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Growing a Musical Instrument
by Barb Cesal

Guest writer Barb Cesal is a former elementary reading specialist and active member of the Illinois Gourd Society. Barb discovered her passion for gourds in a workshop nine years ago, and has since conducted many of her own gourd workshops with children and adults. Here's her account of using gourds to enhance a Native American Studies unit for second graders.

I approached the principal of Sprague Elementary School (K-2) in Lincolnshire, IL with an idea for growing gourds with the students and using them to create Native American rattles. The second grade classrooms at Sprague participate in an extensive Native American Study Unit and I felt that gourd rattles were an effective hands-on way to teach students about the beliefs and culture of Native Americans. After receiving approval I began a two-year artist-in-residence program.

Planting the Seeds
I chose to plant the hard shell mini bottle gourds because of their shape and small size, which would mature in our growing conditions. Having the kids plant gourd seed served as an exciting way to celebrate Earth Day. Eight first grade classes participated, as they would harvest gourds and create rattles in the Native American Study Unit when they returned in the fall for their second grade year. Here's the process we used.

1. Soak Chinese mini-bottle gourds for 24 hours prior to planting.

2. Divide students into small goups around tables. On each table offer peat pots, a container of potting soil, water, self sealing plastic bags, and soaked gourd seeds.

3. Instruct each student combine potting soil and water in their hands to form a ball of planting mixture and gently press it into their peat pot. Next have them make a planting hole in the center with a finger, carefully put a seed inside and cover it with soil. Then place individual peat pots into clear plastic bags, sealed them, and place them in a warm, sunny place such as a windowsill until the seeds sprout.

4. Once seeds spout, students can remov pots from the bags and placed them on a waterproof tray. When soil in the pots is dry to the touch, pour water into the tray to water them from the bottom up. Keep the trays on the windowsill or under growlights until the weather is conducive for transplanting to the outdoor garden. If roots pierce the peat pots before that time, have students place the entire pot into a larger peat pot or plastic pot of soil.

Moving into the Garden
Shortly before Memorial Day, the strong seedlings were aching to enter their outside garden but the cool spring temperatures called for additional protection. After several days of hardening off the plants outside, the students transplanted them into the garden area along a trellis made from plastic fencing. We covered them at night with a tent-like structure made from a long roll of plastic, and pinned up the cover during the day so the plants could receive the sun’s warmth. We continued this practice until the night temperatures rose in early June. This extra step saved the fragile seedlings so they could become a wall of healthy gourd vines.

In late June, we spotted the first female flower! Since gourd flowers open in the evening when fewer pollinators are active, we pollinated flowers by hand. This improves the chance that we would have enough gourds rather than leaving pollination to the occasional evening and night pollinators. After one month of nearly daily hand pollinating, we counted a crop of more than 300 mini bottle gourds! Here's the process we recommend:

Carefully cut two male flowers (those without a swelling at the flower's base) from the vine, remove their petals, and gently dab the center parts that contain the pollen into a female flower (one with a swelling at the base of the blossom).

The summer weather was harsh. We had a hail storm in early July which damaged the gourd leaves and cracked some of the vines. The cucumber beetles that infested the garden required a lot of squishing to control. But the garden survived it all!

Harvesting the Gourds
After an unexpected early first frost on October 2, we had an emergency harvest, much to everyone's delight. The new second-graders cut the gourds from the wilted vines and brought them into their classrooms for drying.

Because our time to compete this program was limited, parent volunteers helped out by
"greenscraping" the gourds to hasten the drying process. Greenscaping is a technique where the outer skin of the gourd is removed with a dull knife to decrease the drying time. The students then rotated the scraped gourds in the drying area and carefully removed any visible mold with a damp paper towel.

By mid-November all of the gourds were dried to a hard shell and with some help from parent volunteers, students were able to transform them into rattles.

Making the Rattles
For safety reasons, I recommend that adults complete the initial steps in the rattle making process.

1. Prepare 16" x 1/2" willow sticks to serve as rattle handles. Handles run through the entire gourd, whittle bark from a six-inch length of the end to be inserted into the gourd.

2. Drill two 1/4-inch holes into the gourds to receive the handle, one at the top and one at the bottom. Each hole had to be sized with a round metal file so that the stick would fit snuggly into the gourd. (Although this task is tedious, using a larger drill bit to can crack the gourd).

3. The mini bottle gourd looks like a small ball stacked onto a larger one. Cut the small ball of the gourd in half with a mini hacksaw. Keep the piece you've removed, as you will later invert it into the opening to serve as a cap for the rattle.

4. Drill three holes through the willow stick:

5. Tie horse hair into small tufts to be placed on the top of the handles.

When adults have done their part, the students can complete their part. It takes a class about two hours to complete the rattles. Have students don art smocks and dust masks before they begin.

1. Use a coarse piece of sandpaper to dislodge the remaining bark on their willow stick.

2. Use a spoon and sandpaper to remove dry pulp and seeds from the gourd. Smooth the cut edge of the gourd with the sandpaper.

3. Place small pieces of river rock into the gourd. To maintain the spirit of the gourd, also add one seed in with the stones. (The sound of the river rock rattling in the gourd was intended to help invoke rain.) Invert the small piece of gourd that was removed into the opening to serve as a cap.

4.Thread a twelve-inch piece of artificial sinew through the lower hole on the stick, wrapping it into a tight wad, and tie it off. Place the scraped end of the stick handle through the gourd until it stops. Secure the gourd by placing a small stick through the hole drilled one inch from the top.

5. Decorate the gourd (optional). Traditionally, gourd rattles are left in their natural state but in our case the adult coordinators requested a decoration. After suggesting several possibilities, we decided to simulate the wax technique of the Huichol Indians. Each student received two strips of beeswax and used the friction from their hands to heat it. They then pressed the wax onto the larger ball of the gourd, and used hair dryers to provide additional bonding. They then pressed tiny beads into the wax either randomly or in a design.

6. Insert a tuft of horsehair into the hole at the very top of the willow stick. When you shake the rattle, you'll hear the sound of the river rocks inside; the horsehair at the end moves up and down as a reminder of wild horses running freely on the plains.

After constructing their rattles, students continued into the music room to learn a rhythmic beat and write a simple song about nature. They later sang their song to the rhythm of the rattles during an all school concert.

Students also created a book called A Gourd Story, developed through brainstorming sessions about the process of growing gourds and creating rattles. Each of the 175 second graders received a copy, and several were bound for the school library. Students provided positive feedback about the program. One student made this comment: "Thank you for teaching us how to make a gourd rattle. It was fun making the gourd rattle. I will keep it through out my life." Teachers commented that the project inspired the participants to respect nature and interact with it in a responsible way.

This program took nearly nine months from seed to instrument, and many hours of participation by students, teachers, and parent volunteers. The journey was laborious but it was worth the final destination!

Photos courtesy of Barb Cesal

 

May 2005
Kids Garden News

Contents

Newsletter Home

Spotlight Article: Growing a Musical Instrument
by Barb Cesal

Summer Maintenance
Tips for School Gardens

News Items

Lesson Feature:
Plants with a Purpose

Introduction

Background

Lesson 1:
Invention Investigation

Lesson 2:
Where's the Soy?

Plant of the Month: Gourds

Resources