In Mrs. Chow's kindergarten class at Mutual Elementary School in Maryland, twenty-two  5-year-olds spent a portion of their classtime over 2 days making gourd rattles and seemed to be a very happy  bunch of kids when their gourds were done!  On Tuesday, we took the  gourds to the art room, and the kids used markers to draw simple designs based on Native American symbols onto the bowl of the spoon gourd.  That evening I brought the gourds home with me, and wrapped cord around the "handles",  then drilled some tiny holes in the very tips so  that they could glue feathers into them.  The 'learning' portion of the project required that they use some sort of pattern in stringing plastic pony or wooden beads...some used alternating colors, some alternated beads by size.....but whatever they chose to do...all of the gourds were outstanding!!
___Vanessa.