Spring Time Tic-Tac-Toe
I feel like I've been hibernating and now that the sun is out I've got many, many pages on my to-do list. This tic-tac-toe game is a project I've had in mind since late December.
Forget the boring X's and O's, it's time to add some life to the tic-tac-toe game with some insect-inspired stones. I went minimalist with simple stripes and spots to represent two of my favorite insects.
Bumble bees and lady bugs just make me happy, like fields of dandelions and my dog. Luckily for all of us they're easy to represent with a basic paint job!
Ladybug vs. Bumble Bee Tic-Tac-Toe Game Supplies:
- large, rounded river rocks (I found mine at Dollar General)
- Red, Black and Yellow paint
- Paint Brush
- wood round (or something for your board)
Instructions:
Painting the rocks is super simple but it may take a while if you need lots of coats. I needed about 5 coats for the yellow, 3-4 for the red and 2 for the black.
The goal is to make happy little insect-like stones, no need to go crazy here! It's simple enough that even my mom could do it (she banned Pictionary from our home, that's how much she loves drawing) so I promise that you can!
Decide which end will be the head and leave about ¼ for the total length unpainted.
For the bumble bees start painting yellow stripes across the top and down the sides. The number of striped you need will depend on the side of you rock and the width of your stripes.
For the ladybugs paint about ¾ of the stone red, after a few coats add the black dots on top. I like the look of an odd number of spots myself but it's up to you!
I free-handed the lines on the wooden disk in paint but if you were more motivated a wood burned game board would last much longer.
I can't wait to get to use the game this summer, I love how fast the games go. My kids are really into tic tac toe all of a sudden, I'm just happy this game doesn't make noise!
Of course they aren't playing the game but they are playing a game. These little painted stones have taken on a life of their own and have elaborate back stories according to my 2 & 4 year olds. Anything to keep them busy right?
Keep the game going this fall with a Halloween Tic Tac Toe!
Make sure you know your kids before you set them loose with this DIY board game. The painted rocks can obviously be a choking hazard so please, please, please keep an eye on any young children when allowing them to play with this game
Check out my Garden DIY page for more ideas or start here:
Too cute! Pinning 🙂
A perfect find at a perfect time! I will be working w/ a group of youth in 3 wks and needed one more project for their group....this is definitely IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is absolutely adorable!
This is really very cute! I'm going to start gathering rocks and do this for my granddaughter and I to play together!
What kind of paint did you use?
I used Apple Barrel High Gloss acrylic craft paint, it's what I had around the house. I'm sure any acrylic paint would work
One Thing that was left out, was how many? I Would Love to make this, but the number of bugs were Not specified
I made 5 of each, I'm not sure there is a set number but I'd guess 4 is the minimum.
Adorable! My 5-year-old girl is REALLY into tic-tac-toe lately - this would be such a fun project! Pinning now 🙂
Just had to tell you that your adorable Spring Time Tic-Tac-Toe inspired my project and post today. A good friend shared with me a pin of your idea and I knew immediately I had to create my own version. I absolutely adore your fun and creative take on such a classic game.
Hi! I loved the painted rocks ideas and I have featured you on my new blog post "Discovering nature: Painting & creating with rocks" .
You can see it here: http://maros-kindergarten.blogspot.gr/2013/05/blog-post.html
I would love your feedback! Have a nice day!
Love this, too stinkin cute!
This looks so fun! I was trying to think of an End of the School Year/Summer Fun project for my 9- and 10-year-old students and if I can find someone to cut up a tree for me, I think this will be it. I like to encourage them to be creative, be outside, and limit their media time. Thank you!
So cute - what a lovely idea! I've been painting loads of ladybirds and bumblebees the last few weeks - and love the idea of making a game board... now I got one to play on... all I need now is someone apart from the dogs to play with. Hahahah!
Hi, These are gorgeous! Did you paint the underside too?
Thank you! No I didn't paint the bottoms, the stones were black so I left them alone
Where did you get the wood round? Or was it cut from your yard? What is the diameter?
My brother-in-law is a park manager, the wood is cut from a cherry tree that fell down by a trail. If I had to guess I'd say it's about 12-16 inches wide. The size of the wood you need will depend on the size of your rocks
Perfect for Grandma Camp!
Best idea ever. What a fun summertime project!
This is such a cute idea! Pinning 🙂
Absolutely lovely idea, my girls want me to make one like this as well 🙂
Yay! Those ladybugs are so cute! : )