Ahoy, Mateys! Prepare now to set sail in search of yonder treasure for your homeschool on Talk Like A Pirate Day, which is September 19th! Celebrating this fun observance with your crew will earn your pure homeschool Mom gold stars. Whether you’re homeschooling toddlers or teens, here are 10 ways to use Pirate Day in your homeschool.
10 Ways to Use Pirate Day in Your Homeschool
Read Pirate Books on Pirate Day
Reading a good pirate story is a great way to add some pirate fun to your week. Consider adding the following to your reading:
- PreK: Goodnight Pirate
- K-3rd: How I Became a Pirate
- 3rd-5th: Who Was Blackbeard
- 4th-8th: Lives of Pirates
- Highschool: Treasure Island
Watch Pirate Movies on Pirate Day
There are quite a few pirate movies available. One’s that I would recommend include:
- PreK: The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything
- K-5th: Peter Pan
- 6th-Highschool: The Princess Bride, Hook
Dress Like a Pirate on Pirate Day
Allow your kids to dress like a pirate for the day (or the week!). An eye patch and a hat would make doing schoolwork so much more fun.
Learn to Tie Knots on Pirate Day
Pirates had to know how to tie knots to run the ropes on their ships. Use this week to learn how to tie different knots. Different knots to consider teaching are the figure 8 knot, overhand knot, bowman knot, and the reef knot (also called a square knot).
Use Pirate Themed Writing Prompts on Pirate Day
Pose pirate related questions to encourage their creative thinking skills. Questions may include:
- What would your pirate name be?
- A pirate wouldn’t be a pirate without…
- If you were a pirate, where would you hide your treasure?
- Are pirates essentially good guys or bad guys? Why?
Teach and Practice Map Skills on Pirate Day
What could be more fun than using a pirate’s map to teach map skills? Use the book Pirate Treasure Map: A Fairytale Adventure to teach map skills. Finish the week off by making your own treasure map and having them find the loot. Finding a bowl full of chocolate gold coins would make most any kid smile. Making their own compass or compass rose would be so much fun, too.
Play Capture the Flag on Pirate Day
For this one you’ll need a group of pirates, so consider inviting another homeschool family to join you. Divide your pirates into two teams. Each team picks a pirate island and hides their flag. Each team attempts to capture the other teams flag and return with it to your own pirate island. If a player is tagged by a pirate from the opposing team, they have to go to the “deserted island” and sit until the game is over.
Walk the Plank on Pirate Day
If your kids are younger, or you don’t have enough pirates for a full on Capture the Flag game, consider having them practice their balance skills to walk the plank. Whether you use a true balance beam or you put a 4×4 on the floor, kids will enjoy practicing their “arrr, matey” as they walk the plank.
Build a pirate ship on Pirate Day
Give them a few basic supplies, like cardboard boxes, tape, and string and challenge them to build a pirate ship. You might just be amazed at their creativity. Encourage them to name their ship.
Design A Jolly Roger on Pirate Day
What would a pirate ship be without a flag? Give each of your kids an 11 x 14 piece of paper and have them design their own flag. They can use their ships name or pirate lingo on the flag.
[…] just published a Talk Like a Pirate Word Scramble over at That Bald Chick. I also recently shared a 10 Ways to Use Pirate Day in Your Homeschool over at Encouraging Moms at Home and you can snag a free pirate word search printable over […]