Learning the CH Sound with Happy Cheese

Scratch Garden

This engaging animated video introduces early learners to the "ch" digraph through the character of Happy Cheese. Using humor and clear visual cues, the video breaks down how the letters C and H, which normally make separate sounds, combine to create a new, distinct sound. The character demonstrates the pronunciation using a memorable train analogy ("ch-ch-ch") that helps students physically produce the sound correctly. The content is structured to scaffold learning by first introducing the sound itself, then presenting words that begin with "ch" (chair, chicken, cheese), followed by words that end with "ch" (ouch, wrench, sandwich). The video includes built-in interactive segments with a countdown timer, encouraging students to actively participate by generating their own vocabulary words during the lesson. Teachers can use this video as a core component of a phonics lesson introducing digraphs. Its pacing allows for natural pauses where educators can check for understanding. The distinct separation of beginning and ending sounds makes it an excellent tool for phonemic awareness practice, specifically for identifying sound positioning within words. The humorous ending with falling cherries reinforces the sound in a memorable way.