School Bolo Palma: Bowl and Re-Bowl

A school version of bolo palma, a traditional regional bowling game: nine pins in three rows, a long first roll, and a re-bowl, a second roll from where the ball stopped. Students work on rolling a ball, accuracy, and team strategy.

How to play

1. Chalk 4 lanes: a 9-pin square (bottles with a little sand) in three rows 20 in apart and a bowling line 23 ft away (4 min).
2. Teams of 6. Teach the underhand roll: opposite leg forward, knees bent, and the ball released along the ground (2 min).
3. First roll: each player bowls two balls from the line and scores a point per pin knocked down (1 min per player).
4. Re-bowl: if the first ball went past, the second ball is bowled from where the first one stopped toward the pins still standing (included in the turn).
5. After each turn, two teammates reset the pins. Play 3 rounds per team, switching lanes every round (14 min).
6. Add up points, and each team shares a strategy that worked (2 min).

Rules

• Always roll the ball, never throw it in the air.
• Pin setters go in only when both balls have stopped.
• Safety: nobody stands behind the pins while someone bowls; pin setters wait off to the side.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the student bowls seated or uses a ramp made from a tube, choosing the direction.
• Visual impairment: a partner claps behind the pins, and bottles are brightly colored.
• Advanced students: on the re-bowl, they must knock down a specific pin chosen by the other team.

Learning goals

• Roll a ball accurately toward a target.
• Choose the best line on the re-bowl based on the pins left.
• Learn a traditional bowling game and its vocabulary.

Equipment for a class of 25

• recycled bottles: 36
• tennis balls: 8
• chalk: 4

Teacher tip

Weigh the bottles just enough to fall when hit by a tennis ball; if they're too heavy, students get frustrated. Assign set roles each turn: bowler, pin setters, and scorekeeper.

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