Play Tic-Tac-Toe with Noodles
Challenge your kids to some tic-tac-tortellini with this make-your-own pasta board game!
Submitted by
Kayla Chong
Kayla Chong
Will your carb-crazy kid take his noodles any way he can get them? Turn that pasta obsession into a fun activity with this new way to play tic-tac-toe.
- Cardboard:The back of a cereal box or a gift box will work well.
- Felt:Let your child pick his favorite color.
- Two Different Shapes of Pasta:Like farfalle and penne or fusilli and rigatoni.
- Linguine:Hold the clams.
- Two Bowls:For dying the pasta.
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Food Coloring:Have your child pick out two different colors. Get him to select a color that contrasts with the felt so that the game pieces really stand out.
- Slotted Spoon or Colander
- Paper Towels:A mom's best friend!
- Measuring Cup
- White Glue
- Scissors
- Ruler
Cut out a 7-inch square of cardboard. A typical cereal box is 7 inches wide, so you'll just have to cut it out and trim the length to get the required dimensions.
Measure and cut out a 7-inch square of felt.
Help your child glue the felt onto the cardboard.
Then help him measure and cut four 7-inch pieces of linguine. Use a pair of scissors and cut them one at a time for a clean break. If you're out of linguine, coffee stirrers will do the trick, too.
Get him to glue the linguine onto the felt board to make a grid. Glue two pieces horizontally and two vertically, like a tic-tac-toe board. Glue the pieces approximately 2 1/3–inches apart to make equal-sized boxes.
Have your child flatten the game board by resting a heavy book, like the dictionary, on top of it and letting it dry for about 30 minutes.
In one bowl, mix 1 cup of rubbing alcohol with 10 drops of food coloring. Mix the other color in a separate bowl.
Have your kid toss the game pieces (gently, so they don't splash the dye everywhere) into the dye mixes.
Let them soak for 30 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon or pour into a colander to drain and lay the game pieces on a paper towel to dry.- When everything is dry and ready, break out the board for a game of tic-tac-tortellini! Let your child choose which shape/color pasta he wants to be and let the games begin!
- Of course you won't want to eat the pasta afterward (unless you like linguine with clammy-hands sauce), but we can't say the same for your kid. So don't be surprised if you find some of your rigatoni-o's missing!
- If you can hold them off until after the game, you can whip up some of Dora's Spicy Pasta for dinner from Nick Jr. Recipes.
Submit!
