How to create Garden Kerplunk game

In the past I have written how we try and contribute to raising funds for my son's school by creating games for the various fairs.  One of my favourite's being a giant outdoor Kerplunk game.

Here is how we made the a giant Kerplunk for the garden and the fair and is always popular.

I try and recycle wherever possible, and failing that I browse the charity shops before spending out on materials.  I don't pass the costs on to the school, they are so underfunded they need every 50p per game raised.

Materials I used to make the Kerplunk Game

Table - this was from a nest of tables which I got for free from a local free up group.
Wire purchased from Wilko
Sticks purchased from B&Q.
PaintSticks - perfect for covering the sticks with.
Softplay Balls for extra fun we've added large baubles with prizes in!

As this game is for Primary school children I want it to be as colourful as possible.   Rather than having just plain timber coloured sticks, I opted to use Paint Sticks from Little Brian.  They were perfect to cover the timber in the least amount of mess.

I bought a cage mesh from Wilkos for £3.75 and used a bucket from home to keep the mould whilst we pinned then cut the wire to size.

As this is for children, we had to be extra careful with every edge.  The bottom was pinned to the table so that wasn't an issue.  The top was smooth but we added tape incase little hands made there way up to hold on.

Finally, the joins around the middle were first bent then soldered to make them smooth.  It is so important to ensure this game is safe from sharp edges, splinters and anything that may bring harm to anyone.

We used 2 dozen sticks to ensure the balls are balanced well within the cage.  The basket that we originally had to catch the balls was way too small, so we are going to use a larger cardboard box and cover it in spots to keep with the theme.

This game has come out for the last couple of years now at the school and is such a hit.  It's a bit laboursome putting the sticks back in, and you need to have space for when the children pull the sticks out but other than that, it will bring the 50 pence pieces in.