This week in Physical Education we are revisiting the United Kingdom. We played a modified game of Shove Ha' Penny (pronounced Shove Hape Nee). A Ha' Penny is a half penny, which children learned is no longer in use in the UK. Although there are several versions of this game, we played one that was simplified for the younger students. The game involved lines on a board (we used a table) and a coin balanced at the edge of the table. The coin is shoved with the heel of the hand and the person tries to get the coin to land within two lines. In our version of the game, we simply assigned a point value to each area between the lines. Any coin landing on a line, on the floor, or in the big area close to your end of the table was given a zero value. Students alternated turns and totaled up points. The game was a bit like shuffleboard, as coins could be bumped into a higher or lower point value. Older students used the heel of the hand but younger students simply pushed the coin with their fingers. This made their efforts more successful. It was challenging, but the students had fun playing a game they had never heard of before.
A student lays her coin at the edge of the table and
prepares to hit the gold coin with the heel of her hand.
The green coin is on it's way to an area between the two blue lines.
Younger students pushed with fingers.
The student prepares to shove his last green coin. His point values are marked in green tape.
The gold coin point value is marked on the opposite side in yellow tape.
This student smiles because both of his coins have landed safely in the 4 point area.
On a real Shove Ha' Penny board (which is much smaller than our tables),
players play from one end. Coins can rebound off the back bumper and land between lines.
There are many variations of this game. Tournaments are sometimes held.
