Bowling

Bowling is one of my favorite units to teach during the year.  I love how bowling is both a competitive sport and a great social activity.  Kindergarten and 1st grade begins by spending a week with "Mr. Pin" practicing different locomotor and directional movement skills.  I then bring in a yarn ball and allow the kids to start knocking the pins down with a throw, roll or kick.  In week 2 I introduce the bowling ball and lanes and we begin bowling with 3 pins and eventually moving to 6.

2nd grade starts off week 1 with 3 pin bowling from around 10 feet away.  Students work in groups of 4 or 5 to manage all the bowling alley duties.  One person is in charge of the ball return, one person is in charge of setting/clearing the pins, one bowler and one scorekeeper.  The students switch responsibilities after every turn.  By the end of week two, the 2nd grade bowlers were knocking down ten pins from 25 feet away.

3rd and 4th grades start off week 1 with 6 pin bowling from 15 feet.  These bowlers work in groups like the lower grades.  In these grades the scorekeepers are also kept active by exercise challenges.  If the bowler knocks down 6 pins, the scorekeeper has to do 6 toe touches.  There is a different exercise for each number possible.  The scorekeeper also keeps an eye on the bowlers technique.  If the bowler leads with the wrong foot or steps over the line, the scorekeeper doesn't have to do any exercises.

Here are a few videos that I shot during the bowling unit.  I wasn't able to get any of 1st and 2nd grades, I apologize.


Kindergarten Bowling

Kinder Bowl

3rd Grade

3rd Bowl

3rd Bowl and Jump

4th Grade

4th Bowling

Pin Cam