Kids who learn how to play checkers will always have something to do on a rainy day. Kids who make their own portable checkerboard will have a game to play almost anywhere. Collect bottle caps in opposing colors (you'll need 12 for each side), or use tempera or acrylic paints to paint the tops of mismatched caps with a color of your choice. Bottle caps stack easily, making for very regal kings.
Checkers How-to
Using pinking shears, cut a square of canvas that's about 12 by 12 inches. (The shears will protect edges from fraying and give the board a decorative flair.) With a knife, slice a plastic art eraser into a square that's 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 inches; this will be the stamp. Begin by stamping a single square in one corner of the board; stamp a second catercorner to the first, then add a third square along the border, catercorner from the second and a full square-space from the first. Continue to fill the board; your finished board will have eight squares (four stamped and four blank) in each row and column.
Love this checkers game idea - eco-friendly with the '2nd life' use of bottle caps and white fabric. It's easy to make with minimal tools and expense.
That's true be careful with little kids and Magnets!!
-E :)
This is such a cute gift. I am going to give it to my sister for Christmas. She will love it. Using magnets are a great idea but I think I will just do it Martha's way. On the inside of the bottle caps it wouls be a good idea to put the pictures of chess figures on the other side so you can play both.
-E :)
Please be careful with magnets around small children.
You could make a cute chess set out of this by printing out small chess piece clipart and placing it on the underside of each bottle cap, then seal with epoxy. If clipart is too hard to distinguish at that size, maybe just placing the words (the name of each piece) in/on the cap would be fun too!
Do you think that it would be possible to stamp the squares with magnetic paint and have the small disc magnets stick?
I put two pockets on the back with velcro closure and handles of canvas too. That way it can be folded up and carried with ease.
Another way to make the square stamp is to cut adhesive backed craft foam. If you cut two or three squares and stick them together you'll have a stamp that is thick enough to hold it's shape. You can also make checkers from the foam by using two sticky-backed pieces and topping each checker with one plain foam piece. The foam can even be cut with some large punches.
WITH MAGNETS IT ALSO BECOMES A GREAT GAME FOR TRAVEL FUN
This will be perfect for my Pre-K class. Four year olds love to play checkers!
this is veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery good some thing
This is a great idea! If you add magnetic tape to the back of the board and a small disc magnet inside each piece this could be used on the side of the fridge (or any other magnetic surface) for an ongoing game.