A Rainstick Sensory Bottle

The gentle sound of this sensory bottle when you move it up and down is soothing to children and adults.

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A rainstick musical sensory bottle stimulates both the auditory and visual sensory systems, and the sound it makes is very soothing to children and adults. It is commonly made in the shape of a tube and partially filled with small pebbles, beans, or rice. Tipping it from top to bottom causes the rice to bounce off the sticks and produces a sound reminiscent of rain falling. If your child uses his vision, they can also watch the rice fall through the sticks.

Supplies

• Empty water bottle or another plastic tube-shaped container with a lid
• Goo Gone
• Sticks and twigs
• White rice, uncooked
  
• Super Glue
  

Directions

1. First look in your backyard or a nearby park and find some sticks and twigs that will fit inside your container. Older siblings can help gather sticks.
   
2. Grab an empty water bottle from your recycling bin or use another plastic, tube-shaped container with a lid. Peel off the sticker on the bottle if it’s recycled and remove any sticky residue with Goo Gone.
3. Fill the bottle with small sticks and twigs. You might invite your child to help you fill the bottle. Talk about how you’re putting the sticks IN the bottle. It’s OK if the sticks get tangled up a bit in the bottle or go in different directions. This will create more surface area for the rice to bounce off to produce the sound of rain.
4. Add five to ten teaspoons of rice to the bottle. While you’re filling the bottle, you could put some rice on a tray or sheet pan and allow your child to touch the rice or practice scooping and dumping it with a cup. Supervise your child because uncooked rice can be a choking hazard if they put it in their mouth.
5. Put the lid on your rainstick and slowly tip the musical sensory bottle instrument from top to bottom to hear the gentle pitter-patter of rain.
6. Play with your rainstick sensory bottle for a day or two to make sure you like it. You may find that you want more or less rice, or more or less sticks inside of it.
7. Once you are happy with the way your rainstick looks and sounds, glue on the lid so it can’t be removed.