Pirate Parrrrty

Mr. One turned six last week.  (Six!!)  On Monday afternoon, we had a little friends party for him. We are on Spring Break this week, so we waited to have his party until school was out.   He wanted a ninja Lego party (his favorite gifts this year were Ninjago Lego sets).  We compromised and had a pirate party (because there are cool pirate Legos too, you know).

Here's the front of the invite:

I originally wanted to use parchment-like brown paper and to burn the edges like a treasure map.  Time not being on my side, I opted for a simpler approach:  stickers and parchment-like gray paper.

The boys dressed in their pirate best and met at the park close by our home.  Unfortunately, the park I had decided to have the party at was completely full (I was not about to spend $50.00 to reserve a ramada at a public park!).  Luckily, there was another park close by, so we relocated.

When everyone arrived, each boy got an eye patch, gold earring and bandana to wear.  Those brave souls who wished for some pirate-like facial hair or scars had them drawn on with a black eyeliner pencil.

They also got a Loot bag to put their party favors in.  I didn't bother making these cutesy (just a brown paper sack with "Loot" written with a sharpie), because everyone knows, pirates don't do cutesy.  Or eat vegetables.  Or color-coordinate.

On to the activities!

We bombed approaching ships.

(By flicking ping pong "bombs" with a spoon "catapult" at some paper boats.)

They earned pirate booty in the form of a ring pop "treasure."

They decorated their own treasure chests (found at Michaels) with jewels and skull and crossbones (stickers).

Of course we needed to fill the boxes with some real treasure.  They dug in the volleyball court sand pit for treasure (plastic gold coins and colored florist stones).  The boys were told there was enough treasure for them each to find twelve coins and twelve jewels.  They dug for a long time, searching and counting.  It was so fun to watch!

We sang Happy Birthday (with no cha-cha-cha's, thank you...), ate cupcake pirate ships, drank lots of cold water and opened presents.

I used a Funfetti cake mix so that there would be little flecks of color in the cupcakes, like "buried treasure".

To end the party, we let them loose with balloon swords for the rest of the party.  They LOVED the swords!  I didn't love tying almost 20 balloon swords, as they would occasionally pop, but I'll take sore fingers for a little happiness.

A big thank you to Handsome Husband for help in the ideas department for games and party planning (we wish you could have been there!). Thanks to my brother who was in town with his family and new camera.  We wouldn't have had any pictures without him at the party.  He also turned out to be an excellent pirate treasure hider.  Thank you to my sister-in-law who was willing to chase ping pong balls and help keep the party running smoothly  Thanks to my mom who supplied many last minute odds and ends and party help and held Mr. Three to keep him happy.  It was a fun day.

Now I need to publish and finish "swabbing the deck" in my long-neglected home.

Pirate Games

Now that you've done your pirate research, you're ready to act the part.  Enjoy these activities.

Make a map and make sure to give an X to mark the spot.  You could even practice printing x's on old maps (bus route maps, highway maps, maps from amusement parks, etc.)  If you want them to be reusable, laminate your map first, then use a dry erase marker on the laminated surface, then wipe off.

Dig for treasure in your sand box or sensory tub.  Gold coins, costume jewelry, plastic gems, or anything else that looks treasure-like will be perfect.

Don't forget a treasure chest to store your loot.

Make a treasure chest:

This was a craft from our storytime.  It was something that the preschool teachers learned how to make in a Dr. Jean seminar.  (LOVE Dr. Jean!)

You will need:

small brown paper bag
glue
scissors
stickers, glitter, whatever you want to use to decorate with

To make the treasure chest:

1.  Cut 1/3 of your paper bag off from the top.  (You could just fold the excess under if you want to skip this step.)

2.  Cut down the sides of the bag until you get to the fold in the bag.

3.  Fold down the front and two sides (this will reinforce your box).

4.  Fold the back side over the top of the box to make the lid.

5.  If you want a lock, tear off a piece of one of the side flaps  or extra cut bag and cut it into an oval.  Glue half of the oval onto the outer edge of the lid and fold the other half down to hang over the front of your box.

6.  Decorate the box as you wish.

7.  Don't forget to fill it with treasure!

Hang on to your peg legs and eyepatches.  I have more pirate "treasure" to come!

Hunting for Treasure

One of the first rides we went on at Disneyland was Pirates of the Caribbean. I wasn't sure how my boys would like it. They aren't big on scary things, but after our last summer storytime, which was pirate themed, they were excited to go on a pirate ride. In the spirit of adventure, I'm posting a bounty of pirate themed activities to enjoy with your own rascally crew.

First, you must have some pirate literature.

Shiver Me Letters:  A Pirate ABC by June Sobel

A clever ABC book with a pirate theme.  "R," The pirate crew must search the sea and nearby island for all the alphabet letters, or walk the plank.  Each letter is hiding in the pages for you to find, accompanied by an adjective and/or object using that same letter's beginning sound (ex:  V is veiled in velvet, T is on a turtle).  Mr. Two especially loved shouting "R!" each time he saw it in the book, just like the pirates.
 

Can You See What I See? Treasure Ship by Walter Wick

This is my favorite I Spy book so far.  It is full of fun pirate things to find and implied pirate story lines within the pages.  As the book progresses, each page becomes a bigger piece of the picture (ex:  the first page is a large gold coin, the next page has the same gold coin surrounded by more treasure.)  This book is great for all ages.  I even caught the adults on our vacation pouring through the pages looking for treasure when the kids were off playing.

Tough Boris by Mem Fox

Boris is a rough and tough pirate, but even rough and tough pirates have feelings.  Another winning Mem Fox book.

How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long

 The little boy in the story agrees to goes along on a great pirate adventure, as long as he's back by soccer practice.  With no parents, and few rules, life is great.  But as the sky grows dark, being a pirate doesn't seem like as much fun as before.  Luckily, the pirates have heart, and return their recruit to land and home.  Find out the clever place they hide their treasure.  I see on Amazon that there is a sequel to this story, Pirates Don't Change Diapers.  We'll have to check that one out soon!

Pirate Pete's Talk Like a Pirate by Kim Kennedy

Pirate Pete has a problem.  He needs a good crew, a crew that is rough and tough and can shoot a cannon, but most of all, a crew who can talk like a pirate.  Clever, funny and fantastic word choice.

Go and grab your own little buckaneers and settle in for a tale or two.