Spinner Game

If you are a teacher who has recently received a ‘technologytom’ promotional leaflet then please get in touch via e-mail if you would like to request a free Design and Technology project kit.

tom@technologytom.co.uk

The project kits contain all of the parts to make a complete and working product and instructions on paper are included. There is also information about the projects on the website.

Please select your free kit from the following list....

Magnetic games and novelties

Balloon powered vehicles and land yachts

Torches and light up novelties

Electric buzzer games

Motor projects (a variety of motorized models)

Free gifts for Primary Schools

This offer is open to Primary School teachers

You are welcome to a free spinner game kit on request but you could win a whole class set plus some individual sample D and T project kits if your pupils are prepared to come up with some Science or Technology facts or ideas or things to do which could be displayed on the technologytom website for all to see.

Please note: Permission would be sought prior to displaying any information from schools taking part in the spinner game kits offer.

I have 25 class sets of 30 spinner games to give away so there is a reasonable chance of winning a set bearing in mind the advertising literature is being sent to local (North East) primary schools only.

Either
Ask pupils to each write some very brief science facts which they find interesting and bring them together on a single sheet and e-mail with school name, class and teacher name printed at the top. Please use a school e-mail address.

Or
Ask pupils to work in small groups to draw and describe something which is fun to make as part of a Design and Technology lesson. Say what it is and what materials are needed. Scan and e-mail the ideas with school name, class and teacher name at the top. Please use a school e-mail address.

If you are interested then simply send an e-mail request for one of the ‘spinner game’ kits to

tom@technologytom.co.uk

In my spinner game you have to move from one end of the board to the other and the first person to the finish line is the winner.
There can be up to 4 players and whatever the spinner lands on tells you whether to move forward or back and how many spaces.
f1 means forward 1 space.
b2 means back 2 spaces.
I think I will add some special squares on the gameboard such as ‘miss a go’ and ‘forward 1’ to make it more fun.


	Here’s how to make the game.....




		Pupils will need: Pencil, sharpener, ruler, scissors and coloured pens or pencils. Find the centre of the square piece of card for the spinner by drawing lines from the corners which cross in the middle. Think of a design for the spinner before fitting the dowel and draw and colour it neatly. It could be a number spinner or a name spinner or a colour spinner or a pets spinner or a double sided spinner.......there are lots of possibilities. The wooden dowel must be made thinner at the ends using a pencil sharpener but it is very important not to allow pupils to make a sharp point - this could be dangerous Pierce a very small hole in the centre of the card square using a biro pressed down against a pencil rubber which is placed behind the card square. Now use a pencil point carefully to slightly enlarge the hole by twisting (the pencil rubber is not needed for this part). Slowly and carefully twist the thinnest end of the wooden dowel a little at a time through the hole and gradually enlarge it until the dowel is a neat fit. Now warm the two plastic clips for a few minutes in your hands or on a radiator (this softens them a little) and carefully slide them onto the dowel trapping the card square tightly in the middle. The softer they are the easier this step is!


		All you need is An A5 piece of card. A wooden dowel 6cm long and 6mm diameter. Two plastic ‘clips’ cut from some flexible plastic tube. The diameter of the tube is such that it is a reasonably tight fit on the wooden dowel.

	Making a spinner game is a wonderfully simple D and T project for pupils across a wide age and ability range (y2 to y6). The basic stages are: 1. Make a simple 4 sided number spinner using a square of card, a 6cm length of wooden dowel and two small plastic ‘clips’ (tiny pieces cut from a flexible plastic tube). This part is described in detail below the photograph on the left. 2. Make a game-board from a rectangle of card divided into squares. 4 x 7 squares is fine but any number is possible and pupils may want to make another more challenging game-board after they make the first one. 3. Make some small ‘counters’ using small pieces of card which are slightly smaller than the squares on the game-board and colour or decorate the counters individually. Simple folds can help create ‘stand up’ counters which are easier to move than flat counters. 4. The difficult part. Invent some rules for the game. 5. The fun part. Play the game and invent a name for it.


	The whole design process can be taught via this simple project since it can cover: evaluating existing products, working from a brief, developing a specification based on age range etc., generating ideas, planning and making, using materials, tools and equipment, evaluating the final product, suggesting other ideas and improvements.

Other ideas

Make the game 3D eg. by having a set of stairs made from card to recreate a scene from Harry Potter - the checkerboard stairs!

Make a six sided spinner and use it to make counters move in different directions on a chessboard This lets you travel around the board and encounter different forfeits or treasures etc.

Make a set of cards with questions or forfeits and when you land on a square you pay the price or gain a reward.

Make a two or three spinner game where each spinner has a special function eg. one for selecting a counter, one for moving forward, and one for deciding direction etc.

The possibilities are endless - as with most D and T projects!

Let me know your ideas.

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