Fly the Galaxy Via Consonant Blends and Diagraphs

I have gone a little crazy lately making games…this is more fun than playing them! This is Game 1 using words from step 2 of the Blend Phonics Book. Step 2 focuses on reading words with consonant blends and diagraphs. To get the basic frame work of this game I basically stole the Parcheesi rules and board set up and added a few rules that would ensure the players read the words. I love the little robot men!! They can be found here. The very last selection has blank robots which you can use for anything. This site has file folder games for FREE for math and language etc. They also have FREE lapbooks.

The word spaces are from here Scroll down to number 9. (blend phonics decoding cards). To get the cards to this size when printing I selected to print multiples on a page and selected the appropriate size, maybe you would like to make them smaller and fit more words on the board. I pasted the words around the board which is a large black piece of drawing paper. It is just what I had on hand. The real Parcheesi board is square and that may be a nicer way to do the game.


To Play: Each player places four robot men in the start box called the “satellite” according to color. Red in the Red “satellite”, Green in the Green “satellite” etc. Each player has a cup and two dice.(spaceship fuel)
How to Win: The first player to get all four robot men around the board “galaxy” and home to the “Space station” wins the game.
Rules:
1. The Player which rolls the lowest number may fly first. Each player throws the dice in succession until five or a combination which equals five is rolled. The player rolling this may then enter one man into the “galaxy”. Once the five has been used the numbers remaining may be used to further that piece or others which are in the galaxy.
2. Each time a five or it’s equivalent is rolled the player is obliged to enter a robot man from the colored satellite to the galaxy via the launching pad (the space outside the satellite). Provided he can read the word that is on the launching pad.
3. Each space where a player lands he may remain there only under the condition he can read the word that is there.
4. After the player has one robot man entered, all throws of the dice count for his robot man or men out in the galaxy. He must fly in a counter clockwise direction from where he entered the galaxy until he brings all four robot men around to the space station entrance tunnel which coordinates with his color and gets back to the space station. Once a man is in the entrance tunnel he can not be bumped off and sent back to his satellite. He may however not advance unless he can read all the words in the entrance tunnel on his way Home to the space station.
5. When a man rests on any red square along the path he can not be taken. This space is called “rest stop” Any other space is fair game. The player knocked off goes back to his starting satellite.
6. Only two robot men of the same color may rest at the “rest stop.” When this occurs it is called a blockade and can not be passed.
7. If the red space is someone’s entering space then if another player is “resting” there they can be knocked off. However if two robot men of the same color are creating a blockaded then the player wishing to use the launching pad must wait.