Cottage Reflections

PreserveFamilyHarmony AdvancePlanningEnsuresFond MemoriesofYourCottage Brown&AssociatesLawOffice CustomCottageSuccessionPlanning BROWN&ASSOCIATESLAWOFFICE 71MainStreetS.,Carman,MB www.brownlawoffice.org MonaBrown mbrown@brownlawoffice.org 204.745.2028 AndrewWinkless awinkless@brownlawoffice.org 204.745.2028 •Completepre-cutkits •ReadyforAssembly •Allwoodinteriors&exteriors •Bestvalueavailable •Choiceoffourwallthicknesses •Engineeredtomeetbuidingcodes www.ezlogstructuresmb.com SEASONALCABINS Made from tongue and groove Made from tongue and groove Black Spruce milled logs Do-It-Yourself Building Kits CheckoutourEZlogdisplayunitsat RiversEdgeResortinElma,Manitoba 204-348-RENT(7368) Cabins | Homes | Garden Houses F or parents, cottage life generally involves three things: work, re- laxation and keeping the kids oc- cupied. Even in the most idyllic setting, and surrounded by a seemingly endless array of activities, you are bound to hear "I'm bored" at least once over the course of a weekend— especially if electronics have been banned. If you or a neighbour have a large fallen tree to deal with this spring, you already have the beginnings of a terrific outdoor game board that will (hopefully) keep the kids occupied throughout the season. Once the tree has been cut into manage- able sections, choose one for your project that is solid and free from rot, a minimum of 10" in diameter, fairly level when placed on end, and anywhere from 12" to 20" high. (Tip: While you are at it, select a couple shorter sections to sit on while you play.) Checkerboard Table What you'll need: one section of log; sandpaper; acrylic paints – four or more colours; kitchen sponge, cut into 1" squares – one square per colour; ice cream pail lids, or something similar to serve as a palette; small foam or bristle paint brushes; a pencil and ruler; 24 smooth pebbles, approx. ½" in size, or bottle caps. This project can be done entirely by the kids, or with age-appropriate help and/or su- pervision. Remember, it's not supposed to be perfect! Step one: Lightly sand the top surface of the wood to remove any potential splinters and prepare the surface for painting. Deter- mine the centre of the circle, then, using the pencil and ruler, draw an 8x8" square onto the wood. It's not necessary to draw all of the checkerboard squares, but you can di- vide the square into quadrants, to help keep things lined up as you stamp. Step two: Choose two colours of paint for your checkerboard. Pour some of each colour into your makeshift palette. Dip a sponge square evenly into the first colour, then begin your checkerboard pattern by stamping in the top left corner of your pen- cil-drawn square. Continue the pattern, al- ternating colours along the top row, before moving to the second row, and so on. You should have eight rows of eight squares (for a total of 64) when you are done. Note: Feel free to make your checker- board squares larger to suit the size of your log – up to 2" – but make sure that you do only eight rows of eight squares each. Step three: While your checkerboard dries, you can paint the game pieces. For each side, paint 12 pebbles or bottle caps. To avoid confusion during play, limit your colour choices to one per side, or choose a theme, such as ladybugs (dots) vs bees (stripes). Use your imagination! If you like, have an adult (that's you) seal the top of the game board with a couple coats of water-based finish, such as Varathane, to help extend the life of the piece. Once everything is dry, you're ready to play! If you need to brush up on the rules, check out http://www.ducksters.com/games/ checkers_rules.php Banish boredom with an easy DIY outdoor game table by rebecca hadfield for the Free Press

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