Earth Day Craft: Tic Tac Toe Game

Traditionally tic tac toe is a game that's played indoors or in the car. But when the weather's warm, take the game outside thanks to natural materials like sticks and stones.

Smooth rocks take the place of Xs and Os in this game, so the rocks are painted with two different colors to differentiate. If you find that kids are getting confused, though, you can always help them paint Xs and Os on the rocks, too.

What you'll need:

• 12 small, smooth rocks
• Acrylic paint, 2 different colors
• Paintbrush
• 4 sticks, relatively the same circumference and length
• Twine (optional)

Instructions:

1. Use the paintbrush and acrylic paint to paint the rocks. Paint six of the rocks one color, then paint the other six rocks another color. These will be the game pieces that represent Xs and Os. If you'd like, you can also paint Xs on six of the rocks and Os on the other six rocks.

2. While you wait for the rocks to dry, assemble the tic tac toe board by crossing the sticks.

3. If you want to secure the game board, tie short lengths of twine around the sticks where they intersect.

Now you're ready to play tic tac toe! The game board can be placed anywhere, but a flat surface like a table or grass is usually the best place.