DIY Canada Day Yard Game: Canada Themed Tumbling Blocks
Looking for a fun, festive project for Canada Day that doesn’t create waste or clutter? We’ve got just the thing: a reusable, family-friendly yard game made from real wood and finished with Osmo’s eco-friendly Wood Wax Finish. Not only is it a fun DIY—it’s a sustainable investment your family can enjoy year after year.
Sustainable DIY Yard Game
We all love a good Canada Day celebration—but let’s be honest: themed decorations and plastic game sets often don’t survive past the first party. Instead of buying cheap items that end up in a landfill, why not build something durable, beautiful, and reusable?
That’s exactly what inspired this project: a custom-built wooden game set that can come out every year AND actually look good.
Materials Needed for Giant Jenga
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Wooden blocks (we ordered pre-fabricated pieces, but you can also use scrap wood!)
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240 grit sandpaper and/or sanding block
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Osmo Wood Wax Finish (we used ‘3104 Red’ and ‘3186 White Matt’)
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Lint-free cloth
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Elite Painters Tape for clean edges
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Mozart Precision Knife
How to make a large scale jenga game
1. Sand and Prep Your Blocks
Determine how large you would like your blocks and cut your wood into evenly sized pieces—approximately 10.5″ long if you’re going for the classic giant Jenga look. Alternatively, we opted to order pre-fabricated pieces. Give each piece a quick sand with medium- to fine-grit sandpaper to smooth out rough edges, we used P240 grit.
2. Choose Your Colours
We used Osmo’s Wood Wax Finish in 3104 Red and 3186 White Matt to create a fun Canada Day red-and-white effect, while still allowing the natural wood grain to shine through. You can apply as little or as much as you like to build up colour intensity.
3. Creating your maple leaf: Tape
Use painter’s tape to mask off areas if you want crisp lines or colour blocking. We used Elite red tape and we are very impressed with how crisp the lines ended up turning out.
4. Stain with Wood Finish
Apply a thin layer of Wood Wax Finish using a cloth, and let dry according to the product label. For deeper colour, add a second coat.
💡 Pro tip: Osmo Wood Wax Finish is safe for kids’ toys once cured, and it doesn’t require a topcoat!
5. Let Dry and Assemble
Once dry, stack your blocks and get ready to play! Bonus: This finish is super durable and easy to touch up if your game sees heavy use.
