Fun with indoor games

This DIY miniature ice hockey rink will fill a rainy weekend

January is usually a cold and rainy month, putting a dampener on anyoneís plans to play outside. But there are many fun activities to do indoors. If you think you canít play sports inside then think again. True, you will probably get into trouble for throwing a ball around in the kitchen but a DIY miniature ice hockey rink will surely be enough to keep you busy on a rainy weekend.

You will need

You will need: one shallow, freezer-safe tray or baking tray, white sticky back or contact paper to fit the bottom of the tray, plain card or paper, one blue and one red felt tip pen or colouring pencils, sticky tape, scissors, wooden craft sticks, embroidery thread, ribbon or wool, pipe cleaners, and a net from a packet of oranges or lemons.

The ice rink

For the ice rink, cut a piece of plain paper or card to fit the inside of the bottom of a shallow baking pan or tray. Use a ruler and a protractor as guides to draw lines and circles across the paper with the felt tip pens to create the ice rink. Draw around the paper on some contact and cut out. Lay the card on the bottom of the tray, peel away the contact and stick this over the paper. Fill the tray with water and put it in the freezer for a few hours or overnight.

Hockey sticks

Meanwhile make the hockey sticks and the goal posts. For the hockey sticks, cut one inch off the end of a lolly stick and glue this to a full lolly stick at an angle and leave to dry. Repeat so you have two hockey sticks. Once the glue has dried, cover the ends of the hockey sticks with embroidery thread or wool; one blue and one red. Bend the pipe cleaners to resemble goal posts, then cut some of the fruit net and thread the pipe cleaner through this. Bend the ends of the pipe cleaners so they will stand upright on the ice rink later.

When the ice has set, remove the tray from the freezer, and place the goal posts on each end of the tray. Use a black button for the puck. Give a mini hockey stick to two players and use them to shoot the puck across the ice rink. Have fun!