Repeat to make 2–3 balls.

Prepare the end caps. Cut two circles out of construction paper, slightly larger than the ends of your tube.
On each circle, cut two small rectangle flaps sticking out like tabs (this will help prevent rice from leaking through the tape).

Place one circle over one end of the tube and tape it down tightly using the tabs to secure it.

Fill the tube. Drop the aluminum foil balls into the tube. Pour in a small handful of rice.

You need just enough to create a gentle sound when turned. Don’t overfill.
You want space for the rice to move slowly around the foil balls.
Seal the other end. Repeat step 3 to close the other side of the tube securely with your second paper cap.

Decorate the outside. Cut a piece of construction paper to fit around the tube.
Let kids decorate it with markers, crayons, or stickers. Wrap it around the tube and glue it in place.
