Ben and Lucy play an obstacle game with three beanbags and football on flat lawn while Dad times them with stopwatch.

The Runaway Wheelbarrow

Phase 9 · Book 3
Focus contractions and compound words

Ben Lucy and Dad load three coloured beanbags and a football into a green wheelbarrow in a sunny garden.

Ben and Lucy plan a garden game. They put beanbags and a football in Dad’s wheelbarrow. “We’ll make an obstacle course,” says Ben. “Don’t forget the stopwatch!” says Lucy.

Green wheelbarrow begins rolling on gentle grass while Dad turns from a bucket toward it.

Dad parks the wheelbarrow beside the flowerbed. Then he turns to pick up a bucket. The wheelbarrow rolls down the gentle slope. “It’s going without us!” calls Ben.

Dad holds handles of stopped green wheelbarrow.

The football bounces onto the grass. Beanbags spill beside the greenhouse. Dad catches the handles and stops the barrow. “Well, that wasn’t our plan,” he says.

Ben searches beside flowerbed Lucy checks near greenhouse and Dad looks into bucket holding a stopwatch.

“We can’t play until we find everything,” says Lucy. Ben looks beside the flowerbed. Lucy checks behind the greenhouse. Dad finds the stopwatch in the bucket.

Dad rests wheelbarrow wheel against a wooden block on flat grass.

They carry the things back together. Dad puts the wheelbarrow on flat ground. He rests its wheel against a block. “Now it won’t race us,” says Ben.

They jump over beanbags and kick the football. Dad times them with the stopwatch. “We’ve made a great game,” says Lucy. “And we’ve already had a practice chase!” says Ben.

The Runaway Wheelbarrow

Talk Together

Read together