Creating Rattles

The kelp we collected was still a bit wet--we let it dry out for a few days...

We used color pencils and watercolors...

My granddaughter's...

My sister's,

I learned how to make these rattles from another art teacher some time ago and I actually did collect a classroom's worth of kelp and sticks to make these with students, but just the other day, I figured out a very easy and effective way of attaching the stick!  My kelp had dried with the opening almost shut.  I sat the shut end of the kelp in a shallow glass of water for a few hours--the seaweed re-hydrated just at the opening, so I could insert the stick, (make sure to put in your pebbles, stones, or dried beans or what ever you use for the rattle, before attaching the stick!)  Then let the kelp dry and shrink right onto the stick!  It fit so snugly that I didn't need to use glue, but I did wrap it with some strong twine.