Projects

Carnival Game Boards

July 8, 2012

Balloon Pop Game

Bean Bag Toss

Heidi made two carnival game boards for a friend's huge carnival party. This will be a kid's party with plenty of carnival-style games.

One board is a "Bean Bag Toss". The other will be used for a "Balloon "Pop" game.

To make similar game boards, you will need:

• 3/8" plywood - 4x8" sheet will make two boards (you could go a little thicker if you want it to be more sturdy)
• craft paint for wood -- acrylic is usually fine
• extra-thick permanent marker
• sealant if the game board may be exposed to water or damp weather *Optional:
• bean bags for the bean bag toss
• darts for balloon pop board
• prizes *Optional

I looked online and found many different pictures of the Bean Bag Toss board. I didn't see one exactly like I wanted, so I used a layout from an Uncle Sam one. I drew the clown based on various drawings online. Each balloon will be a hole for the bean bags.

Click any image for larger view.

Cut the 4x8' plywood in half to make 2 4x4' game boards. Prime the boards with wood primer to prevent the paint from seeping in the wood.	If you want to make the circus top border like I did, measure and mark lines in equal widths across the board. Draw a line where you want the bottom edge, then draw the scallops along the line. Print a drawing of the picture you are using as a guide. I referred to a photo on my iPad and put it next to the board.	Once the design is drawn, choose your colors and give them a coat of paint. I used acrylic craft paints. You will need a few good coats of paint.
Close up of clown face drawing. You can sketch roughly on the plywood, but try to keep your paint from going too much outside the lines.	Light blue works well for a background color.	Board with most of the color painted in.
Use a super-thick permanent marker to outline the entire picture.	Finished picture before holes were cut. If this were going to be outside in damp weather or could get a little wet, you may want to use a sealant to protect the picture.	Finally, cut holes for the bean bags. We used a 5-inch hole cutter. These round saw blades can attach to a power drill. If you want to use a point system, you can paint point numbers under each hole.
For the Balloon Pop, you can choose any carnival-style drawing. You will use thumb tacks to pin small balloons in rows across the picture. The picture will be exposed when all the balloons are popped. Kids throw darts to pop the balloons.	Both finished game boards.

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