DIY Wooden Yard Dice: Makes a Great Gift
$9
1 Hour
Easy
Last month, I was browsing one of my favorite stores and spotted a set of five large Wooden Yard Dice. I have many fond memories of playing Yahtzee with my grandparents, so I love the idea of introducing my kids to some fun dice games while playing in the yard this summer - but the $60 price tag of the dice made me do a double take! Hello DIY project inspiration!
I was able to create 6 sets of yard dice for less than the price of one store bought set, allowing me to keep one for my family, while using the others as gifts for friends!
You learn something new in the course of each project - and while creating these yard dice I learned that the dots of dice are called pips. I considered lots of different ways to add the pips, finally settling on a solution that was much easier than painting, and that will also be very durable for outdoor use.
I even created a simple carry bag to keep all the dice in, and to make them easy to take along to the park!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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I was extremely glad to see that you found that opposite sides of the die add up to 7 ( 1 & 6, 3 & 4, 2 & 5): that's been a standardized test question on different state evaluations used at the middle school level for years. It's amazing that a lot of people don't know that... and it gives kids a leg up on the tests if they know it. (Sometimes a picture of multiple stacked dice are given with the question, 'what numbers are on the other side of the dice?'. If you don't know, then any numbers sound good.) You can also make a similar project of dominoes using 2 x 4 lumber. While I don't have exact measurements, I've seen them before. Instead of the pips being vinyl dots, drill the holes (make a template first!) a little deeper than the diameter of a marble (so that it doesn't protrude from the top of the surface and get cracked/chipped/broken). Once you've found the depth you need to drill, use a piece of tape around the drill bit so you don't drill any further than that... and then drill only until that piece of tape touches the domino-in-progress. Seat the marble in with Liquid Nails or some other super duty adhesive. And if you don't want round marbles, you can use the flat-on-one-side marbles from craft stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby. (Dye or stain the wood before affixing the marbles so you don't get it on the glass!) As a side note, Lowe's and Home Depot will cut your wood to your specifications without charge, as long as you're purchasing the wood from them. :)
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