# data[].attributes.headline
Goal APL-3: Children engage in increasingly complex play. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Goal APL-3: Children engage in increasingly complex play. 

# data[].attributes.body
Talk to peers and share materials during play. APL-3n

Engage in make-believe play with imaginary objects. APL-3o

# data[].attributes.headline
Goal APL-4: Children demonstrate creativity, imagination, and inventiveness. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Goal APL-4: Children demonstrate creativity, imagination, and inventiveness. 

# data[].attributes.body
Offer new ideas about how to do or make things. APL-4h

Experiment with language, musical sounds, and movement. APL-4k

# data[].attributes.headline
Goal APL-7: Children demonstrate initiative. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Goal APL-7: Children demonstrate initiative. 

# data[].attributes.body
Show increasing independence and purpose when making choices ("I want to go on blocks.") APL-7h

Express goals or plans and follow through on them ("I'm going to draw my house.") APL-7i

# data[].attributes.body
What if you used a musical instrument or sound to express how you're feeling?
How can we make a toy or an object tell a story?
What happens if we can't decide between two choices?
What are some ways we can take this game and change it to make it more interesting?
How can we move our bodies to show how we're feeling (ex: jumping, spinning, dancing, etc)?

# data[].attributes.body
Communication
Interaction
Thoughtfulness
Imagination
Innovation
Planning
Touch
Sounds
Exploration
Speech

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Children can use xylophones to explore various beats and sounds, and can take note of how different keys create different pitches. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
These preschoolers can utilize the maracas, and observe how if they shake the maracas at different speeds, they will create different rhythms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Drums are useful for toddlers because they can practice making beats, and can observe how different drums create different sounds. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Building blocks allow children to express their creativity and practice sharing. They may construct something and form a story or scenario to go along with it. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Stuffed animals and other manipulatives allow for preschoolers to create make-believe scenarios and use their imaginations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Toys like trucks and various sand toys allow children to play together, while also encouraging them to be active and play outside. 

# data[].attributes.body
Providing kids with two options, such as coloring with markers or colored pencils allows them to practice stating their preferences and showing which they like.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Setting aside time for group work /time for preschoolers to socialize allows for them to develop their language/social skills. They are able to form connections

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Providing kids with outside play time and giving them things like bubbles, soccer balls, and chalk gives them an outlet to move around and get their energy out.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Holding dance parties/playing music can help preschoolers express their emotions through their movement. 

# data[].attributes.body
This corn shaker for Thanksgiving allows children to utilize their fine motor skills as they place the corn in the bottle, and it allows them to create beats and rhythms while shaking their bottle.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Music is important in the classroom and at home. Kids love it, hearing it and making it. Your kids will love making their very own corn shakers for some fun Thanksgiving music activities. Add some homemade instruments to your harvest or Thanksgiving explorations!

Thanksgiving Music Shakers

Invite children to shake these simple corn shakers to the beat of a favorite song. Did you know that listening and identifying musical beats supports the development of listening skills and concentration in young children?

When children move to a regular beat they are also practicing many fine and gross motor skills necessary for daily life and school. Research has shown that children who are able to identify and repeat musical beats do better in all academic subjects, especially math and literacy.

Making Corn Shakers

These fun musical instruments are super easy (and frugal!) to make. Kids will love being able to make a big noise!
Supplies:

Screw-top bottle or jar

Popping corn

Hot glue gun (optional)

The container that you choose for your shaker can be something out of your recycling bin, something you have at hand, or a cheap find from the dollar store. Plastic is the best choice for younger children. I prefer clear shakers but use whatever you can find; it's a great way to use recyclables!

Corn Shaker Container Ideas

Here are some shaker container ideas to get you started:

Plastic water bottle (small 8 fl oz size is perfect)

Empty spice jar

Salt and pepper shakers

Screw top plastic test tubes

Toothpick jar

Baby food jar

Cardboard tube (with ends sealed)

Small mason jars

Corn Shaker Prep

Once you have decided on a container, add a small handful of unpopped popping corn. Don't fill the entire bottle or there won't be room to shake! If you are using the same type of container for every child, experiment with different amounts of corn in each one to create different sounds.

Screw the top back onto the container. If you are concerned about your kids being able to access the corn, then dab a little hot glue to the screw part of the lid first, then fasten it shut.

Give the shakers to your children and get rattling! Do the different containers make different sounds?

Introducing the Corn Shakers

If you filled your containers with different amounts of corn, ask the kids to compare the sounds.

If you are using a container with holes in the top (like the toothpick jar or salt and pepper shakers), try shaking it with your hand over the holes, and then with the holes open. Compare the sounds.

When I gave the shakers to my son, his first thought was that the corn was yellow apple seeds! I guess he's never seen unpopped popcorn before! He loved the big noise that they made!

Choose rhymes and songs with a Thanksgiving theme. Learn the words together then accompany the songs with your new shakers! Check out Thanksgiving Music for Preschool Kids for favorites of Pre-K Pages.

BIO: Georgina is a mom that loves to do lots of activities with her son. She blogs about art, crafts and activities for young children on Craftulate. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

More Thanksgiving Ideas

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Thanksgiving Music Corn Shakers Activity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Music is important in the classroom and at home. Kids love it, hearing it and making it. Your kids will love making their very own corn shakers for some fun Thanksgiving music activities. Add some homemade instruments to your harvest or Thanksgiving explorations!

# data[].attributes.body
Preschoolers can use their imaginations to create made-up scenarios, and can use the think, feel, care thinking routine to express what a person does, what they might feel, and what they would care about. This would be for older preschoolers, and it would benefit their language skills.

# data[].attributes.body
The parts, people, and interactions thinking routine assists children in the way a person and an object (such as a musician and musical instrument) interact.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
The game hot potato helps with imagination, sharing, language skills, and movement as they pass the potato from one person to the next. 

# data[].attributes.body
These bottles provide children with the experience of gathering objects and exploring their properties, and then they can learn to make rhythms and create beats.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Rainstick sensory bottles are fun and easy to make with children of all ages!

My 4-year-old daughter and I enjoyed coming up with musical "ingredients" together.

In addition, she and her 20-month-old brother enjoyed the tactile, auditory, and visual entertainment from touching, shaking, and watching the rainsticks in action!

I'll show you how we made this, and you can hear how they sound in the video at the end of the post!

Wishing for rain

For the past week, my children and I have been reading about rain and worked on rain learning activities.

Although rainfall has been low in California due to the drought, my children get so excited about the few rainy days of the year!

Today, my daughter talked about a big rainstorm from a few weeks ago as if it just happened! She and her brother loved wearing their rain jackets and rain boots and jumping in puddles!

In addition, they loved to sit by the window and watch and listen to the raindrops tap loudly on our windows.

Therefore, these rainstick sensory bottles were a big hit for exploring different "pitter patter" sounds!
This post has some affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I earn a small commission which supports this blog at no additional cost to you. Please see the disclosure policy for details.
Important vocabulary:
Related: Water Painting Chalk Raindrops - Sight Word Activity
Since my children and I are learning Chinese together, I like to take notes on new vocabulary related to activities that we are creating.

Here is a list of words that describe rain sounds in Chinese, Pinyin, and English!

Rainstick sensory bottle inspiration
Related: Educational Activities Made from Recycled Materials!
One of my earliest memories of elementary school music class involved making rainsticks with upcycled cardboard rolls.

1. Voss water bottles - they are so pretty, and the label peels off easily compared to other bottles!

2. Branches

3. Rice, beans (eg, pinto, garbanzo, lentil), seeds, sprinkles, sand, salt, sugar, rocks, etc.

4. Tray (ours are similar to this one)

5. Bowls (we have these and these)

When I was brainstorming ways to create the rainstick bottle, I browsed Pinterest and saw these musical rainstick sensory bottles on Rhythms of Play. Instead of cardboard rolls, she used recycled clear water bottles.

I instantly knew my children would love seeing action through the transparent water bottle!

What you need to make a rain stick sensory bottle:

1. Remove labels from bottle; wash and dry bottle

2. Set up everything in the tray

3. Insert branches

4. Scoop and pour desired elements (This is currently my 20-month-old son's favorite activity!)

5. Close lid tightly

6. Let your child explore!

Related:

Favorite Nature Learning Activities for Kids!
Optional: Adhesive remover - there was very little sticky residue on our bottles, so we skipped this step that was suggested by Rhythms of Play.

However, for other plastic bottles with sticky residue, the adhesive remover was very effective.

How to make a rainstick sensory bottle:

Thoughts on avoiding food waste when making rain stick bottles

Our favorite musical sound is the bottle with the bell pepper/chia seed mix. This seed mix was left over from a Chinese activity about 子 from last year!

The rice and beans were expired, and these are items that we store in our sensory bin drawer.

I do not want to encourage food waste, so please do not buy large bags of rice and beans just for this activity!

Instead, see what you have at home, and before throwing out expired food, see what you can repurpose for educational play!

I have seen other parents and teachers use plastic straws in their rainstick bottles.

However, I kindly suggest using natural elements and minimizing plastic whenever possible.

Our kids can have fun learning while being mindful of our environment!

Video of rainstick sensory bottles

Have you tried making rainstick sensory bottles with your child?

If you make Rainstick Sensory Bottles, please let us know!

On Instagram and Facebook, tag a photo @chalkacademy and use the hashtag #ChalkAcademy so my kids and I can check out the action!

We love to hear about how other families are learning Chinese!

Nature-theme activities for children:

Here are other favorite learning activities about nature:

Learning activities for every topic!

For free, convenient access to the Educational Printables Library, please click the button below to subscribe!

To see all of our fun and easy learning activities, please click on the button below!

Our Hands-On Activities Library is organized by topic for your convenience!

Let's stay in touch

As always, let me know if you have any questions, and I'll try my best to answer them.

The best way to connect is by leaving a note in the comments so all readers can learn from the discussion 🙂

Follow me on Facebook where I share my latest posts as well as favorite articles about children's education, Chinese resources, and hands-on activities!

On Instagram, I share activity highlights and how we integrate learning Chinese & Korean (minority languages) in our daily life.

And I'd love to chat more with you about favorite books at @chinesekidlit!

Happy learning, friends!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rainstick Sensory Bottles - A Musical Activity for Kids! (VIDEO) * CHALK Academy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rainstick sensory bottles are fun and easy to make with children of all ages! My 4-year-old daughter and I enjoyed coming up with musical "ingredients" together. In addition, she and her 20-month-old brother enjoyed the tactile, auditory, and visual entertainment from touching, shaking, and watching the rainsticks in action!