Looking for a fun and creative way to keep the kids entertained this summer? Look no further! Camp Counselor Jen is back for another year of Camp Briar (check out her Taste-Safe Finger Paints + delicious smoothies from last year!) with a super fun activity to keep little ones busy.
This Painted Seashell Checkers activity is a perfect blend of adventure, creativity, and classic games – all rolled into one! Trust me, this one’s a hit with my crafty crew, especially girlies. And this year, my oldest has become a checkers champ - she even beat me a few times! Get ready for a week full of summer fun with these five amazing activities in one!
Seashell Hunt
Get the excitement rolling with a family beach day! We’re lucky to live close enough to the shore, so we love scavenger hunting for seashells and sea stars. If you’re not near a beach, no worries! You can order a bag of shells online or use rocks, which work just as well and are just as fun. Hide them around your yard or home for a fun-filled treasure hunt!
Shell Bath Time
Once you’ve gathered your beach treasures, it’s time to clean them up! Fill a water table or bucket with warm, bubbly water and hand each kiddo a toothbrush. Even my youngest loved scrubbing the shells clean (though he did try to brush his teeth once his brush was nice and sandy). It's a fun way to cool off and prep your shells for painting!
Painting the Shells
Here’s where the real creativity kicks in! We turned our shells into vibrant checkers pieces. We painted them *pink with rainbow sprinkles* and transformed our sea stars into the cutest *kinda ice cream cones*. While the kids painted, I touched up our checkers board from our spring rock checkers game. You can use any checkers board or even a beach towel with a checkered pattern. After the paint dried, we added final details like sprinkles, making our pieces truly unique.
Seashell Checkers
Now for the game! Set up your checkers board and get ready for some friendly competition. We played using the classic checkers rules, which I’ve shared below. It’s a great way to spend quality time together and teach the kiddos the game.
Here are the basics:
Goal:
- Try to take all of the other player's pieces or make it so they can't move.
Setting Up:
- Each player has 12 pieces.
- Put your pieces on the dark squares of the three rows closest to you.
Moving:
- Your pieces move one square at a time, only on the dark squares.
- They move diagonally forward to an empty square.
Jumping and Capturing:
- You can jump over the other player's piece if there is an empty square right after it.
- When you jump over a piece, you take it off the board.
- You can keep jumping and taking pieces if there are more jumps you can make.
Kings:
- If one of your pieces gets to the other side of the board, it becomes a king.
- Kings can move and jump both forward and backward.
Winning:
- You win if you take all the other player's pieces or if they have no moves left.
Hint: I used this activity as a wonderful way to spend some quality mama time with my oldest! If your kids don’t know how to play checkers, this is a great opportunity to teach them. It's a fun and engaging way to bond while learning something new. Older kids can enjoy playing this game together or challenge a grown-up for some friendly competition!
Imaginative Play:
The fun doesn’t stop with checkers! Our painted shells became beach goggles, throwing stars, and even yummy cookies in our post-checkers play sesh. It’s amazing to see what the kids come up with, and this spontaneous play is a great way to extend the activity’s fun.
This Seashell Checkers adventure offers endless entertainment and creativity. Whether you’re painting, playing, or pretending, this activity is sure to be a summer favorite! So gather your supplies, get crafty, and let the seaside fun begin!
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