How to Make a DIY Life Size Kerplunk Yard Game
Do you remember playing Kerplunk as a kid? Imagine how much fun a DIY Kerplunk yard game would be life-size.
Let’s get started! Gather your supplies.
- Wire cutters
- Wooden Dowel Rods – 7/16″ x 36″ Bag of 25
- Metal fencing – 25 Foot, Silver
- Spray paint in various colors. I’m loving the ColorShot brand—such a pretty color and great coverage.
- Ball pit balls (100-200)
- Small Zip ties or metal wire
- Scissors
Divide your dowel rids into 3-5 groups and spray paint them evenly on all sides.
I chose to do three different colors (turquoise, pink, yellow). Let dry.
Choose your desired circumference of your metal fencing. Ours is about 40″.
Roll out your metal fencing and with your wire cutters, cut a few inches longer than your desired circumference. You might want to wear gloves to prevent injury—I decided to brave it.
My fencing was tightly wound so after it was cut it curled up into my desired cylinder shape on its own.
Take your mini zip ties (or metal wire) and connect both ends of your fencing from top to bottom. My black zip ties stand out more than I’d like. You can use white ties or spray paint then to match your metal if it bothers you.
Trim down all zip tie tails with your scissors.
TIP: You can also take a silver spray paint and spray the zip ties so they blend better. I did this a week or so after I made this game.
Shape your fencing into a cylinder shape, and gather your dowel rods.
Randomly add in your rods. The more random and tangled up they can be, the better.
Make sure the dowel rods are placed so that none of the balls will be able to fall through on their own.
Add in your plastic balls.
That’s it! Step back and admire your amazing DIY Kerplunk yard game and call up some friends to play!
Players insert all the colorful sticks into the game tube and then place all the balls on top of them. One by one every player gets a turn to remove a stick hoping that all the balls stay on the top. Every ball that falls through on your turn is counted against you. Whoever has the least amount of balls at the end of the game is the winner.
TIP: I now use tent stakes to stake the cylinder into the grass for good stability.
What do you think? Will you be making your own life-size DIY Kerplunk yard game? I highly recommend it!
Resources for this project:
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Comments
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A great idea! How wide is the wire that you used. That type of fencing comes in several widths. Marsha
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Thanks Marsha! I believe I cut it down to about 3 feet wide.
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Thx for interesting idea!
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Any concerns about sharp edges where the wire is cut?
If I may suggest, I think it would be a good idea to close off the ends for an easy turnover without having to pick up all of the balls and place them back inside
Would orange construction netting work instead of the wire for a frame ?