This post will be short and sweet, I just wanted to share a simple resource that’s been really helpful in my PE Classes.
Many of you might have already seen Mike Morris share his awesome spin on the game of Polish Frisbee which he called Dice Bonk (Here’s the Tweet).
I played a few variations of it last year and my kids really enjoyed it, just like any game there are tons of ways to modify it and different ways to play while practicing different sports or skills.
What I really like about the game is that you have to have skill to be able to score, but there’s also a healthy amount of luck involved (based on what number the dice lands on). This “luck element” really makes for a fun game where you don’t always dominate just because you’re good at the skill.
The game was super cool but…
I love the game – but when I saw the tweet, what really caught my eye was his Dice Bonk score card – such a simple way to allow kids to keep track of score.
At the time I was using tally marks on a blank sheet of paper to track score, it was kind of a pain – we were always running out of paper and the pencils were often breaking or markers would dry out.
“Why have I never thought of this?” I asked myself…
So I created my own to work with paperclips and tried them out with my students – the kids loved it – I had less arguments about what the score was and that means more time playing the game (this is a very good thing).
Another cool idea I saw in the comments was using a yard stick + clothespins to keep score, but I didn’t have any yard sticks… so I made some scorecards.
Super simple – just print, laminate and they are ready to go.
Now I use them any time we are playing a 1 v 1 or 2 v 2 yard game that goes up to 21 points (Corn Hole, Kan Jam, Bocce Ball, Dice Bonk, Spikeball).
Feel free to download my scorecards below if you think they’d be useful
Also, make sure to give Mike a follow on Twitter – he’s always sharing awesome ideas (for example Dice Jam)
Have Fun and Teach On!
Sarah says
Have you ever played roundnet without the net and simply used hoops and a good ball? Would it work well for older (6-7th) students?
Love the ideas presented and plan to utilize it this school year.
Thanks!
Marcus says
Hey Sarah,
Using a hula hoop as a modification is a great way to change up the game for students! Glad you’re able to find some resources you can use for your students!
Have a great school year!
Catherine says
How many sets of yard games would you recommend as a class set?
For example, do
You purchase multiples of one game or several different games to make stations?
Ben Landers says
Just depends on what you want to do and your budget. I normally focus on one game with an entire class first and then once students understand how to play we use that game as a station activity in a later lesson.
For example – I could only afford to get 5 spikeball nets so we used Hula Hoops instead of nets when we needed additional nets, you can do the same thing with any yard game. Bean bag bocce, cornhole with hula hoops and spots etc
Velda Yamashiro says
Thank you so much for being so willing to share!!
Derek N says
As an alternate to using a score card, I also use a Yard Stick and clothes pins (Dollar store – pack of 12). I then color the clothes pins with mark to distinguish teams. Works well, but I also like the paper score sheet too.
Ben Landers says
Great idea – I actually saw someone do this on Twitter I think, but didn’t have any yard sticks