Here are some suggestions for readily available game parts: popsicle sticks, army men,dried beans, toy cars, certain pasta shapes, coins, beads, pogs, Fimo clay, M+Ms, cool stones, painted rocks, checkers, ping pong balls, marbles, action figures, Lego bricks, mosiac tiles, nuts and bolts, little plastic dinsaurs, 'fridge magnets, buttons, old keys, washers, Hersey Kisses, pie crust, weights, clothes pins, old batteries, seashells, thread spools, acorns,golf tees, etc.

When you're designing the art for the board, cards, spinner...etc., stickers are great to use and there are millions out there. The letters and numbers you may need can be hand drawn, stenciled or applied using rub-on transfers. Graph paper is great for laying out the board's art work. It helps to keep things straight and uniform (if that's what you want). Add photos, colored paper, glitter, yarn, cloth scraps,...... whatever you want. The game board need not lay flat, it can be 3-dimensional, with mountains, levels, stairs, etc. Remember, anything is possible because you are the inventor. Let your imagination be your guide.

There are a number of tools and stuff that you will want to have around as you work on your games. Get yourself a "tool box" and fill it with art supplies including: pencils, markers and pens, crayons, scissors, glue, tape, ruler, plastic stencils of letters, numbers and shapes, paints.....etc. It is also a good idea to have lots of scrap paper around as well as graph paper, cardboard, tracing paper and different colors of "contact paper".

You'll also need a place to work. It is important to have the right environment to help you create. It should be a large work area where you can leave your partially completed projects out and you're able to get back to them at a moments notice. The creative process has no schedules.

The most useful tool, beside imagination, I have in my personal game lab is my computer. It is not nessesary to have one but computers make short work of designing the game board and rules.

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