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Thursday November 20
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Skee-Ball

Teach your kid how to play a classic arcade game--no quarters required.
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Back in the day, you were an arcade-game aficionado, and you still have the plastic parachute guy that cost you 10,000 tickets to prove it. Let the kids develop their own affinity for arcade games by teaching them to play Skee-Ball in your living room.


A big box: Rescue a giant diaper box from the recycling bin. It'll need to be big enough to line up three large yogurt containers on it in a straight line.
Large, empty containers: Empty yogurt containers, giant plastic tumblers or disposable plastic leftover containers. They don't need to be round and they don't all need to be the same. Just make sure you clean them out well because you don't want your Skee-Ball game to stink up your house.
A pencil
Three balls: Either rubber bouncy balls or soft spongy ones.
An Exacto knife: Kids and knives don't mix so you'll have to do all the cutting.
A pencil
A permanent marker
1 Pick the widest and longest side of the box and lay it on the floor with that side up. Make sure it's not a side with a seam or opening, because you're going to cut it.

2 Get the kids to line up containers, upside-down in a straight line.

3 Have them use the pencil to trace outlines of the tops of the yogurt containers onto the box.
4 Use the Exacto knife to cut holes in the box. Cut just inside the pencil marks so that the yogurt containers can fit in without slipping through.

5 Use the permanent marker to write "10" in the bottom of one container, "20" in the bottom of another and "30" in the bottom of the third. (You can let the kids do this, just keep close track of the permanent marker while they're working.)

6 Slide the containers into the holes in the box.

7 Lean the box against the wall with the containers facing out to set up your Skee-Ball game.
8 Have your kids stand a few feet back and toss the bouncy balls at the yogurt containers. Award them points for each time they land a ball in a container. 10 points for the 10 cup, 20 for the 20 and 30 for the 30.

9 Add up the scores and see how fast the kids can get to 100 points. Just steer clear of the real arcade for a while—otherwise, they'll be begging for erasers, whistles and Laffy Taffy next time they score big.

If someone's having trouble getting the balls in the containers, you can set the box flat on the floor and let him toss or drop the balls into the containers that way. This makes a great party game. Hand out small prizes for top point-winners (a.k.a., everyone).


Comments

What do you have to say about "Skee-Ball"?
1/11/2008 - 2:22PM
Report Abuse 		How much fun can two boys have with a cardboard box? At least an hours worth to let mommy cook dinner!! This activity was perfect for the 3:30-5:00 disaster zone time after school but before dinner. My two boys actually played together instead of fight together. They stood in line and cheered each other on!! Ahh..the joys of the ever versatile cardboard box! Gotta love it~!


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