I am one of the den leaders for my son’s Webelos Cub Scout troop.  We were working on Scholar and one of the requirements was to learn how to play Chess.  I thought it would be fun to have the boys make their own chess board and pieces.  I didn’t realize how time consuming it would be.  We made 13 chess sets which comes to 416 pieces!!  I used 1/2 dowels for the body of the chess pieces, card stock to add shape and distinguish between the different players, MDF boards cut into 8×8 inch pieces, paint, modge podge, sandpaper, miter saw, paper cutter and glue.  After using up three of our den meetings and not getting much accomplished, I decided to get as much of the pieces done myself with the help of my kids.  I sent home our webelos with a zip-lock bag of pieces, paper and board to finish up what I didn’t finish.  You would be surprised at how many hours it takes to cut, shape and paint 416 pieces.  So here are some instructions to help finish up the chess sets and a brief lesson for any other parents that would like to have a fun activity to do as a family.  One chess set wouldn’t be too difficult but with such a large amount, it became a little bit more work than I had anticipated.

Here’s a video on how to make the Queen piece.  The same concept can be used to make the rest of the chess pieces.  Don’t forget to paint 16 white and 16 black and once they are dry, modge podge them.

My daughter was a great little helper. We had to sand the edges of the dowels once they were cut. She also did a great job adding glue to the paper strips. Kids love to feel helpful and needed.

My kids love to play with their new chess board.  My daughter likes to just knock over your guy but at least she is having fun!  It is always great to see something you create put to good use.  I’d love to hear how your project turns out.