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Active challenge:

Wheel of Wacky

Suggested Ages: K – 5th Grades

Spin your way into some wacky fun! In this project challenge you’ll need to BE VISIONARY by imagining the funniest and most surprising characters and actions you can think of and putting them on two handmade spinners. Then spin and carry out whatever silly combination you land on.

Active Challenge: Fun, movement-oriented games and activities to spark innovation and creativity

This is no ordinary DIY activity for kids: It’s a step toward becoming an innovator.

 

Every Galileo Active Challenge gets kids moving and teaches the same mindsets that professional designers, engineers, artists and athletes use in their work. With skills like these, we believe you can change the world.

Get Involved—For Grown Ups

Materials list:

Help your child find these materials or a close substitute: 

 

  • 2 pieces of paper (different colors, if possible)
  • Large piece of box cardboard
  • Thin cardboard scraps (food packaging, shirt cardboard, index card, etc.)
  • Tape
  • Straw (or a small length of paper rolled around a pencil and taped in place)
  • 2 paper clips
  • Thumbtack (or sharp object to poke a hole in cardboard)
  • Pencil
  • Marker

 

Activity Steps:

Use these to keep your innovator on track as they play: 

 

    1. Cut 2 pieces of paper to fit side-by-side on the piece of box cardboard.
    2. Fold the papers into 4ths and draw lines in the folds to make 4 sections.
    3. On one paper, write the name of an animal or character in each section (Ex: Duck, Robot, Pirate, etc.).  Be visionary to think beyond your first ideas to come up with funny or surprising characters or animals.
    4. On the other paper, write an action in each section (Ex: Hop on one foot, wiggle, skip, etc.). Continue to be visionary by thinking up interesting and fun actions for your game.
    5. Attach both papers to the bigger cardboard with tape or glue, these are your spinner bases.
    6. Bend 2 paper clips so they each have one wire sticking straight up. Tape one paper clip to the middle of each spinner base so the wire sticks up where the section lines cross.
    7. Cut a short length of straw and drop it onto each wire (if you don’t have a straw roll a little piece of paper around a pencil and hold it together with tape).
    8. Cut out 2 arrows from the thin cardboard.
    9. Find the center of gravity on each arrow—balance the arrow on your finger and mark the balance point with a dot.
    10. Push a thumbtack through the dot on each arrow (adult help may be required for this step).
    11. Place an arrow on each paper clip. Add a tape flag to the top of each wire to cover the sharp point and keep the arrow in place.
    12. Find a partner or a group to play with. Spin both spinners and  find visionary ways to act out the characters and actions you land on! (Ex: Wiggle like a robot!)

 

Guiding Questions:

If your child is stuck, try asking these questions to help them keep on innovating: 

 

  • What are some animals that make funny sounds or movements Are there any characters from your favorite movies or books that would be fun to include on your spinner?
  • Try spinning the arrow. Do you notice it getting stuck anywhere? What can you change to fix it?

 

More Ideas:

Every project presents opportunities to add your own twists or extensions. Here are some ideas to get you started: 

 

  • Need a friend–play over a video chat with friends or family.
  • Mix it up. Try timing the game to see how many actions your partner can do in a minute. Or try to keep a straight face while your wacky partner works their wacky to make you crack a smile.
  • Step it Up! Come up with emotions for your characters and detailed actions (you can add these to your spinner) (Ex: A worried pig roller skating backwards!) OR divide your spinners into eight sections for more visionary variety.
  • Innovate On! Put your own “spin” on this game. Try thinking of new rules or maybe add a third spinner to the mix with a new category.

 

Wrap Up Questions:

Lock in the learning by asking your child these questions about their activity and how they practiced the featured Innovator’s Mindset element: 

 

  • Which words on your spinner were the most visionary? How did you come up with the ideas for those funny or surprising characters and actions?
  • After playing for a while, Did you think of more visionary ways to act out the characters or actions? Did you get any new ideas for fun ways to play the game?

SHARE!

Great learning can come from sharing successes and failures—to solidify your own experience as an innovator and to inspire others.

 

SHARE WITH galileo

 

Take a picture of your child’s Wheel of Wacky spinners or a video of it being played and share it with the Camp Galileo Anywhere Facebook Community.

 

Share with family and friends

 

Your innovation doesn’t stop with you. Inspire someone else by sharing your active challenge—maybe they’ll try it themselves or maybe your experience will give them a new idea.

 

  • Who: someone in your house, a family member, a friend
  • How: in person, on the phone, online
  • When: anytime, starting now!