DRY GOURDS FOR MARACAS    

By:  Craft Services Department    

Maracas. A wonderful sounding instrument. A rhythm maker. A body shaker. An easy and all natural, no mess, constant source of enjoyment and never too loud type of fun! There are many gourds and many types of maracas.

The maracas we will be concentrating on making will take months to dry, and create years of enjoyment. And if you have little grandchildren this a great source of natural, time-filled, entertainment for them.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this crafts project is going to the pumpkin patch to pick out the gourds. They are exquisite looking. Their color, their shapes, their textures.all unique and quite interesting.

If you have grandchildren the fun of the holiday season is just beginning as you seek to find just the right gourds and pumpkins. The amazement of the farming and agriculture and picking-your-own pumpkins will make keepsake memories.

Once the gourds are home, you have two choices: one, place them around the house and enjoy their beauty or two, place them in a slow oven overnight. Be certain to shake the gourds! Then let the gourds dry naturally the rest of the way. But at this point, you must shake them. Soon they will be completely ready to decorate.

The most time consuming and fun way to dry a gourd, is to let it dry naturally. Place them decoratively around the house and when the holidays are over, place them together, but not touching one another and let them dry. Every couple of weeks turn and shake them, or if you are in charge of the toddlers and pre-k'ers, shake them often as much as you'd like.

Shaking is extremely essential in the gourd/maraca process. The shaking loosens the seeds in the gourds which is the key to the music. So the more you shake, the looser the seeds, the more the seeds, the nicer the shaking sound is.

You will find that often the gourds will begin to mold. Brush off the mold with a veggie brush. Also, placing the gourds in the sun; rotating them will fend off certain molds.

It will also fade the gourd. Although the gourd fades on its own. The colors you once knew the gourd to be, will not longer be, no matter how you dry the gourd.

Once the gourd is dried, it is time to decorate it, if you so choose.

They can be painted, feathered, shellacked, netted, beaded, anything your heart desires. Add a handle, put two together, the imagination is the key, here.

Just be certain that the mold is off of the gourd by either using a vegetable brush, toothbrush or sandpaper prior to any decorating or handling.

Creating maracas is a beautiful way to introduce the music in nature. Not to mention that it's a fun, longstanding, super easy project. The gourds make wonderful ornamental decorations and are admired by one and all, young and old.

Have fun and happy gourds o' plenty!

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