Our grandson recently had his two-year-old birthday party.

(Recently?  Really now.  You call a month-and-a-half-ago recent?)

My creative daughter-in-law had a fish themed party for our grandson.  Way cute!  One of the activities was a variation on a white elephant game.  Her activity had a scratch-off card so we could see which fish we were assigned for the game.

Since she used this scratch off idea and since I had read earlier about it (and since I need an idea to write about here), I thought I would share the idea with you.

The basic idea is to print your ‘ticket’ up, cover it with clear contact paper, and paint over it with a special paint solution.  Ticket holders can then scratch off the paint to discover what they ‘won.’

Here’s the recipe for the paint solution:  2 tablespoons of acrylic paint and 1 tablespoon of dish washing liquid.  Mix well.

You might need to paint a second coat if you can see through the first coat of paint.  Be careful not to get it too thick or it will be difficult to scrape off.

Here are some folks who have created great tutorials on making scratch off items:

• Scratch and Win Valentine from Family Fun
• DIY Scratch Off Lottery Ticket Valentines
• How To Make A Scratch and Win Lottery Ticket

Even though two of these ideas are based around Valentine’s Day, all of you creative grandmothers can think of TONS of ways that you could use this scratch and sniff thingy. It would be fun for older grandchildren to make them for an activity with the younger grandchildren.

Other ways to use the scratch off idea:

• For other holidays (like a message from the George Washington on President’s Day, the Easter Bunny, the Great Pumpkin, or Santa Claus)
• On a birthday card or letter (especially to a far away grandchild)
• With a secret message for a mission impossible day with grandma
• On a treasure hunt
• For a going back to school party
• For a getting out of school party
• On a scavenger hunt
• With a game-o-round activity
• For family reunion games

Have any of you used the scratch off idea before?  I’d love to have you comment and share your experience.  Or, if this has sparked any new ideas of how to use a scratch and win activity, it would be great to hear your ideas.