DIY Dollar Store Solution For “It’s MY Turn!”

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Wooden Ruler Spinner

It just so happens that TODAY is my kiddos last day of school for the year and we are swan diving into summer!!!! We are all SOOO ready for summertime I can hardly stand it. Lucky for my kids I’m part of a fun group of ladies doing a Dollar Store DIY challenge every month, you can get to all the projects at the bottom of this post. This month’s theme was summer (last month we worked with dollar store flowers). I would normally do some type of décor item, but this month I worked on something fun to stop the “It’s MY turn” tantrums that have a way of creeping up with all the together time summer promises.

In case you missed the “I’m bored” solution, you may want to check that out too, I’m all about planning for the best! The kids lucked out because not only did I come up with this fun tool to use for decision making this summer I scooped up a handful of fun welcome summer toys that they’ll get when they get home from school today! We love to celebrate 4th of July and swimming (or anything with cool water) is always a good time in the Texas heat.  

Wooden rulers are easy to find at almost any store, but with a pack of four for $1 I had to get a few. These are nice for projects because they don’t have the metal strip down the side, so be careful if you come across the kind that do, it makes for tough sawing.

I love the way people cover old boxes and furniture with old yard sticks, it’s such a great look that I might have to do soon. That concept was my inspiration for this DIY. Wooden rulers make a fun yardstick substitute. There was freedom in breaking them up as a good bye nod to the school year, since we won’t be needing them this summer!

I started by cutting a 6 X 6 inch square out of a thin scrap piece of wood for a base. Next I cut the rulers in half, 6 inches each.

I used a colored wood stain in coral and chambray for light summer colors to make the rulers fun, they would look great stained if you wanted to make a more “grown up” version of this project.

I drilled a large hole through the middle of the flat wood base. The hole is large enough for the bolt’s head to go through, that way it will sit flush in the wood base.

Next I glued the cut rulers on the base with wood adhesive, be sure to sit something heavy on top to hold the rulers down while the glue sets.

Once dry, drill a hole large enough to accept the bolt’s threaded section, but not the head, through the center of the rulers, making sure it’s in the center of the larger hole you already drilled.

Here is where you can make this spinner all your own. However many kids you have or decisions you need to make, divide the board up evenly. I used a ruler and sharpie to draw three lines, giving each child an equal portion of the spin dial. Then I wrote the first letter of their name in a section. You could use this for anything, it doesn’t have to be just for kid refereeing!

For the spinner dial I cut down another ruler and cut a small point, then stained it for contrast. Drill a hole through the center to accept the bolt thread.

Attach to the ruler base by threading the bolt through the back and loosely securing the nut so it will spin freely.

Now when the “who gets to go first?” or “it’s my turn” debate arises you can defer to your very own game style spinner! Perfect to take along in the car for a road trip, have at the dinner table, spin for chores or who gets to sit where, really the possibilities are endless…Hope this helps the summer fun go more smoothly! How are you going to use yours? I would certainly appreciate if you’d share or save this project for later. Be sure to take a second and visit my other dollar store DIY friends here:

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