How to Make a Mini Pool Table

When I helped my boys make this little game last week one of the first things Spencer said was, "Mom, isn't pool a betting game?"

It kind of made me chuckle. Apparently I'm introducing my boys to a life of uninhibited gambling with a crime spree not far behind and they're nervous. I wonder where he figured that out? But at any rate I assured him that no, I wasn't trying to get him to sell his soul to the pool hall but to just make something that might be kind of fun some afternoon. No betting necessary.

So with that reassurance we made this little table top pool table and had a fine little game of mini pool. Here's what you'll need for your own set:

• 3 pieces of green 12-inch by 9-inch felt
• 2 straws
• 11 marbles
• 2 unsharpened pencils
• Tacky glue

To make it up:

1. Take two of the pieces of green felt and cut each into thirds so that you have six pieces of 4-inch by 9-inch felt. The third piece will be the playing surface.

2. Stack the strips on top of each other and glue them all together so you have this large stack of felt measuring 4-inches by 9-inches.

3. Cut the stack into four long 1-inch by 9-inch strips for your table bumpers. Two of the strips you should then cut in half down to 1-inch by 4.5-inches, round the edges and glue in place as your four bumpers on the long edges of the remaining piece of felt. Then use the two remaining strips and cut each down to make a bumper for the short ends of the playing surface. Glue all bumpers in place

4. Take two straws (snip off the flexible ends if they have them) and insert the ends into each other to make a triangular rack for the ten marbles.

That's all there is to it, the pencils are your cue sticks and you're ready to play some pool. No betting allowed.

***

Thinking about entering this month's Write-Away Contest? Prize is a Zune MP3 player and the theme is "Wonder Woman." The deadline is today!

Sponsored by Identity Theft Shield--Professionals helping people to protect their identity.

If you liked this post you can subscribe to receive updates through RSS feeds or email.

Technorati tags: crafts, kids, activities