Paper plate
Paper plate consequence wheel
Short answer
A paper plate consequence wheel is a fluted plate divided into equal slices, labeled with options you already accept, and spun with a paper clip on a brass fastener. The paper plate spinner stays on the table. Tape the plate down so the arrow moves and the plate does not.
This is the build to try before you commit to cardboard. If your family will not walk over to use it, a sturdier wheel will not fix that. If they will, you can upgrade later.
Elementary lessons already use this hinge. The American Statistical Association’s spinner lesson supplies paper clips so students can spin a paper arrow around a point. You are using the same hinge for a family list.
Spin only what you already agreed to.
Use the free wheelWhat to put on the table
One plain paper plate, a pencil, a marker, a ruler, a large paper clip, and a brass fastener. A second plate glued or taped behind the first keeps a flimsy plate from folding. An adult pokes the center hole.
Skip glitter. It sheds into the slices and makes the words harder to read. Color two alternating marker bands if you want the landing obvious.
Divide, write, then hinge
Find the center by folding lightly in half and in half again, or by measuring. For six slices, mark the edge the way you would mark 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, and draw to the center. Write in pencil. Read the lines aloud. Ink them.
Push the fastener through one end of the paper clip and through the center. Spread the fastener legs on the back with a scrap of tape over them so they do not snag. Tape the plate to the table at three points on the rim. Spin the clip, not the plate.
| Order | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Agree on four to eight short options |
| 2 | Mark equal slices from the center |
| 3 | Pencil, read aloud, then marker |
| 4 | Brad through a paper clip at the center |
| 5 | Tape the plate down |
| 6 | Practice spin with no stakes |
When a plate is the wrong object
A plate in a humid kitchen curls. A plate on the fridge falls if you only use one magnet. Move to cardboard if you want a door wheel, or to dry-erase if the words are still changing every week.
The plate is also a poor fit for very small children who mouth hardware. Let them help color a picture of the wheel, and keep the fastener version up and out of reach. You can still read the landing to them.
Steps
- 1Write the list. Four to eight options you will enforce. Cross out the rest before the plate comes out.
- 2Mark the plate. Equal slices from the center. Six slices can follow every second hour on a clock.
- 3Letter the slices. Pencil, read them aloud, then use marker. Put a name in the center if you want.
- 4Add the clip. A brass fastener through a large paper clip and the center of the plate. Tape the fastener legs on the back.
- 5Fix the plate. Tape the rim so the plate stays still and the clip spins. Practice once with no stakes.
Questions people ask
Which paper plate works best?
A plain coated plate takes marker cleanly. A deeply fluted plate is stronger and harder to write on. If the marker smears, write on paper labels and glue them to the slices.
The clip stops on the lines. What now?
Agree that a line belongs to the slice clockwise from it, or rebuild with wider gaps of color so the clip clearly favors a wedge. Decide this before a real spin.
Can we hang the plate on the fridge?
Yes, with the plate fixed and the clip free. Use enough tape or magnets that it survives a spin. If it falls, switch to a cardboard frame.