Rain Chain Rock Craft Kids

 

Yesterday I gave my children some loose parts thinking they could have some fun making a wind chime or a mobile using their summer rock heart collection.  To my surprise they made a rain chain - they just didn't know it!

After explaining what a rain chain is Wikipedia definition: Rain chains (Japanese: 鎖樋, kusari-toi or kusari-doi,^[1] are alternatives to a downspout. They are widely used in Japan. Their purpose is largely decorative, to make a water feature out of the transport of rainwater from the guttering downwards to a drain) my kids started wrapping floral wire with one cm strips of duct tape to help prevent rust. 

Everything but the kitchen sink went into their 10 foot long rain chain...washers, paperclips, marbles, rocks, duct tape, key chains, beads, and glass ornaments and more!.


It's a beautiful day here in British Columbia but we can't wait for it to rain! 

 

Next time we're at our local hardware store we plan to purchase some copper wire and wrap the rest of the heart shaped rocks into a long lasting rain chain for the backyard like this one I found on Garden Therapy. 

Here is a link to some further reading on the history of rain chains by Outdora Blog.

Update:

 

Oh my goodness it finally rained today and we were treated to a pleasant trickle of drops that made it appear as if the hearts were crying.  The girls were mesmerized and it motivated me even more to make that trip to the hardware store!

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