America's Stonehenge: Student Activities

How to Make your own Rainstick
    Somewhere in South America before the birth of Christ, rainsticks were played to remind spirits that the rain was needed to water their crops, it is said that the Diaguit Indians, a native people to Chile, made rainsticks for ceremonial purpose, an instrument which would imitate the sound of the rain.
    Today the Rainstick is used in a variety of musical forms, such as Andean music from Peru and Chili, Bluegrass music and even New Age Music. The Rainstick is used by people in mediation, for relaxation, or a shaker type rhythmic instrument.
    To make your own rainstick you will need a paper towel tube, tape, fish bowl pebbles, and toothpicks. First, seal up one end of the paper towel tube with tape, next push many toothpicks through your tube, when you are done putting the toothpicks through, pour in two handfuls of fish bowl pebbles and seal the other end up with tape. Now you have your very own rainstick!

Edible Archaeology: The Excavation of a Chocolate Chip Cookie
To excavate a chocolate chip cookie, you will need a napkin to use as a tarp, a toothpick to be used as your excavation tool, and a cookie to excavate. The idea of the project is to get all of the chocolate chips out of the cookie in one piece. This activity takes a lot of patience.