Week 1 - Lawn Bowls

Skill focus: Delivering the jack, rolling accuracy, ball grip

Session equipment:

Tennis Balls
Variety of balls (different sizes)
Chalk, hoops or ropes
Variety of balls
Cones or markers

While very few schools will have access to the specific equipment and facilities used for lawn bowls (such as bowls, a jack and a lawn or synthetic playing surface), it is still possible for the sport to be experienced through the use of similar equipment, such as tennis balls, cricket balls, softballs or similar, and facilities such as any level playing surface.

Download Lawn Bowls - Week 1 activity card to support teaching before and during the sport session.

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Fast start - Empty the Nest

Equipment: 8 markers (to set out playing area), 8 markers (to set out the 'no-go-zone), 1 tennis ball per three students.

How to play:

Set out the playing area (25 students = approximately 25m x 25m).
Divide playing area at the centre with a zone (approximately 1m), called 'no-go-zone'.
Divide students into two groups.
Groups stand opposite each other on both sides of the ‘no-go-zone’ and each group is given the same number of tennis balls.
On the teacher's first signal, each group attempts to clear the tennis balls from their side of the playing area by throwing or rolling the balls into the other group's area.
On the teacher's second signal, all action stops then the tennis balls are counted.

CHANGE IT!

Students must pass the ball to another student before it is cleared from their playing area.
Vary the equipment used. (for example, bean bags, small or larger balls).

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Skill development

Choosing teams

In a sport education approach, affiliation is promoted by students being a member of the same team over a period of time. It is intended that students remain in these teams for the duration of each sport program for the skill development and the modified small-sided games, so that they can develop and learn together.

Place students in equal teams, 4 teams is optimal, at the beginning of the skill development session. Strategies for forming groups can be found in the Game-based learning in sport and physical activity e-learning course.
To further promote affiliation students can decide on a team name.
Once the teams are determined you can add the team and student names to the Lawn Bowls draw template.

Activity 1 - Throw, throw, throw

Equipment: Tennis balls

How to play: Two groups of equal size face each other. On a signal, players roll their ball over a line in the direction of the opposite team. After a set period, balls are counted to see who has the fewest balls.

Divide group into 2 teams.
Balls are rolled instead of thrown.
Balls have to roll through the ‘no-go zone.’

Throw, throw, throw - Playing for Life Activity Card

Triangle Roll - Playing for Life Activity Card

Activity 2 - Triangle roll

Equipment: Marker cones, balls

How to play: Players in 3s stand on the points of a triangle and roll a ball to one another. Play with 3 or more.

Groups of 3 or more form a triangle 2 to 3 metres apart.
Players try to roll the tennis ball so it stops at a point of the triangle.
Have players experiment with different grips.
Vary the width of the cones to make a gate for players to aim at.

Activity 3 - Gorri

Equipment: 6–10 markers to define a rectangular playing area, 1 or 2 tennis balls per player (to roll at the moving target), a variety of balls (targets) of different size

How to play: A large ball is rolled and players try to hit it with a tennis ball.

Roll the balls instead of throwing them.
Have players experiment with different ways of rolling.
Use different size and weighted balls.

Gorri - Playing for Life Activity Card

Bullseye - Playing for Life Activity Card

Activity 4 - Bullseye

Equipment: Chalk, hoops, markers or ropes to form 3 concentric circles on the ground, markers cones to identify throw-line 3 metres from target, tennis balls.

How to play: Players try to roll a ball to a target, aiming to score maximum points. (Play in small groups.)

Ask players to release the ball from different heights to find the most accurate method of bowling.
After each player has had a turn, start the next turn at the original target and move the target to a new spot.

Modified small-sided games

It's time for competition!

Teams compete against each other in the game outlined below. You can use the 'Lawn Bowls Draw' as a guide to organise the competition, across the 4 sessions try to ensure each team has a fair number of games.

Allocate 3 points for a win, 2 points for a draw and 1 point for a loss for each game played. Record results and points in the School sport program results spreadsheet.

Remember, to give students an update of the leader board each week.

Game - Kolap

Equipment: Tennis balls, targets, marker cones.

How to play: Pairs roll balls (kolaps) to stop on a target. If the ball goes outside of the target, the player tries again from where the ball stops. The game continues until all balls are in the target. Players aim to reach a set score.

Play in pairs, and each player has 4 kolaps.
One at a time, players roll the kolap at a target.
If the kolap lands outside of the target, the player tries again from where the kolap stopped.
Continue until all kolaps are within the target.
Once one pair lands all kolaps within the target, then next pairs begin.