Rainsticks

A 'rainstick' is a long, hollow percussion instrument that can be used to make a variety of sounds, from a gentle rain shower to a thunderstorm. They were originally used by the Aztec people of Central America - and possibly other Indigenous groups around the world - as part of ceremonies to bring about changes in the weather. They're now popularly used in all kinds of music, from rock to classical orchestra.

Rainsticks were traditionally made out of cactus, which is naturally hollow.  Once the plant had been dried in the sun, the spines were removed and nailed back inside in a spiral pattern.  The hollow was then filled with small stones or dried beans and sealed at both ends.

I've always loved the sound of rainsticks, so we decided to design and make our own instrument out of discarded materials.  The first stop was the Reverse Garbage warehouse in Woolloongabba, Brisbane, to find the materials we needed.  This place is an absolute treasure trove, packed with interesting and useful things, including fabrics and textiles, glass and ceramics, paper and card, plastics,  timber, rubber and foam. The people who work there are always happy to show you around and offer advice on how to overcome the difficulties of your particular project.

We made our rainstick using a cardboard Postpak mailing tube, with caps at both ends.  This was filled with small, hard objects - a combination of rice and small rubber discs made the best sound.  To slow down the flow of objects inside the tube, we inserted a bendable plastic strip with holes punched through (available from Reverse Garbage as 'black holey strips'). We decorated our rainstick with fabric, vinyl, feathers and wool but it could just as easily have been painted or covered with collage paper.

The rainstick can be played in different ways to make a variety of wonderful sounds.  When it's held vertically and flipped over, it makes the sound of falling water, as the objects inside gradually make their way to the bottom.  If held horizontally and tilted from side to side, it makes a gentle whooshing sound, like the rolling of the ocean.  A harsher, more urgent sound, can be made when the instrument is shaken. It can also be tapped with a stick to make a satisfying 'thwock' or a more gentle 'pitter patter'.  The rainstick can be played by anyone and makes a fantastic accompaniment to the guitar.

James Taylor's song 'Fire and Rain', we made a couple of last minute embellishments to our rainstick and included sandpaper and baking paper to mimic the roaring and crackling sounds of fire;  so it's a 'fire and rainstick' really...

Food Waste Challenge

This week's challenge is to eliminate all of our organic food waste from the rubbish bin. In Australia, 50% of household waste and 30% of all the waste we throw away is organic.  This is harmful to the environment because when organic waste breaks down in landfill sites, it produces: a) methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas; and b) acids, which leach into the earth and contaminate groundwater.

Elimination of food waste can be done by:

• Reducing the amount we produce;
• Feeding leftover food to the chickens and worms as appropriate;
• Disposing of all other food waste (in our household, mainly citrus peel, onion and avocado skins, egg shells, bones and bread) in a Bokashi bin. The pickled contents can be added to compost or buried in the garden when it's full.

We've done it!!

For the past two weeks, we've reduced our kitchen waste to half a small bag per week. That's a significant change for us and was very easy to achieve. 

Everyone in the family has been enthusiastically involved. Recycling even featured in the list of 'challenges' the children set for themselves... along with DON'T BOUNCE THE BALL IN THE HOUSE!

Recycling Challenge

This week, we've set ourselves the challenge of reducing the amount of waste we produce to one small bag of rubbish per week. The aim is to:

• Avoid the accumulation of waste;
• Recycle 95% of food waste through the chickens and worm farm;
• Recycle all hard plastic, paper, cardboard and aluminium by placing it in the household recycling bin provided by Gold Coast City Council;
• Recycle all soft plastic by placing it in the Coles supermarket recycling bins.

The Coles supermarket scheme is worth a special mention. They've got together with recycling company RED Group and manufacturer Replas to turn plastic bags and packaging into outdoor furniture for Australian pre-schools and primary schools. What a great idea!!!