Weekly PE comes to KSI Academy, a micro school in Doi Saket
Every Thursday at 10am, five learners at KSI Academy put down their books and pick up pickleball paddles. BYC Pickleball & More ran the first session on 29 October.
On a sunny Thursday morning, five learners aged 7 to 13 gathered on the outdoor court at KSI Academy in Doi Saket. Two of their teachers joined them. For the next hour, Kru Mod, head coach at BYC Pickleball & More, took the group through a warm-up, three pickleball games and a cool-down. By the end, students and teachers alike were sweating.
The session on 29 October was the first of a weekly PE programme that now runs every Thursday at 10am.
A small school with room to move
KSI Academy is a nature-based micro school for learners aged roughly 6 to 15. Groups are small by design, with about one guide for every seven learners. The programme follows Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence, in which health and wellbeing is one of eight learning areas.
The campus is green and spacious, with a lawn, a turf area and a covered court beside a terracotta brick wall. Before the programme began, much of that outdoor space went unused during the school day. A weekly PE hour gave it a regular purpose.
Stretching before the games start.
The warm-up: arms out, eyes on the coach.
Kru Mod demonstrates before Paddle Control.
NEW TO THE SPORT?
Why pickleball
Pickleball is played with a solid paddle and a light plastic ball with holes, on a court about a third the size of a doubles tennis court. The ball travels slower than a tennis ball, so beginners can keep a rally going early on. That makes it a practical choice for a mixed group of children.
THE PLAN
How the Hour Ran
Kru Mod brought the paddles, balls and cones, and the school added a few items of its own. The session opened with a warm-up and footwork between the cones. The main block was three short games for hand-eye coordination. All five children played each game together for four minutes, so nobody waited in line.
THE PLAN
Three games, one team score
Kru Mod brought the paddles, balls and cones, and the school added a few items of its own. The session opened with a warm-up and footwork between the cones. The main block was three short games for hand-eye coordination. All five children played each game together for four minutes, so nobody waited in line.
Paddle Control: For two minutes, each child bounces the ball up on the paddle, and all five counts are added into one team score. For the next two minutes, they alternate forehand and backhand and try to beat it. Target: beat the team's first score
Volley Rally: The children stand in a circle three metres apart and keep the ball in the air with no bounce. Each player calls a name before hitting, so everyone stays alert. Target: 5 hits in a row
Dink Rally: Around the turf square, two metres apart, the children trade soft shots with one bounce before each hit. A miss sends the count back to zero. Target: 10 hits in a row
Soft shots over a mini net, with classmates watching from the steps.
Students, coach and teacher stretch together at the end of the hour.
Sport for everyone
BYC Pickleball & More is a sports community of about 1,900 members based in Doi Saket. Its aim is inclusive sport: sport for everyone. In small groups, its coaches adjust the rules, pace and equipment to suit each group, including learners with special needs and children who are new to sport.
The weekly format used at KSI can also work for Chiang Mai homeschool families who want a regular PE session together.
Sport for everyone
BYC works with a network of experienced coaches in Chiang Mai, so larger classes can be split into activity stations with extra coaches. Sessions are planned for:
Micro schools and homeschool groups
International and bilingual schools
Sports days and whole-school events
Holiday camps and after-school clubs
Learners with special needs, in small groups
Bring PE to your school or group
Share your group size, the children's ages and the space you have, and BYC will suggest a session plan.
LINE @bycsports
WhatsApp 096 906 1725
A ball-and-basket game on the lawn.
A game of chess indoors
To close, one of the students led the group through the cool-down stretches, in front of classmates and teachers. It was a small task, but it gave a learner the chance to lead.
One game, many ages
Six years is a wide gap in strength and coordination. Team scores let a 7-year-old and a 13-year-old work toward the same number. The older children set the pace, the younger ones get plenty of touches on the ball, and nobody sits out. Every child plays in the same game, at their own level.
After the first session, Khun Sonthaya asked BYC to return the following week. For the school, the hour put its unused outdoor space to work and got the children moving.