Bowling for Phonics

"When two vowels go out walking, the first one does the talking."  Remember that rule?  There are exceptions, of course, but this rule can be helpful in the development of young readers in many cases. However, learning this only through worksheets can make kids restless. Instead, try this goofy game that turns old soda bottles into bowling pins, where your kids will "bowl" for vowel patterns they'll come across everyday. "Double-vowel" words can be very tricky for kids, but this game allows kids to stay active while building their reading vocabulary--and it can make for hours of fun as well!

You Will Need:

• 6 Empty 2-Liter Soda bottles
• Nontoxic spray paint for plastic
• Sheet of clear plastic acetate (used for overhead projector slides and available at office supply stores)
• Clear plastic packing tape
• Index Cards
• Sharpie pen

What to Do:

Setup:

1. Make sure that the soda bottles are empty and dry.  Start by spray painting them with nontoxic paint, either in black or in a bright color. (Be sure to leave the caps on as you spray paint.)  These will become your "bowling pins."  If you plan to play indoors with a light "bowling" ball, you can leave the pins empty.  Otherwise, use a heavier ball and add about 2 inches of sand to each bottle to keep it balanced and to make it a little harder to capsize instantly.
2. Cut up the plastic acetate sheet into six 4" wide by 1-1/2" high pieces.  Horizontally place one plastic acetate sheet on the side of each bottle, and tape the bottom and sides of the sheet to create a "pouch."
3. Cut index cards in half, so that each one is 2 1/2" x 3", and divide them into "packs" of six.  The word cards will be placed in the "pouch" on the soda bottles, and each "pack" will include a group of words using the "two vowels" rule.

• Pack 1: ea: leaf, bean, lead, treat, peak, seal, real, deal, leap, cheap (pick any six)
• Pack 2: ai: rain, pain, stain, gain, main, drain, train, main (pick any six)
• Pack 3: ie: field, thief, chief, yield, grief, belief
• Pack 4: oo: soon, moon, balloon, noon, raccoon, loon
• Pack 5: ee: see, bee, tree, deep, peep, creep, need, keep, green, peel, reel, sleep (pick any six)
• Pack 6: oa: boat, foam, goat, roam, float, throat, coat, moat (pick any six)

How to play!