Martha Speaks Word Spinner

Martha Speaks Word Spinner is a fun, interactive board game that the whole family (up to four players) can enjoy together.

Bonus for parents = no clean up!

The app is hosted by your child’s favorite characters from the PBS television series Martha Speaks. Start by choosing your pup piece, then spin the wheel to see which of the 6 mini-games you get to play. The variety of games has everyone listening, sorting, telling stories and playing charades.

Games include:

• Name 5 things: Hear a category and name 5 things that belong in the category. Pop balloons as correct names are given.

• Story sounds: Listening is very important in this game. You get a setting to create your story and then tap buttons on a box to hear 5 sounds. Your job is to create a short story incorporating the setting and each sound. Super fun!

• Who Am I?: Charades! Everyone but the chosen player closes their eyes. The player sees a person in a specific career on the screen. Act out the job so that everyone guesses it correctly.

• Stuff Sort: See a box with a category and tons of pictures on the screen. Sort the pictures that belong in the category into the box.

• Word Connector: This game takes some thought. You see 6 pictures, 3 on each side of the screen. You drag pictures that “match” or have something in common together.

• Bucket Ball: Kids love this one. You are told a category. Each basket floats by on the screen with a picture. Slingshot a ball into the baskets with pictures that belong in the category

Younger children may need some assistance with reading or having you explain word meanings. The vocabulary in the app ranges from simple words like “clothing” to more advanced concepts like “prehistoric animals.” Don’t let this stop you. The learning potential is tremendous and the quality family fun time is priceless.

Activity 1: Words That Go Together

Sometimes good ideas can pop into your head out of nowhere. Learn to go with it! This is a vocabulary building activity I came up with sitting in traffic one afternoon with my oldest son who was four at the time.

I glanced out the window and saw kids at the park playing on a playground. My son and I alternated naming playground words (swing, trashcan, litter, frizbie). Whoever ran out of words first lost the game.

Make sure to include some words unfamiliar to your child too. If you are at the grocery store you might introduce words such as bargain, quality, and so on. Just be careful not to introduce too many new words at a time.

This has become a car game in my family. As my boys got older they would often initiate this game rather than make some bad choices and get into trouble. Sometimes our game would end after only two or three words.

Here are some category suggestions:

• Fairytales
• Terrible smells
• Winter words
• Fall words
• Silly words
• Baseball words
• Angry words
• Plants
• Nursery rhymes

Activity 2: Marble Maze

When I was a kids I loved marble mazes. In my classroom I always had to have blocks and tubes for my kids to create marble obstacle courses.

You can buy your own maze (see below) or set out on gather stuff from your house and get CREATIVE!

What You’ll Need:

• Cardboard box
• Marbles
• Straws
• Glue or tape
• Pencil

Starting with your pencil, draw out the main path for your maze inside the cardboard box. After deciding on the path, add extra little twists and turns for some challenge. Then take your straws and outline the path. The straws act as the walls of the maze. When everything is dry, add your marble and start rolling!