WAGON WHEEL SPINNER

I know many of you probably have your Sunday planned, but if you are still looking for something to do, here is a fairly easy pioneer singing time to do or save for next time. (Sorry, another busy week with so many family get-togethers on top of the extra work load at work—a great employee from my department was rushed to the hospital for brain surgery for a brain tumor, so I didn't get the chance to post all I wanted to this week.) I still have other visuals for more pioneer songs to post...sometime.


Anyway, if you are really ambitious, you can make a wooden wheel spinner that I just posted about here to use with the wagon wheel or if you only have a little time to prepare, you could just draw and use the poster wagon wheel or...you say you have no time at all? Well then, just print and cut the pictures in the file and post on the board or let the children pick from a container.


I did this last year, but with the very busy week I've had, I'm pulling it out this year again, but with a few changes. I'm also going to combine it with the 
Campfire Singing I did another time.  I'll try and post the campfire singing next. I've seen many variations of wagon wheel singing over the years that others have shared. The two main sites I've gleaned from are here and here. This is my compilation of those great ideas along with some changes here-and-there.


HOW TO MAKE THE WAGON WHEEL

• On a poster board, find the center by drawing a light line down the center from top to bottom and and another line from side to side. Then draw 2 more lines in the center between the 2 lines you previously drew to give you 8 pie shapes.
• Make a handmade compass of string tied with a pencil on both ends (the length of the string between both pencils should be just slightly less than half of the smallest width of your poster). Place one pencil on your center mark and pulling the other pencil with the string taut, draw a circle around the poster.
• Untie one of the pencils and then retie it back on about 1 1/2" shorter and redraw another circle for the inside of the wagon wheel rim.
• For the axel circles, just use a small bowl, a glass or some other circular objects to help draw them or reduce the string length on your hand made compass to make the circles. I think I just eyeballed the inside of the axle circle. The axel is about 3 3/4" and the inside circle is about 5/8" in from the outer circle.
• The spokes are about 1" wide. I just drew a line 1/2" on either side of each of the pie shaped lines then erased the middle line.
• I colored mine in with chalk since I like how I can fill it in fairly quickly and blend it. I also like how I can erase any boo-boos if I happen to go over the lines. You can use crayons or markers or whatever takes you to your happy place when you color. If you use chalk, make sure you spray it with a FixIt spray to set the chalk so it won't rub off after you do the next step with the Sharpie pen.
• With a brown Sharpie pen, outline your wagon wheel and draw in some squiggly lines for the wood grain.
• Mounting the wagon wheel to the spinner (optional):

• See the 2nd paragraph under the "OH NO!" in the previous post on making the spinner for the placement of the hook side of the Velcro. 
• Cut four square pieces of the loop side of Velcro. Leaving the protective liner on the adhesive side of the Velcro loop pieces, connect the loop side to their counter hook parts on the spinner placing one at the top, one at the bottom and one on each side of the spinner.
• Remove the protective liner from only one of the Velcro loop squares and carefully place your wagon wheel poster centered on the spinner and press to adhere the Velcro to the wagon wheel poster lining up the spokes with the nails. Repeat removing one of the protective adhesive liners at a time. This will help to only have to fix one section if you place your poster crooked instead of all four pieces of Velcro. 
• Print, cut and laminate the pioneer pictures from the file below. There are 10 pictures but only 8 spots on the wheel which is usually enough to fill the time. The extra pics are just some added options to pick from or if you need a couple of more songs to sing. There are also two versions of a campfire. I couldn't decide at the time I made this which one I liked best so I kept both since I had an empty space to fill anyway. Pick the one you like.
• Place a square piece of Velcro hook side to the center between each spoke on the wheel poster.
• Place a square piece of Velcro loop side to the backside of each of the pioneer pictures.
• Place the pioneer pictures on the wagon wheel spinner and you are ready to go.

HOW TO PLAY

• Select 8 pioneer pictures and mount on the wheel.
• Have the child spin the wagon wheel (or pick a picture if you are not using a spinner) and whatever it lands on or is picked, remove the picture, share the Fun Fact and sing the song according to the picture. 
• Whenever a child spins the wheel and it lands on a blank space where a picture has been removed, let another child take a turn to see if they can spin and land on a picture. This allows for more spins on the wheel. If time is short and it lands on a blank, just do the next closest picture.
• I've attached a key sheet file. The first half is an example key sheet of what I plan on doing and the second half is a blank version to add your songs you would like to do. There are the 10 options to choose from on the key sheet but you will only need to select 8, because like I said, you'll probably be lucky if you even get all 8 on the wheel done in your 20 minute time especially if you end up singing some of them twice like I tend to do on newer ones or the more unfamiliar ones that they may stumble—mumble through the first time singing it.

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF OTHER IDEAS IF YOU DON'T USE THE SPINNER

• Have the pictures placed around the room for the children to select from.
• Use objects like toys and stuffed animals to represent the items and place in a box or basket for the children to select from.

Pioneer Wagon Wheel Ways to Sing Pics-Nalani

Pioneer Wagon Wheel Ways to Sing Key Sheet-Nalani