DIY Outdoor Board Game with Sharpie Paint Markers

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What is all the rage in outdoor Summer fun? Well your very own DIY Outdoor Board Game of course. Trust me I have a neighborhood full of kids who think this giant sized Outdoor Board Game is the bees knees. Okay so, they didn't say that specifically and they would be confused with the concept of bees having knees.

You get the idea though.

They loved playing a human sized board game outside, especially because in our custom Outdoor Board Game water was involved.

Putting together your very own Outdoor Board Game is super easy.

You only need a few items and all the imagination and creativity you already possess.

The number one must have item, these Sharpie Paint Markers. PAINT markers! Paint in marker form. They are amazing.

I picked up this colorful variety pack and a single black marker at my local Michael's Craft Store. They have water based and oil based. They sell them as packs and as individual markers. Seriously, you should head over to Michael's and check them out either at your local store or online at Michael's.com

Once you have yourself some of these markers, then all you need is a bed sheet, a vinyl tablecloth, some fabric, iron on transfer, and a couple of boxes.

 Then let your imagination run wild. You decide the theme of your Outdoor Board Game. Then you can decide how many spaces and what kind of spaces they should be.

I used fabric and iron on transfer for the plain squares and attached them to the white sheet.

Since our Outdoor Board Game was a water themed game, I used my Sharpie Paint Markers to make several water activity spaces. I thought up some fun activities and then I drew pictures that represented that activity.

Then I sewed the sheet and the vinyl tablecloth together. 

For the die I spray painted two boxes. Then I drew dots and wrote phrases, like "lose a turn" on each dice with my Sharpie Paint Markers.

I got to tell you, I LOVED these markers. They were great to work with. I was able to write easily on both the sheet and the cardboard box (which of course were a giant set of die). The coverage was great and they lasted through my whole project, with paint to spare for some extra projects. I also have to tell you that the paint dries quickly.

So quickly in fact, we didn't have to wait to long to play our very own Outdoor Board Game.

In case you want to make a water themed Outdoor Board Game like we did, here are the water activity spaces I did.

Water Activity Spaces--

Get Hosed (sprayed by a hose)

Take Aim (one on one water gun fight)

Ice, Ice Baby (stand or sit in a bucket of ice water)

Kick the Bucket (bucket of water over the head)

Attack (player's choice of water activity to another player)

Run the Sprinkler (run through the sprinkler)

Ambush (water balloon fight)

I also got to say how impressive my pictures held up during this very wet game. Since I had several neighbor kids dripping wet from before mentioned water activities I was a little worried that all that water would cause the pictures to bleed. Guess what, they didn't! They held up and after the game dried they still looked as good as when I first drew them.

Seriously, these paint markers are crazy awesome.

Kid Airplane Wings: Tutorial

I made these super fun airplane wings for my Little Men a few weeks ago. They went along with the Disney Plane's Sweepstakes, which is still going on friends! Head on over and leave a comment to enter to win a Fandango $100 Gift Card.

They have been so excited for Planes to come to theaters. I thought it would be fun to make something for them to celebrate the movie...

...maybe I should let them wear them to the theater. I am sure the other people would really appreciate tiny arm airplanes flying around the theater.

This was a super easy, done in a day, kind of project. The wings can be made with just a handful of supplies, a lot that you might just have on hand.

By the end of the day you will have happy little fliers zooming around your house.

Or zooming around the park.
 

Or if you are brave, maybe even a movie theater.

 Here is how you can make your own set of Kid Airplane Wings-

What you need-

tri-fold display board (one board will make 2 sets)
painters tape
spray paint
duct tape

Cut the sides off, that will be one set of wings. Then cut the middle piece exactly in half, that will be another set of wings.

Working with the non white side, measure you kiddos arm span (from the armpit to the tip of the fingers) and add 3 inches. Make the mark in the middle of the short distance.

Draw an oval shape from one side to the other going through the mid point you just marked.

Cut out with an exacto knife. Then use this wing as the pattern for your other wings. Repeat the cutting process for each wing.

Flip the board over and now work with the white side.

Using painters tape, mark off stripes in any pattern you like. The tape will be where the white stripes show up.

You can go from side to side. You can make little stripes. You can make a big stripe by overlapping the painters tape. You can go from the tip of the wing running down the middle. Basically have fun making the stripey wing of your dreams.

Now is the fun part. Spray paint. Who doesn't love spray paint???

I chose classic colors that were perfect for airplane wings. I sprayed each set a different color. Apply the first coat pretty lightly. Then go back with heavy coats until they have the coverage you like. The coverage might depend on the color. 

The red paint went on gloriously and covered completely with two coats. The green paint took several more to get the coverage I wanted.

I used duct tape for the arm bands.

For 1 wing, here is what you will need:

4- 12" strips
4- 8" strips
4- 5"strips

For the upper arm band, you will use the 12" strips. Lay two sticky side up. Then place two sticky side down onto the strips already laying on the table.

For the lower arm band do the same thing with the 8" strips.

Place the upper arm bands about 5-6 inches from the top, making sure it is in the middle. You will want to tape them on with 2 of the 5" strips. Make sure to tape them on in an arch big enough for your child's arms to go through.

Then have them put it on and measure where to put the lower arm band.

Stick the lower arm band on with the 2 other 5 inch strips.

Repeat for all of the wings.

Really secure the arm bands well. The rougher they play, the more tape you might need securing them on.

Now all you have to do is slip them on and let them fly around until they request to land.

This is a super easy project and is an unbelievable fun thing to break up a Summer afternoon.

Just another reminder--

Don't forget to enter the Disney's Reach Your Dreams and Have Courage

Sweepstake for a chance to win a $100 Fandango gift card.

Face Painting Kit: Funner in the Summer

Reposting this from Thirty Handmade Days Funner in the Summer

I am not sure what is more fun to a kid than painting.

Oh, wait...

That would be face painting.

My boys love to have their faces painted. As I recently found out, most kids love to have their faces painted.

So I thought, what better way to have fun than to come up with a portable Face Painting Kit. 

My Face Painting Kit consists of--

small hand mirror

dixie cups

water

paint brushes

paint tray

face paints or face paint make-up

baggie of wipes

To make the kit portable, or even to give it as a fun gift, everything can be put into a fun conatiner.

Package it all up. Then you can take some Summer fun where ever you go.

Then the face painting can begin.

Have you seen happier faces?

So much fun in one afternoon.

They proudly displayed their faces the rest of the day. Captain America may have been spotted at a local soccer game. It has also been rumored that a sweet puppy may have cried the hour leading up to washing time because she didn't want to say good bye to her puppy face.

Here are some fun Summer activities I have shared:

Baking Soda Painting

Kool-Aid Glue Painting

Homemade Slime

Follow along with Just Another Day in Paradise

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Fun with the Kids Fridays: Snake O'Cups

Fun Fridays!! Woohoo.

Now that school is out we are in desperate need of fun projects and boredom busters.

These snakes are super fun and just about the most awesome thing ever. Just ask my boys.

They are obsessed with snakes. We have several books all about snakes, and they read them all the time. Their favorite snake fact:

There is a snake that farts up to 6 feet to ward off predators.

Every time the boys talk about it they laugh and laugh and laugh.

In one of the books, there was an idea to make a snake from cups.

Yep, that was going to happen.

A bunch of cups and an hour or so equals three very happy boys.

Here is how you can make a Snake O'Cups all your own--

You need:
colorful paper cups
brads
red pipe cleaners
craft eyes
hot glue

Every cup, except the head cups and the first cup, will need 4 holes.

Two holes on the top on opposite sides of the cup and two holes on the bottom on opposite sides. Both sets of holes need to be about an inch from the top and bottom.

Punch the holes with a push pin, that will make it easier to put the brads in.

You connect the cups by putting one cup into the other. Then you attach them with brads through the top holes of the outside cup to the bottom of the inside cup.

The first cup you do only needs the holes at the top. This will be the tail. You continue attaching cups working towards where the head will be. Alternate colors, create a pattern. Basically keep at it until you have a snake to your liking. Our were about 17 cups long.

I will warn you that you will need to help. The brads were a bit tricky for little teeny fingers. The brads also really need to be fastened good. I mean they have to withhold any ensuing snake fights...that will occur, I promise you.

The snake wranglers will appreciate all your hard work though.

Just before you add the head, you will stop with a cup only attached at the bottom. Set it aside and make the head.

For the head, first make the tongue.

You need 2 red pipe cleaners.

Twist it together, leaving about and inch untwisted.

Then twist it all together.

Cut a tiny hole in the bottom of a cup and pull the pipe cleaner through using the left over inch to keep it in place.

With hot glue, attach the eyes on either side of the top of the tongue cup. Then glue that cup to the last cup of the snake body.

Draw some fangs by the tongue and....

DONE.

The brads make the cups move very snake-like.

These are the only pet snakes our boys will EVER have.

When not being carried, they prefer to lounge in the sun.

My boys gave this project two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Now they can stop pestering me for their own pet snake.

Which is good, cause it was never.gonna.happen.

Happy Friday!!
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