Activity best for children age 3 and up

Chile is a country in South America, occupying a long narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Large parts of Chile are covered by mountains and Chile is home to the world’s largest driest desert: the Atacama Desert. The Atacama Desert is the world’s driest desert and is where rainsticks are believed to have originated. Rainsticks were made from long, hollow cactus tubes that were dried in the sun. Then the spikes were removed and driven back into the cactus just like nails. Small pebbles were placed inside the cactus and the ends of the cactus were sealed. A sound like falling rain was made as the rainstick was turned. It is believed that the rainsticks were used by the indigenous farming tribes in the very arid, or dry, climate with the hopes of calling for rain to water and grow their crops.