Have you ever seen the size of a rectangular birthday cake cover from a deli? Theyre huge! Wouldnt that make the perfect fishing game for your young child? Since you were going to throw it away anyway why not make a game your children will love? It only takes a few minutes, no money, and will keep your kids giggling for hours. Dont have a rectangular lid? Use a round one instead.
Plastic cake covers arent all that sturdy so dont be surprised if you find yourself making a new one every time someone in the family has a birthday. If stepped on or fallen on, its over for the little pond! Thats okay, though. Make one for now, watch the kids have loads of fun, then make a new one when that one gets ruined.
There are many different ways to create the fishing game. Fill the cake lid with water, and let the kids really fish, or leave it empty and let them pretend the "fish" are in the water. If you do fill the lid with water do so as it rests on a flat surface. Do not try to pick the lid up and carry it while it contains water; it will surely crack. A towel under the water-filled lid is a good idea while the kids are playing. Or, just let the kids play outside when theyre in the mood for the fishing game. Create poles for the game by using twigs, craft sticks, dowel rods or similar items. Tie a string to one end and glue a magnet to the opposite end of the string. When making the magnetic fish for underwater be sure to purchase an adhesive that will not dissolve in water. Youll find just the right glue at a home improvement store. If youre not using water any glue will work including hot glue or spray adhesive. Although you can purchase small plastic fish at a craft store or department store you can also make them yourself. Purchased fish will work better for the underwater version of the game. Even though homemade fish might not be quite as realistic as the plastic fish they will still serve the purpose. If youre using a round cake lid the fish will likely need to be much smaller than the fish in a large, rectangular cake lid. Twist pipe cleaners into fish shapes that you can use for the game. Bring the ends of a pipe cleaner together but dont fold in half. A few inches up from the ends, twist once, to form the body of the fish. Bring the ends together by bending them sharply to create the tail of the fish. Use smaller pipe cleaner pieces to make smaller fish. Glue a paper clip to the pipe cleaner fish so the magnet can grab it. The paper clip can be placed on the back or can actually be part of the fishs face. Button magnets work great for purchased fish. The magnets help the fish sink to the bottom and make the game more challenging. Be sure to use the waterproof glue to attach the magnets. Create other fish by cutting their images from magazines and gluing them to cardboard fish shapes. Although this method doesnt work for the underwater fishing game its perfect for the no-water game. Glue on the paper clips or even small pieces of magnetic sheeting. Youll find the sheeting at any craft store. If you want you can create a scoring system with the fish. Use stickers or markers to draw numbers on the non-water game pieces. Waterproof paint works great for making numbers on underwater fish. Kids can tally up the numbers when all the fish are caught to see who won. Theyll have hours of fun playing either version of the game. You can spend time and money to make the game really fabulous or you can just use things you have around the house to make a much simpler and cheaper version. Spend lots of time making it just perfect or throw it together in a hurry and let the kids have their fun. If the cake lid breaks save the pieces for the next pond you create. After all, another birthday is just around the corner!
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