Students will create their own checkerboard using cardboard or wood and paint.
By Andrea Mulder-Slater
Vocabulary:
checkers, checker board, folk art, functional art, games, family, board games, strategy, rules, fair play, color, design
Objectives:
Identification:
- Students will have a look at checker boards of the past and present. They will discuss decorations on checker boards – why some have them and why others might not.
Historical:
- Students will learn about the game of checkers. How do you play? Where was the game invented?
Creation:
- Students will create their very own version of a folk art checkerboard.
Appreciation:
- Students will learn to appreciate the art created not only by them, but by others as well.
What You Need:
- cardboard (or wood)
- acrylic paint or magic markers (tempera paint will do just fine)
- water-based sealer (or a glue and water mixture)
- white glue
- straight edge
- licorice candy or modeling clay
- masking tape
What You Do:
Board
- Take your wood plaque or piece of heavy corrugated cardboard and begin laying out the checkers. Draw a grid pattern on the center of the board using a straight edge. Remember that a checkerboard is made up of eight squares across and eight squares up and down.
- Paint alternating squares alternating colors. You can use masking tape to mask off your squares.
- Add designs to either end of the checker board.
- Once you are finished painting, its a good idea to seal the checkerboard with a coat of water-based sealer.
Checkers
You can really get creative with your checkers. We have used everything from licorice candy (sealed with a water-based sealer or white glue — no eating!) to beads to cool checkers made of self hardening clay. If you do create checkers with self-hardening clay, be sure to seal them with a water-based sealer or white glue to protect them.
