In today’s world, where new ideas in education are becoming more important, a rural primary school in Kedah, Malaysia, is getting noticed for its creative break time activities.
While many schools stick to the usual routines during breaks, this school has come up with something different: a homemade bowling alley for its students to enjoy. It’s a fun way for them to spend their free time.
DIY bowling alley at primary school
Recently, a video posted on TikTok, under the account @one76914, brought attention to the homemade bowling alley.
It was set up cleverly in the school foyer, complete with everything you’d find in a real bowling alley: balls, pins, a platform, and even a rail to bring back the ball to the player.
How it happened
Speaking to WeirdKaya, Wan Roslan Wan Ishak, a 48-year-old teacher at SK Nami shared that the bowling alley idea started in 2023.
The teacher noticed that weekend training for the school’s bowling teams wasn’t enough, especially with fewer substitutes available. So, he decided to use break times for training instead.
“The idea began in 2023. I realised that the weekend training sessions for our school’s bowling team weren’t giving them enough practice, especially since we had fewer substitutes available.
So, I thought of using break time for their training instead. That’s when I started organising bowling sessions during breaks. Surprisingly, the students also picked up the basic movements of bowling during these sessions. This made it easier for me to train them later, even if they were new to bowling.”
When asked about the overall response, Wan Roslan shared, “The students’ response has been overwhelmingly positive. They like it and are happy. If I don’t open it for one day, the students will come and ask, ‘Why isn’t the bowling alley open today?’“
‘I often search for sponsors or use my own money’
Wan Roslan also shared some challenges that he faced where he needed funding, so he looked for sponsors and sometimes used his own money. The school is far from bowling alleys, so he used to travel a lot for practice.
“The main challenge is funding. I often search for sponsors or use my own money. It’s tough, but I’m grateful to those who help, whether with money or supplies like pins and balls.”
“Another challenge is that SK Nami is far from bowling alleys. For three years, I had to travel over 30 km each way for practice. It was exhausting. In 2018, I made a plywood bowling lane. Then, after COVID-19 in 2021, I built another lane. In 2023, I upgraded to two lanes because so many students wanted to play. If I get more funding, I’ll add even more lanes in the future”, he added.
Reflecting on the unexpected virality of the TikTok video, Wan Roslan humbly expressed, “I just made the video on TikTok for fun, to share the recreational activities of our students at school. I never expected it to go viral. Thanks to everyone who watched the video and provided constructive comments, giving encouragement to us teachers at SK Nami to continue serving our students. Thank you.”
Looking at comments, netizens were quick to react over this viral video with different thoughts.
Many liked the school’s idea and praised the teacher for being creative. They said it was great that all students, no matter their background, could have fun together. Some even said other schools should copy this idea because it could help students feel more involved and happy.
One person said: “The teacher did a great and creative job. Now even students who can’t afford it can play bowling.”
Another person wrote: “This is excellent. We need more teachers like this. The principal should take this as an example for other schools. Congratulations, teacher, keep up the good work.”
Someone else added: “Why didn’t we have cool stuff like this when I was in school?”
Watch the full clip here:
