this little wheel is a fun and gentle way for beginning readers to begin to practice sounding out words. turn the wheel to make different words (silly words are okay too) and the child will be thrilled to discover how many words he can read just by changing a single letter/sound. start with two-letter words first and move on to three-letter words when the child is ready.
to make the wheel you will need the following supplies available at your local craft and/or hardware store:
- 2 wooden disks (they should be about 1/4" thick and measure about 2" and 4" in diameter)
- 1 wooden peg (you will be cutting this down, buy a couple extra just in case)
- chalkboard paint
- wood glue
begin by painting the disks with chalkboard paint. when they are dry, drill a hole the same diameter as your wooden peg through the center of each disk. stack the disks one on top of each other and thread the peg through the disks. mark where you will need to trim the peg so the end is flush with the back of your bottom disk. cut peg with a small hand saw.
assemble the wheel by threading your shortened peg through the smaller disk first. apply wood glue to the hole of the larger disk. slide it onto the peg and allow to dry.
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