Join the Spinning Craze and Make it a Learning Experience: 10 Ways to Use Spinners as a Teaching Tool!

Are you as tired, but as intrigued as I am with all the different types of spinners there are everywhere you go and the fact that they get hundreds upon hundreds of new shipments practically everyday? I have seen sports themed spinners, USA spinners, Light Up spinners, black, tie-dyed and rainbow spinners to name a few! I have to admit...they are mesmerizing!

Mention the s-word and right before your eyes someone says, "Oh, I have one right here!" They do have a purpose, but they are also the 2017 craze like Pokemon cards, Cabbage Patch Dolls and all the other toys you HAD TO HAVE when you were younger.  They have been banned from schools and I am sure many teachers are a bit crazed, for lack of a better word,  at how many of their students own a spinner. They can be purchased everywhere: AMAZON, 5 Below, Learning Express, Hallmark, Wawa, 7-Eleven and I might just set up a stand in my front yard!

Today my grandson was off from school and we went to Learning Express to spend a gift card he received for his birthday and what did he pick out?  You guessed it a Tri-Spinner and a Bi-Spinner with cases to hold the various spinners one has...now mind you as of today, May 5, 2017...he has about 5 different spinners and has even made a few with coins and bearings, but this is what he wanted and it was HIS money!!!

Interestingly enough while we were in the shop, they allowed him to come behind the counter because a shipment of brand new spinners had just arrived. So...Brady went behind the counter and took a few hours to pick out the precise one he wanted...that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea.  I can now tell you where every toy, book, game and trinket is located in the store because I walked around so many times waiting.  A few parents walked in looking for...YES...spinners and Brady began to share his knowledge as when they were first created and where(A bit of history) to which one was better and which one should be selected...the phones rang and the sales lady declared that Brady could answer the phones and give the info needed because 90% of the calls were about...YES...spinners! He was offered a job after school as we left, but he really is too young to work.

So as all he-- breaks lose in schools and the craze that is supposed to calm the soul has been deemed as a distraction to many, there is a solution to the craziness especially at the end of the year...USE IT AS A TEACHING TOOL...yes you read that correctly and here are 10 ways you can do this with your kiddos...I guess what I am saying is to have a Fidget Spinning Day.

1. Have a contest using a timer to see whose spinner can spin the longest.  Start out with pairs and then the winners will proceed to the next round. Keep it going until there is one winner.

2.  Graph the results of the time it took for the spinners to spin and stop and then find the mean, mode median and range of the times.

3.  Make predictions based on what they know about spinners and see who can come closest to the amount of time the spinner will spin.  So the students, predict, then write the actual time and last, find the difference.

4.  Calculate which surfaces( floor, blacktop, wood, desk, metal surface etc.) support faster or slower spins. Which surface made the spinner spin faster, explain your thinking? Does the spinner spin longer on a surface or in your hand? Explain your thinking.  On one finger or between your fingers? Explain your thinking.  Which kinds of spinners spin the fastest, slowest and graph and compare the results.

5.  How many spinners can you spin on top of each other? Graph the results.

6. Have your students spin their spinners and see who can focus using their spinners while reading to self, listening to a read aloud or doing math( try your best not to get distracted by their spinners spinning). Evaluate the experiment by having them answer questions about the lesson taught.   Then have them write an opinion piece on spinners about help or hinder students' concentrate.

7. Write to persuade by having students write you a letter convincing you or the principal that students should or should not be allowed to bring spinners to school.

8.  Write a piece on how to spin a spinner correctly.

9. Write an opinion piece on which spinner is better or is the Bi-spinner or Tri-Spinner  better and why they feel that way.

10.  Create a game that can use spinners in some way.  Have each team or partnership write about his/her idea, make it and present it to the class and play it!


I hope you find these ideas helpful...you know the old saying: "When in Rome do as the Romans" and "If you can't beat them, join them." Well...my new saying is: "When the spinner spins, spin along with it!

And I have  freebie for you that you can print and use and GUESS WHAT? It contains some of the ideas above...what more could you ask for!!  

Free Spinner Resources or Challenges for the End of the Year or Summer   

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day and have a little fun with spinners the last few weeks of school!  Keep spinning and smiling!