Pom Pom Chickers – An Easter Themed Checkers Game
Transform a plain canvas into a colorful checkerboard and create cute fuzzy chick-a-dees and bunnies from pom poms to use as your game pieces!
Materials
1 Orange Fuzzy Stick & 1 Yellow Fuzzy Stick
1 Purple Fuzzy Stick & 2 - 1 in. Purple Pom Poms
2 - 1 in. Yellow Pom Poms
Heart Foam Stickers
Canvas Board
Paint & Paintbrush
Scissors
Pencil
Ruler
Craft Glue or Hot Glue *Adult Supervision Recommended
Instructions
Step 1.
Create a grid for your checkerboard using a ruler and a pencil. Do your best to make it even – most checkerboards have 64 squares.
Step 1.
Create a grid for your checkerboard using a ruler and a pencil. Do your best to make it even – most checkerboards have 64 squares.
Step 2.
Paint every other box in the grid. You can either do white and one color, or choose two paint colors.
Step 2.
Paint every other box in the grid. You can either do white and one color, or choose two paint colors.
Chick-a-Dee Game Pieces
Step 3.
Glue together 2 one-inch yellow pom poms. Hot glue works best to adhere soft craft materials like poms and fuzzy sticks!
Chick-a-Dee Game Pieces
Step 3.
Glue together 2 one-inch yellow pom poms. Hot glue works best to adhere soft craft materials like poms and fuzzy sticks!
Step 4.
Cut 2 one-inch pieces from a yellow fuzzy stick. These will be the chick-a-dee’s wings!
Tip: If you don’t have fuzzy sticks, you can use yellow feathers!
Step 4.
Cut 2 one-inch pieces from a yellow fuzzy stick. These will be the chick-a-dee’s wings!
Tip: If you don’t have fuzzy sticks, you can use yellow feathers!
Step 5.
Fold each piece in half, then pinch the middle of the fold to create a teardrop shape.
Step 5.
Fold each piece in half, then pinch the middle of the fold to create a teardrop shape.
Step 6.
Glue a wing onto each side of the chick-a-dee’s pom pom body.
Step 6.
Glue a wing onto each side of the chick-a-dee’s pom pom body.
Step 7.
Cut 3 one-inch pieces from an orange fuzzy stick. These will be the chick-a-dee’s beak and feet!
Step 7.
Cut 3 one-inch pieces from an orange fuzzy stick. These will be the chick-a-dee’s beak and feet!
Step 8.
Fold each piece in half to form a V-shape.
Step 8.
Fold each piece in half to form a V-shape.
Step 9.
Glue 2 orange fuzzy stick V-shapes to the bottom of the body pom pom and glue the last one to the middle of the top pom pom.
Step 9.
Glue 2 orange fuzzy stick V-shapes to the bottom of the body pom pom and glue the last one to the middle of the top pom pom.
Bunny Game Pieces
Step 10.
Glue together 2 one-inch purple pom poms.
Bunny Game Pieces
Step 10.
Glue together 2 one-inch purple pom poms.
Step 11.
Glue a small white pom pom to the back of the bottom purple pom pom. This will be your bunny’s cottontail!
Step 11.
Glue a small white pom pom to the back of the bottom purple pom pom. This will be your bunny’s cottontail!
Step 12.
Glue a pink pony bead horizontally to the middle of the top pom pom to create your bunny’s nose!
Step 12.
Glue a pink pony bead horizontally to the middle of the top pom pom to create your bunny’s nose!
Step 13.
Cut 2 one and one-half-inch pieces from a purple fuzzy stick.
Step 13.
Cut 2 one and one-half-inch pieces from a purple fuzzy stick.
Step 14.
Fold the pieces in half, but don’t crease the middle — keep it rounded.
Step 14.
Fold the pieces in half, but don’t crease the middle — keep it rounded.
Step 15.
Twist the ends together, and glue the fuzzy stick to the back of the bunny’s pom pom head!
Step 15.
Twist the ends together, and glue the fuzzy stick to the back of the bunny’s pom pom head!
Step 16.
Attach a small foam heart sticker on the base of the bunny, so your bunny stands up straight!
Step 16.
Attach a small foam heart sticker on the base of the bunny, so your bunny stands up straight!
Step 17.
Repeat these steps until you have 12 of each game piece!
Step 17.
Repeat these steps until you have 12 of each game piece!
Step 18.
Follow the Teacher’s Corner section to learn the game of CHICKERS!
Step 18.
Follow the Teacher’s Corner section to learn the game of CHICKERS!
Teacher's Corner
Develop your logic and problem-solving skills by learning how to play the game of CHICKERS!
Lesson Objectives
Set Up: Place all of the bunnies on the white squares on one end, and the chicks on the colored squares on the other side.
How To Win: Remove all your opponent’s chickers by capturing them. The first player to capture all of their opponent’s pieces win!
How To Play: The youngest player goes first. Move any one of your pieces using the moves below! Only one piece can be moved per turn and the players alternate turns.
Follow-up Discussion
Rules
- To start, only move forward on the diagonal. Once your pieces reach the other end of the board, they become kings. A king can move diagonally forward or backward!
- You can move 1 space diagonally, only to open squares, or you can jump one or more piece diagonally to an open square adjacent to the piece you jumped.
- If you jump an opponent’s piece, you’ve captured it! Remove it from the board and collect all of your opponent’s pieces on the side.
- If all of the squares adjacent to your pieces are filled, you can’t move that piece.
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