When all the little pirates arrived they were told that they weren't really pirates yet, they just thought they were. They were told that they would have to earn the right to be called a Pirate. They thought this was really funny and couldn't wait to do it.
First task: Every pirate must have a pirate chest. I mean, you can't be a pirate without one can you? I found some little wood chests for the kids to paint with tempera paints and covered the table with aluminum foil to protect it.
Second Task: By finishing the chests, the Pirates earned the right to decorate their own pirate hat. I made the hats out of black foam sheets (12 x 18) and had the kids decorate them.
Here's how I made the hats:
1. Take one (12 x 18) sheet:
2. Cut the sheet in two lengthwise:
I made a small cut at the bottom and then folded the flaps as shown. Tape the flaps to the floor and you've got an ocean full of sharks!
Third Task: The pirates earned their eyepatches and earrings by learning the Pirate jargon. I googled "how to talk like a pirate" and came up with a fun list.
Fourth Task: They earned their loot and telescopes by playing games. I googled a couple of games and this is what I used: (these are not my games and I don't take credit for them, but they were lots of fun)
First game: This is to teach the new pirates how to avoid being detected by the enemy: Throw a balloon in the air. While it's still in the air they have to laugh like pirates by saying "Yo-Ho-Ho!" When it lands on the ground they have to be silent. If not, they had to Walk the Plank! Guess who was one of the first ones to walk the plank?
Notice the sharks on the floor?
Second Game: The kids were given orders to follow like this:
If I said: Port! They all had to run to the left side of the room.
If I said: Starboard! They had to run to the right side of the room.
If I said: Captains Coming! They had to stand at attention and salute.
If I said: Climb the rigging! They pretended to be climbing a rope.
If I said: Mess Deck! They sat down with legs crossed.
If I said: Submarine! Everyone had to lay down on the floor and pretend to be a sub.
This one was so much fun! I don't have pics for you of this one, there was too much movement and they all came out blurry.
The kids were now officially pirates and got to have the cake:
I'm pretty proud of how my cake turned out! I used a Wilton's pan that I got from Hobby Lobby. One day I might even take a class or two on how to decorate cakes. Just imagine how dangerous I'd be then. Ace of Cakes, here I come!
Here's a better pic of it:
We even had a chest for the forks:
Of course, no Pirate party would be complete without Pirate Swords. I set out a bucket of swords on the hearth. These were a huge hit and the adults had to all duck quickly before they were skewered:
