PALZ Newsletter: January

Welcome to PCS Adventures Landing Zone ! My friends and I are part of a special operations team. We love helping kids like you have an adventure wherever the military sends your family.

I’m Bart, an Irish setter, Yes, I do speak with an Irish accent in case you’re a wondering!

Activities

Miss Kitty’s Intel

Meow! I’m Miss Kitty. Bart put me in charge of crafts. I thought we could make a rain stick. Most people think of the Pacific Northwest as being wet and cold. But some spots on the eastern side of Washington and Oregon get very little rain making them like deserts!

Many years ago native tribes of Chile in South America created rain sticks for ceremonies to call down rain. Maybe the people in eastern Oregon and Washington could use some rain sticks to call down rain!

I watched my owner Samantha (Sam) make two rain sticks. Here are the directions!
Please ask an adult or older sibling to help you if you are under the age of 10.

Supplies:

  • a paper tube left over from paper towels, aluminum foil, wrapping paper or any other item that has a tube
  • scissors
  • a paper grocery bag or small paper sack
  • a lid or cup as a pattern to make a circle
  • pencil
  • small dry grains (I used rice and barley)
  • a tablespoon
  • rubber or elastic bands
  • Items to decorate your tube: paint (tempura or acrylic work well) and paint brush, markers, crayons, colored pencils, and ribbon.

Step 1

Decorate the tube with paint or coloring. Let it dry if you use paint. Sam drew lines and made dots on her tubes with a colored pencil so it would like a real rain stick. You can be as creative as you want with your rain stick.

Step 2

Cut the paper sack so that the sides of bag lay flat. 
Sam wadded up the paper and pressed it out flat again so it would look old.

Step 3

Use your round item as a pattern to draw two circles. Make sure your round item is larger than your tube.

Step 4

Place the end of your tube inside the circles and draw a smaller circle. Cut out the larger circle.

Step 5

Cuts slits around the outer circle being careful not to cut into the smaller circle.

Step 6

Place one cut circle on the end of the tube and secure it with the rubber or elastic band.

Step 7

At the open end of the tube, pour in a tablespoon of rice or barley. You can also use dried macaroni or a small, dried pasta too.

Step 8

Cover the open end with the other circle and secure with the other rubber band.

Step 9

Tie ribbon, yarn or string on one end of your rain stick. (I helped Sam by playing with the ribbon.)

Step 10

Project complete! Enjoy your new rain stick!

Smilla’s Adventures

Hi! I’m Smilla! I love learning new words and going on adventures. My best dog friend Mr. Lucky, often goes on adventures with me.

Did you know that the tallest waterfall in Oregon is Multnomah Falls? It’s 620 feet tall!

Did you know can visit this waterfall? To find out how to get there and what to do when you visit, have your parents click here.

You might just me and my friends there if you visit Multnomah Falls!