Fun-Arts
Year 1: “Common Threads”
(Global Themes: Masks, Shaking Instruments, Dragons, Friendship & Families, Humor, Space)
Lesson 2: Rain Forests & Rain Sticks
Track 6: “The Rain Season”
Rain Sticks & Music:
Lesson Plan
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Rain Forests
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Rain sticks
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Geometric patterns
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Music from Peru
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Hieroglyphics from Guatemala
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Let’s Create!
What are rain forests?
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A kind of forest (trees)
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They are dense, warm and wet.
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68 – 180” of rainfall each year.
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They have light & shadow.
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Canopy gets sunlight.
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Bottom layers:
 Understory
 Shrub
 Floor
Line
Shape
Texture
Color
Light
Space
Where are rain forests?
Why are rain forests important?
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Plants live there.
Animals live there
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jaguars, anacondas, pink dolphins,
toucans, insects, tree frogs....
People live in rain forests.
25% of all natural medicines are
made from rain forest plants.
Water = Life!
They are home to over 2/3 of all of
Earth’s living plant and animal
species!
Millions of plants, animals and
insects are undiscovered.
Masters of
Camouflage Patterns
Line
Shape
Texture
Color
Light
Space
What is a rain stick?
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A rain stick is a shaking instrument.
These are from Chile.
They invite rain.
They are tube shaped.
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Maze-like inside
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dried Capado cactus
Cactus thorns are poked in aspiral pattern inside
There are shells, stones or seeds inside
They are decorated with geometric patterns outside
Maracas & other shaking instruments are found all
around the world.
Line
Shape
Texture
Color
Light
Space
Look closely!
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What materials were used on these rain sticks?
Colors
Shapes
Repeating geometric patterns
Compare with Navajo Shaman Rattles and patterns on cloth
This flute player is from Peru. Notice patterns on the cloth?
Line
Shape
Texture
Color
Light
Space
Geometry in Peru
These ancient walls
were built with stones
cut so perfectly, they fit
tightly together without
concrete or mortar.
They did not use
arches over openings –
they used a “lintel.”
Peruvian cloth is bright, colorful, and
has many geometric details.
Line
Shape
Texture
Color
Light
Space
Music from Peru
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Track 7 (1:03) “Despedida”
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Track 8 (3:52) “Danza De Los Caporales”
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Tempo? (fast or slow)
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Dynamics? (loud or soft)
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Instruments:
 percussion rhythm
 string & flute instruments
Zampona –
as old as
Incas
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Nearly all cultures around the world use
some kind of flute instrument.
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Where is Peru?
Tempo
Rhythm
Dynamics
Bamboo
Quena Flute
– as old as
Incas too!
Pitch
Melody
Harmony
Ancient Mayan Writing
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Hieroglyphics are pictures that symbolize words
and stories.
Symbol = picture that means something
RIGHT: Mayan writing 
Mayan civilization began about 1800BCE in
Central America (parts of Mexico, Guatemala,
Belize & northern El Salvador)
Can you name an ancient culture on African
Continent with temples decorated with
hieroglyphics?
Line
Shape
Texture
Color
ANCIENT EGYPT!
Light
Space
Let’s Create!
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Needed: tape, paper, crayons, tubes & pre-cut end pieces (or
clean/empty/water bottles with caps), rice,
newspaper/papertowels.
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Put name along edge of colored paper
Decorate paper with symbols and patterns (see next slide).
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Twirl a piece of newspaper/paper towel and push into tube.
Close off bottom of tube, pour in rice, and close top.
Tape or glue decorated paper to outside of tube
Make sure you can still see the artist’s name.
Fun to add: feathers, yarn, burlap on ends (tie on w/raffia or yarn).
Background music: tracks 6,7,8.
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Next Lesson: texture, metal work and dragons)
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Track 6, 7, 8: “The Rain Season”, “Despedida”, “Danza De Los Caporales”
Line
Shape
Texture
Color
Light
Space
MAYAN GLYPHS
Line
Shape
Texture
Color
Light
Space
Credits
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Fun-Arts is written and developed by Monica Merrill Vinberg with
assistance from Christine Krause.
Fun-Arts is a non-profit group hoping to share the world’s fine arts
treasures with the rightful heirs: all children.
Thank you to Troy Martinez for the idea of making rain sticks in 2007.
All materials copyright Fun-Arts 2013
For more info: Fun-Arts@chrome.se
Peru
Chile
Where in the World?
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