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What do 10 pins and a big heavy ball have to do with summer camp enrichment and learning? Quite a lot, actually. Believe it or not, bowling is a sport that touches on many aspects of school preparedness. Plus, it’s fun! We use bowling as a hands-on excuse to work on some learning skills.

Here are five skills and principles that bowling has the potential to introduce to Carver kids!

Self-confidence. Gotta love those bumpers. Our campers nurse a feeling of accomplishment every time she rolls that 6-pound ball down the lane. With bumpers on either side, she’ll avoid the ill-fated gutter ball. Instead she’ll get an instant boost of self-confidence as her ball knocks down, at the very least, one pin each time. She probably won’t realize that something is preventing her from the much-maligned gutter, but there will be plenty of opportunities later in life to learn about missing and defeat.

Patience. Some of our campers aren’t very strong yet. And there is no better way to observe this than by asking her to roll a ball 1/6 her weight down a seemingly endless alley. Bowling is not an instant gratification kind of game. It takes patience. Carver kids have to wait awhile for pin-crushing action: for the rack to sweep away felled pins, for pins to be reset, and for the ball to make its way to his anxious hands through the mysterious under-the-floor ball-retrieval system.

Turn-taking. Bowling teaches how to take turns and share the fun. Carver kids cheer for each other. Cheering helps pass the time and builds an unselfish sense of excitement at another’s success.

Hand-eye coordination and balance. Carver kids gain a sense of control and learn that they can direct the ball according to her release point. We show the campers what would happens if you tried to bowl at an angle, down the side or down the middle. A heavy ball can be awkward for a little person to hold, so this teaches her how to stay balanced, aim, and keep her eye on the target simultaneously.

Counting and simple math. The computer screen shows how many pins are left, so campers can cross-check the math.

What champions we have this summer!