Bamboo rainsticks

Rainsticks made out of our homegrown bamboo poles

Bamboo poles have so many uses but one frequently requested project involves the use of bamboo poles to make rainsticks.  A few months ago, Kari, a customer in Kentucky, had that project in mind when she wrote to say: 

"Hi!  I just found your site on Google.  I am looking for bamboo poles for a homeschool group project.  We are making rainsticks.  Everything I've read says I need at least a 3" diameter by about 2' long.  (We can cut them here, but if you all can do that, that would save me work!!)  I'm planning on about 25 kids.  There are less, but I'd like some practice and some extras!!  We live in KY, so there would be shipping.  Could you please give me a quote and your best advice?  If you have an idea how to cap them off or what to use on the ends, I would appreciate that, too!!  Thanks!"

Our son Tim was also homeschooled and has made bamboo rainsticks himself.  Tim responded to Kari's letter:

"Bamboo does make a great rainstick.  When I've made them, I used a wooden dowel, or the end node of smaller bamboo, to close the ends.  3'' would work well, and we have three different kinds to choose from: our Homegrown poles, imported poles and polished poles.  The polished poles are going to look the most beautiful since the natural oils in the bamboo form a glossy look when cured.  We can cut the poles into 2' foot sections for a dollar a cut, which would yield you 4 pieces per 8' pole.  The shipping will be less with the cuts since the packages will be shorter- but for an exact quote I just need a zip code where they are going in KY."

Kari opted for 2" diameter homegrown poles (easier for little hands to hold) cut into smaller lengths. When the project was completed, she sent the following pictures:

My rainstick!

Enough bamboo poles to make rainsticks for everyone

Rainsticks are for more than making music...they're good to lean on too